Rates for corporate chair massage?
I saw this short post after I typed the long one that follows. :
Thanks all, I told him $400 and he didn't bat an eye. My regular rate is $50/hr so I don't feel like I'm selling myself short.
But, I am leaving my post anyway, in case it helps someone else!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Here goes:
A friend of a friend contacted me yesterday wanting to know if I would consider doing chair massage for his staff (of about 30). I'm not sure of the details, been playing phone eforum.xxx, but I want to be prepared when I do talk to him. I know the company will be footing the bill, my problem is how much to charge. I think I'd rather work by the hour rather than by the number of minutes. Any ideas on what would be an appropriate amount for 6 hours of work?
You already have a number of good replies here, so, I'll just add in what I have worked with as additional input for what it is worth.I'll start out with:
This is a good reason, in my opinion, NOT to make a price reduction. Friends and friends of friends seem to expect reductions and freebies and I think that breeds bad business in the long run. They have a tendency to start telling people all of your reductions and never the normal price. :-/
chair massage for his staff (of about 30)
You can plan on 30 people being about 6 hours of work if each person gets a 10 min. massage. If you take a lunch it will be a long day. Depending on the frame of your body and how much chair massage you have done in the past, and if you do deeper work on a chair or lighter work, will depend on how tired you are at the end.I wouldn't charge anything less than $60/hour. I am in a large city in Texas so anything from $60/hour to $85/hour would be going rate. If it were me personally, I'd say $85/hour, because for me, chair massage is difficult on my hands, I am shorter, and I do deeper work. While we're talking money, since you mentioned that the owner of the company is paying the fee and not the employees, I would NOT take a tip jar, as it is more of a gift to the employees (that is just a personal preference). I would, howeverk, ask if you can take business cards and brochures. You may also consider to make up some sort of small gift packet for each employee. I think a number of ideas have been mentioned on the the business forum as "gift bags", and instead of a price break, maybe something like this could be used as an incitive for them to consider work by you in the future (now this is not something I am saying I have ever done, or even know that it would work, but it hit me as a brain-storm while I was typing, so I thought I'd throw it in, in case it is something that works for you -- who knows what will work for someone, ya know?
).Something to consider talking to him about would be the logistics of where you will set up. Is there an outlet for a CD player, are there restrooms, etc? Also, you may want to ask about how the employees will be coming to you. For example, if it is a pretty large space, you may suggest they phone eforum.xxx each other, one after the next, so that you don't have to be hunting up the employees. Always be prepared that an employee will be lolly-gagging around, and may need to be skipped over until later or prodded. That is why I always account for five 10 min. massages in each hour, instead of six.Find out how the billing arrangement will be too. You'll need to know if you will invoice the company or get paid upfront. If it turns out to be a regular job, then future invoicing would be something to mention at this phone call. Maybe something to the effect of, the first time out, you are always paid upfront, but if the company is going to have you once a month, then you would consider invoicing when the regular job is set up.Hope some of this helps. You probably already knew most of it.