One of the most challenging things for massage therapists is setting fees for massage therapy services but it is one of the most important forms of self care that is needed to avoid burnout or even business failure. Money is such an interesting thing for many as it often equated with power and it is a place where we all project our old beliefs onto.
Massage therapists don’t want to charge for massage because it is such a nurturing, wonderful service and they think that people shouldn’t have to pay for things like that. They set lower rates than others thinking that is what they need to do to get people in the door and keep them coming back. They don’t have cancellation policies that support a business and often just let no shows or last minute cancellations go without paying. Massage therapists seem to put their own needs for financial stability aside in order to get and keep a client.
The thing is that people do want to pay for your services. When I first started out 20 years ago, I opened my own business at a health club where the person before me was charging something like $25 an hour for a massage. Even back then, that was a really low fee for massage. It was a struggle raising my rates to match the going rate in the area. An accountant friend of mine even told me not to do it because I would lose too many clients. I did lose some but there were new ones that came after and they paid the higher rate. Every year when I raise my rates, I usually get at least one complaint but all of the others say things like “It is about time your raised your rates”. Actually the person who complained last year is one of my wealthiest clients. What people can or want to pay has little to do with how much money they have or don’t have. I also have a client who is a single mother and a day care teacher who makes it a point to always have money for her massage. The difference is in how much they value massage. I personally only want to be working with people who value me and my massage service. Anything less becomes a drain on your business and your self. That is why setting and raising your fees is one of the highest forms of self care. I even created a new page on my website on setting your fees and it is linked from the section on Self Care.
So often I work with massage therapists and I hear things like “I can charge less because I work at home and don’t have as much overhead. I work with mothers and they don’t have much money.” They also say things like “I just can’t charge for massage because it is such a personal thing”. These therapists don’t have a retirement account and are hardly getting by but they would rather ’sacrifice’ their time and take a client who pays less. Setting introductory fees can be a way of getting people in the door or having special offers occasionally but consistently undercharging and thus underearning can hurt your massage practice (and the massage profession) more than one might think.
In some ways we are providing what people should have got for free- nurturing, relaxation techniques and support for their physical, mental, emotional processing. How do you put a price on that? I sometimes think we should be charging more like $500 an hour for massage sessions because of all the things that massage really can do. I once had a client who had severe neck pain and compressed discs in his neck. In about 6 sessions he was a different person. He told me he had come in looking for relief from his pain and he left being a more peaceful person. He was friendlier and easier to get along with. How much is that worth to someone?
