How much massage in an hours appointment?

[b90t3r1]

Just curious. If someone books an hour with you, how much massage do they get - as in does your hour include dressing/undressing time etc?

Just curious!

 

[The lovely Alexis P]

I allow an hour for a 35 - 40 min back and shoulder massage. For a full body massage taking 1hr 10mins (ish), I allow 2hour appointment time. BUT I work from home, part time, so feel I can be a bit less rushed. I prefer it this way so I don't feel harrassed.

I've been to therapists who want you slapped on the couch within a minute of arrival and massage to within a minute or 2 of appointment time end so you're then rushed to throw your clothes back on and be gone cos they've made it clear what time their next client is arriving (maybe slight exaggeration! [8D]) - ok I suppose it's vfm for the massage but doesn't allow for holistic therapy time!

 

[fveahuxyiuiiqsewm]

Hi,

If someone books a 30 minute back massage I will massage for 30 mins, and the same for an hours full body massage. I would allow about 20 mins extra for the getting changed, paying etc...

I have been for a massage where it stated 45 min and lasted about 25! I was a bit annoyed as it cost me a small fortune and I had been looking forward to it 4 ages.

Hope this helps

 

[sgtslick321]

yes, I always stress the actual massage time and then point out that they should allow extra time for changing etc.

 

[????s??]

Hi

I tend to book appointment 2hrs apart, half hr for consultation on first visit hour full body massage and another half hour for changing etc. I've found that doing it this way allows the client time to come to and get dressed when they are ready, so niether me nor the client are rushed.

 

[conor r]

Hi I allow 30 mins for a back/shoulder massage and slightly over an hour for a full body. Like B Holistic I went for a massage last year which should have been for an hour and she did 40 mins. I was so cross as it cost alot of money. Timewise I allow half an hour for a back massage with initial chat and changing. For a full body I allow an hour and three quarters. I work from home too and I just don't want the client to feel rushed - plus I don't want to rush either. x

 

[Bone Idle]

For me, if I book a one hour massage I expect it to last one hour.

It's almost like asking how much should a £30 massage cost!!!!

If the massage was only 54minutes, then the customer would be expected to accept it, but if the customer only offered £27, then the therapist would not be impressed!

do you agree??

KB

 

[Froggy McFrogfeet]

I worked as a massage therapistin a spa salon when I lived in the States (more than 15 years ago) and worked a sort of 'shift system' (9am-1pm or 1-5pm or 5-9pm) All the appointments were 1 hour long, and the manager made sure that the client entered the treatment room dead on time, and they had to leave after 60 minutes. It was like a conveyor belt, and I hated it. Nowadays, working for myself, I see people during aone and a half hour slot, making sure that they are not rushed. Sometimes it lasts longer if I feel that they need to chat. I try not to see more than 6 people in a day - 4 is perfect.
Like B Holistic, I have been for therapy and found that the 60 minutes offered in the brochure, is actually 35/40 minutes of hands on, and the remainder of the time I've been expected to undress/dress and pay! One local clinic lost my business after I asked the therapist if she could turn off the music "No, you'll get used to it" she said (!!!!) - It was Hooked On Classics - I said that it would never happen, soshe may as well stop.I don't knowhow long she would have given me..I refused to pay for the 10 minutes I had been there. I'm not a stroppy cow, honest!!! I have now found a therapist who turns me to putty for a hour, and plays lovely music at just the right volume to induce sleep!

 

[vzerquvxinwibteka]

The answer to this one will depend on what the therapist is charging you for, it can be for a massage, it can be for their time or it can be for their expertise.

Personally I charge for my time so my treatments for remedial lasts between 20 - 30 minutes and a full body between 50 - 60 minutes. If I was to charge for my expertise then a treatment could last any amount of time as once I had effected a change I would be finished, I would not be offering full body treatment in that case just treating dysfunctions.

 

[Marc likes Mearkats]

I worked at a salon for a short time, where if you had booked a half-hour treatment, you were expected to be there ten minutes before your appointment time to change, and then be out of the room, changed and paid before your appointment time was up.

I am so much happier now I am on my own to be able to offer and hours massage and mean an hours massage. I saw a similar thread on another forum, and thought it would be interesting to see how folks here charged for time - partly as a check to make sure I am not diddling myself! Although if I was saying an hour and doing 50 mins I would feel like I was diddling the client - and they pay my mortgage!

Thanks for responding.

 

[Zakir]

I do 30mins back nack & shoulders and allow an hour
60 mins massage and allow 1 hour 30 mins .....but then i only work 1.15 to 3.00 as can only do work afternoon school hours at the mo and i do find it hard.

i can only do 1 massage in the afternoon really and my clients get what they pay for plus consultation and dress and chat time with a drink after.

I think you should be able to chat to client b4 and after treatment so they feel relaxed.

 

[JaneBasketty]

It's a bit of a strange one this -
I can see both sides of the coin & I think it depends on what your treatment actually involves
F'instance at the moment I'm writing 2 letters - 1 to the GP and 1 to the client for the condition I'm treating and I'll be doing some additional log entry work for this client as well - now its not massage - but it will take me about 1 hour in total - that is time which is not strictly massage time - but its time that has to be paid for somewhere.

On the other hand if I was doing a straight forward Swedish Massage there is no way I'd be spending this backroom time even with writing up notes - so there is more massage time.

I hope this makes sense!

FBx

 

[Future Vet]

I am divided on this. At home, for one hour of treatment, the treatment itself is an hour, plus any time for dressing, undressing, consultation and feedback. I do not offer 30 minute treatments at home as a rule as I feel the pricing is adequately generous for the location.

