Questions about working at home

[Shazz]

I'm a new student and I was just dreaming about the future. I was wondering if it would be appropriate to do massage in my basement. We are going to finish the basement and I'm a pretty good designer so I'm sure I could make it look nice and non-dungeon like.

When you come in my house there is a foyer then right around the corner there is the basement door with about 14 steps down.

Do you think it is necessary to have a bathroom down there? It's a possibility to put one down there.

Another question about working at home. We have both a dog and a cat. They would never be allowed in the massage room and I could have them on the second story when clients arrive..... but do you think people could have a real problem with this if they are allergic or something?

 

[Thom]

Working at home can work depending on the clientel. One thing to consider is bathroom facilites which ones would they use. Also as far as dogs and cats, my wife and I have a studio and she always brings our standard poodle to the session. If some people don't like it, ol well I guess they aren't our client.

Also if most of your clients are from referals either self or from friends at home studios can work.

Jason

 

[Ross G.]

Well I live in a very large planned community. It's a country club type community with all young families. I'm thniking I'd get a lot of pre natal massage and relaxation massage. Word of mouth should travel quickly in a community like this. I plan on spreading the word through the many mom's groups and such. So I'm hoping that kind of clientele would be ok with my basement. I hope!

 

[Justxme]

The only real concern would be if there are regulations in your community regarding home offices. Some might require handicapped accessibility, or have other cost-prohibitive requirements. That said, the acupuncturist I go to has her service rooms in her basement, and she seems to be plenty busy. It can work out great. We limit our practices to specific target groups, anyway, and you seem to have pinpointed yours to a group this shouldn't bother.

 

[Day]

I work at home, have several cats and like the other poster said, if people don't like them, they are not my client. I do however ask if they have allergies to cats when first speaking with them on the phone. The pros are really great. Here are the cons;

You have to be up on your housecleaning in your treatment area, bathrooms, etc everyday.

People tend to hang out for longer because they are in your home. Sometimes I have to really get them out the door. It's not a social visit, but because it's in your home, they forget that you are on a schedule.

Also, they may tend to want to be late, because they figure "your at home anyway". SO you will have to really keep firm boundaries and frequent reminders about that.

This is your home, your sanctuary. People are coming into it, strangers. Not so great. You may also wish to think about your policy of accepting first timers while you are alone at home.

If you live in a condo or townhome, this might be a problem. I had a friend who was shut down due to the neighbors not liking this. She did not have a constant flow either, but this was a place that only allowed one pet per unit and no lettering on your cars. :roll: It's easier with a single family home.

Good luck!

 

[Danielle S]

I think the basement idea is just fine. If it is nicely finished and decorated, people will just think of it as "downstairs", not "the basement".

I think the bigger concern might be the pets. Allergies would definitely be a problem for some. Another thing to consider is the behavior of your pets. I know someone with cats and they like to scream sometimes (or whatever the cat term is) when she is behind the massage room door. If you have a dog, barking would be a consideration. Does this dog bark or jump when strangers arrive at the door? Does the dog bark when they see strangers walking by the house? As a client, I would certainly find it disturbing for a dog to begin barking in the middle of my massage.

I had considered a home office for a bit and the set-up is perfect, as clients could come right in the back door and have access to the massage room and the powder room and I have a door that I can shut that prevents access to the rest of the house. I decided against it, as there were too many things I was concerned about:

1. Being sure everything was always clean enough.
2. Having to think about what I was cooking....garlic or onion smells in the home do not make for good "aromatherapy".
3. I was worried about the doorbell ringing in the middle of the massage
4. The sounds of the neighbor's lawnmower in the middle of the massage would have been disturbing to the client
5. What if I forgot to the turn the ringer on the phone off?
6. Liability should someone trip and fall
7. Shoveling the snow in the winter

All of these concerns were in addition to the concerns about strangers coming to the home. What their perception of my professionalism was being as my office was in my home. My own need to get out of the house to go to work somewhere, as opposed to being home all the time.

When I realized there were so many things I was worried about, I decided a home office was not right for me at the time. I am very happy in my office outside of my home. But, now that I am established for 3 years, if I needed to move my office, I would consider moving it to my home. I am established with enough clients who I feel comfortable with and who respect my professionalism that some of the things might not be a worry any longer. Even though, I would still be concerned about many of the things on the list, I have seen that others have made it work just fine and I would have to do things differently at times, but it is definitely workable.

My children are in college, so I did not have to be concerned about what I would do with them if I had clients or their noise level. If you have younger children, this might be something to think about. Additionally, if you are in a neighborhood with young children, the noise level outside and how it travels to your massage space could be a concern.

Good luck!

 

[Meep Zorp]

i just want to stress the importance of asking clients if they have any allergies when you work out of your home and have animals. if you didn't and my brother came into your home to receive massage it would take about 20 minutes for him to figure out you had a cat and 1/2 second after that for you to be dialing 911 for EMS to rescue him!