Any tips on how a massage therapist can make decent money?

Question

I have a friend who is a massage therapist. He is really struggling. Most of the places where he can find work just take most of the money. Any ideas?

Answer 1

It's tough everywhere for a LMT.

It sounds like your buddy is self employed and that is really tough.  Word of mouth is the best way to get your name out there.  Make business cards and had them out, everywhere!  Promote yourself!  Chair massage set up at the mall, local sporting event, flee market, local salon, local gym, wherever.

Spas have been cutting back their business, 'cause the business that was there last year isn't here.  

I work PT and use to have about 52 hours in a 2 weeks and now I have about 20 hours in 2 weeks.

Good Luck and Please Up Date Me.

Answer 2

Even if you have a job in massage you still need to know how to get and keep clients.  

There are tons on things one needs to do to be successful in the massage profession as in any other profession beginning with changing your core beliefs about yourself.

You also have to know that it is about making money.

Read and learn anything and everything about marketing and business.

There are high paying job opportunities out there where you can make $45 an hour as a subcontractor but you have to know how to find them or create them.

Answer 3

There are an awful lot of massage therapist out there, and the best thing that your friend can do is differentiate himself in the market with advanced training in areas of healing that other massage therapists may not be addressing in his market like acupressure, pregnancy massage, or gem therapy. Not all massage therapists have business skill, and whether your friend likes it or not, he has a small business. Also, if he/she gets out there and knocks on corporate doors, you can find times when corporations treat employees to short massages (a chair is needed). These employees can become long-term clients. Health fairs and festivals are another great place to find clients by starting with a 15 minute chair massage followed up with a call. No doubt, it is work building a practice with so much competition, but once you have laid hands on someone, they will be more responsive.

Answer 4

The only way i've found to make decent money is to work for yourself. If your friend can get hold of all the equipment and work as a mobile therapist or rent a space they'll make more than working for someone. If he approaches naturopaths, chiropractors, gyms etc to find a space then that could work. Unfortunately massage therapists aren't going to make a million. When i did my training the first thing they said was that if your looking to make a lot of money... your in the wrong trade... And you have to find the healthy balance of working enough to make money and not working too much so you burn out and theeeeen your stuffed. And it is sooooo important for your friend to find another therapist and do swaps. If you are doing massage full time you need to get massages regularly.

Answer 5

Any place where you work for someone else, they will take most of the money.  The reason is not always greed, but the business owners may value expenses of location, property upkeep, marketing and advertising over the expenses that they think a massage therapist deserves.  It just becomes simple economics.  Figure out a way to keep your expenses as low as possible, and your revenue as high as possible to create a decent profit margin.  Many massage therapists find this by becoming mobile with a chair and a table.  Initially, you will need to sacrifice some of your perfect scenario elements just so you can start in the right direction.  Your start-up cost is relatively low, and you will have no overhead (so to speak) because you are not locked into rent or utilities.  Your operating cost of supplies and/or fuel for transportation may be your biggest ongoing expense.  Also, if becoming your own business person is the direction you want to go, then legitimize yourself by developing a professional business name and a logo.  Find cheap ways to print business cards, set a fair price, then discount 15-25% for package deals (5 sessions or more).  This will get the ball rolling.  And most important.  Take care of your customers!  Arrive on time, don't change your appoinments with them unnecessarily and listen to what they are looking for in a massage session.  Set some boundaries, but keep this consistent with them.  Inconsistency is what drives people away from many service driven businesses.  When people begin to ask if you have an office, then you will want to consider finding a place that rents a room.  You should not need to pay more than 50% for the room rental.  Be patient, but be persistent.  If you need to supplement income through a full-time or part-time job, then do it.  Give yourself time to build up clientele before relying on your massage income to support you full-time.

Best wishes.