At the gym, I am restricted to time slots, 30 mins and one hour, depending upon the client, room rates mean that I can't have this luxury, plus the prices were suggested to me by the organiser.

At Equinox I currently charge the same rates as at home and do not ofer 30 minute treatments, I am still bound to the room in one hour slots, however, with rental this means that I earn a lot less than at the gym or at home, once you've factored in rental, travelling time, petrol and parking (I carry too much stuff to make the bus feasible).

For non-home clinic visits, I try to getas much information about the client as I can before treatments, so that consultation is at a minimum when we meet (sometimes most of this is done on the phone before we meet for the first time), then a brief follow up each visit to check progress and check objectives. I like to maximise treatment times where I can and deliver as much healing and therapys I can muster in short timespans.

 

[BsTee76]

i allow one a qrtr hrs for 1 hr appts and 45 mins for 30 mins appt. I work from a gym for 4 hrs a day and ideally i can see 4 1hr clients but i chose not to as 1) I need time in between treatments to set up, 2) I don't want the client to feel they are just on a conveyor belt 3) it allows me to talk to the client and find out properly abt their needs. Plus I think if I did 4 hrs straight treatment without some breaks i would be totally shattered.

 

[chagmalyclats]

Most of you seem to be saying what I believe. If a client wants an hours massage then I believe the actual massage should be for one hour with extra time for getting ready and getting dressed afterwards. It is important that each client feels that they are being looked after and are valued as people, not just someone to make money from. I personally prefer to work from home or a clients home where there are no time restrictions, as I usually take up to 1 hr 15 min for a good full body massage.

 

[Banker]

I think it should depend on where you work. If you work where clients can't spare more time off work than 5-10 minutes in total changing, paying, and making their next appointment, then it is only fair for them to incorporate that into the hour. I work near the Old Bailey. Most of my massage clients are busy lawyers who start taking their clothes off the moment they come in and are on the couch within 2 minutes. By the time I have washed and dried my hands, they are ready and waiting. They charge an awful lot per hour and don't want to waste their valuable massage time doing anything else

 

[Rei]

So you feel in need of a nice massage, find a therapist and book a 'one hour massage' for £40.

You arrive at the health centre before the therapist does.

They invite you in to the treatment room 5 minutes after your session was due to start.

As a new client they spend 10 minutes asking and writing down your name and address, home phone number, mobile number, ask what you want from the massage, any medical details.

Told the massage is 'about an hour' and asked to undress.

On the couch and the massage starts; it's good no complaints, suddenly it's over. Wow I must have enjoyed it so much I lost all sense of time?!

Therapist leaves me to get dressed in my own time (which is costing me).

Glance round and as I suspected the massage lasted 35 minutes of ACTUAL PHYSICAL MASSAGE! That's what I pay for as far as I'm concerned.

Next time they might not fill in a form that I could have done while waiting at reception so could be 10 minutes longer plus 5 minutes if not late starting even though I was early. Does anyone else feel stupid telling someone their name and address etc when said person is sitting right next to them and then asks you about spelling etc when you can do it yourself (for free).

I feel cheated and because of that I do not intend to return as I don't want to 'wonder' how long my 'one hour' massage 'might' (not) last should I return.

So therapists how long is a one hour massage?

Should consultations be 'free' so as not to cut into the clients session time (of massage).
A good way of making the NEW client feel they are getting a good deal and treated fairly I would say.

A bit rambling but hope you get my point and yes I am a right whinger but even so!

 

[Rocky]

firstly why should we provide our services free, your consultation (form filling) is part of the service, these are details we need to go through for legal reasons.

if your therapist was late they should make the time up and not on your time.

im a mobile therapist, so the treatment time starts as soon as in their home. I give them the paper work to fill in while im setting up my couch, it also gives me time to talk to the client to discus any issues and what they want from the treatment.

My sessions last around 50 minutes, with approx 40/45 massage. The client gets dressed while i pack away this is on my time not the clients

I guess if you have bad service you wont go back, but you might have had a bad salon/clinic/therapist so the next one might be better.


As im a sports massage therapist i have to go through a lot more with my clients before massage can start, but for therapeutic massages you should get most of that hour 45/50 at least

sorry your experience wasnt good

 

[WypoczynekSiema]

I could have filled out a form in the waiting room in MY unpaid time, only the medical contraindications, if any, might need to be discussed in the treatment room (in my case).

Good marketing? "Free Consultation" sacrifice a few quid to gain a regular repeat client (possibly) same as some therapists do a pay for 3 sessions get fourth free or similar.

My session was purely recreational not sports injury/fitness where as with medical procedures history taking assumes a more prominent part of a session.

When I book a one hour massage I want a one hour massage or very near as you concur.

 

[Costin]

I would never dream of giving any client less than a full 60mins (or 90mins if that's what they opt for) of MASSAGE time. Anything else - dressing, undressing, consultation, discussion before and/or afterwards, showering before and/or afterwards, etc is all carried out 'free', as it were.

The only time I would consider giving a client less than the full session would be if he or she turned up very late and I had someone booked in straight afterwards. But usually I leave a big gap between appointments anyway to allow for all the faffing about in between.

I can undertand salons perhaps need to give less than an hour if they want to keep their appointments running all day, on the hour, every hour. But if that's the case then they should not describe it as a ONE HOUR massage. But that's just my opinion. I'm sure there will be others who feel differently.

Kitten
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