By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer
Since the Recession, I’ve seen an uptick in the number of coupon services and “discount” massage and spa service offers. Makes sense. People are more cost conscious and stressed out and want stress relief but are afraid to spend money on themselves beyond basic needs. Some people have no choice but to only pay for basic needs. But for those of us with enough disposable income to pay for health and wellness services, let’s look at what these “discount” services are really costing us.
To start off, one massage company that has really embraced the idea of offering “discounts” has a brilliant marketing strategy. They offer a “low-priced” massage usually about $49-$59 per hour (which is actually a 50-minute massage, not a full hour). This discount massage company pays its massage therapists between $17-$20 an hour with the understanding that YOU the customer will pick up the rest of their wages through the tip/gratuity that is suggested in signs plastered all over treatment rooms. So you pay $59 (in downtown Chicago) and then are “encouraged” to tip the massage therapist $20. In essence, you pay $79, or about $80 an hour, for your 50-minute massage at the discount company.
What’s brilliant about this strategy is that the discount company makes you think you are getting a bargain. But what is really going on is that the owners of the discount company are cost shifting. Instead of the discount company charging $79 for your massage and paying their massage therapists $35-40 per hour-long massage (which is more the going rate for massage therapists employed by chiropractors or self-employed), the discount company pays $18-$20/hour and the client bears the burden of the rest of the massage therapists wages ($20 tip). Brilliant! And the client leaves, thinking he/she got a bargain massage of only $59. But in actually, the client pays $79 for the massage. (And the discount company does not have to take out taxes or pay unemployment or workers comp taxes on the tip if you pay the massage therapists in cash. Which is extra savings for the discount massage company owners!)
Now let’s say you read this and say, “Well, then I WON’T tip the massage therapist. Let the discount company pay their people fairly and not shift the cost to me. ”
Think about it, the massage therapist at a discount company makes half the going rate for massage. Her employer promises her that you will make up the rest of your wages through tips and you, the client, do not tip. How enthusiastic would the massage therapist at the discount company be about giving you, the non-tipping client, your next massage? And if the massage therapist you first had work on you tells other massage therapist you don’t tip, how happy do you think the massage therapists are going to be when you come in for your next massage?
Note: If you go to a high price salon or hotel and pay $100 or more for a massage, you are usually paying more for the ambiance, not for the massage therapists. Massage therapists at high-end spas usually make about $25-30 of that $100 fee and also rely on tips. Not a bargain for the client or for the massage therapist. The landlord of the high-end spa is the winner in this deal because most of the cost goes to high overhead.
How Much Do Massage Therapists Really Earn Per Hour?
Keep in mind that earning $17-40 per hour-long massage is not equivalent to earning $17-40 an hour in a 40-hour a week office job. Most full-time massage therapists can only physically perform 20-25 hours of massage per week without injuring our bodies or sacrificing the quality of our work. The rest if our time is not spent sitting on a divan eating bon bons. We still have to chart, change sheets, do laundry, marketing, scheduling and do all the other business-related chores office workers do. But this work is absorbed in the cost of the hour-long massage. As is the cost of our own self-paid sick days, holidays, vacation time and health insurance. AND, if we are not booked with clients 20-25 hours per week, we earn significantly less. (Think about how it would be if you came into work and your boss said, wow, we can only pay you for half a week’s work this week. That’s not uncommon in the massage field.)
I’m not trying to gain pity for massage therapists. But I am pointing out that you are paying more for the “discount” massage than you think. In any case, I hope you get your massages at whatever location you prefer. Just know what you are paying for it!
Working Well Resources' Blog 
Good article and why I work for myself, not another.
I’m all for running promotions and discounting. The key is (for me) that it’s a process, part of a system.
Getting massage clients in the door, obtaining contact info, performing a great massage, adding value, offering more value so they refer others and grow from there.
This is the biggest issue I see: Not having a plan and a system. Many massage companies think, “let’s do a 50% discount for a month and see what happens.” Well, from what I’ve seen, that makes clients think that all massages from now on are only 25-35 bucks. Then of course clients are ticked off when they stop in next month and the price has jumped back up.
If massage therapists can demonstrate ‘value’ to a client or prospective client, clients pay regular prices and not even blink an eye. Many target markets I work with have perceived value in the price alone. If the price is low, they perceive it as cheap or inferior quality.
Thanks again for the article!
Kris
100% agree with the cheap massage + tipping phenomenon. It’s a cheap trick and transforms the massage therapists role from a position of respect and importance to one of lowly service technician. I’d rather have my massage therapists acting and being respected like the professionals they are.
Thanks for your comment! I also like to work with professionals I respect And I dislike the bait and switch marketing ploys as well.
[…] How Much is That Discount Massage Really Costing You? (workingwellresources.com) […]
I encourage massage therapists to place more value on themselves and their craft and NOT work for the low wages that franchises pay. You can’t count on tips.
Kristina,
Great advice! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Sue
Shouldn’t you tip for all massages regardless of the venue? That would still make the discounted ones (even with tip) cheaper.
Hi Ali,
Tipping is optional. Some massage therapists consider massage a healthcare service and don’t expect tips. If you are visiting a sole practitioner who works for him or herself, they likely have set their rates at a level they don’t need to rely on tips. Tipping in massage is an odd practice because people that receive spa type services usually have a custom of tipping. However, in chiropractors offices and doctors offices, tipping is not as usual. Tipping in general is usually a sign of happiness with the service provider’s work. But for food servers, tipping is essential as they only make a few dollars per hour and it’s generally accepted that people tip the waitstaff.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Sue
The article mentions if you are going to a high price spa you are paying for the ambiance, not the massage. So ultimately, if you are tipping an average of $20, the cost of the massage is similar to the discounted massage service and your paying the rest for atmosphere. I don’t always need showers and saunas. I always need a massage. In my opinion, this article points out that a discounted massage is still financially the best choice because the cost of the massage + tip is still less than a high end spa.
If the point of this article is that these types of locations don’t pay as much, I don’t know if that was clear, but it is worth a discussion.
Hi Lynn,
Some higher end spas do pay more to their massage therapists than the discount places. But not as much as you would think. If a discount place pays $12-20/hr and a high end spa pays $35-40/hr, the higher end fee is a more livable wage for the massage therapist.
I understand not wanting to pay for ambiance, but for the massage. Some people like the spa environment and make a day of it and don’t mind paying for the ambiance. The nice thing about massage is that there is a location and price point for everyone. And massage therapists tend to gravitate towards the jobs that pay the best for their skill level. Unfortunately for recent graduates of massage schools,discount massage places tend to be the places that hire them out of school the most.
Hope that helps!
Thank you for reading and commenting,
Sue
In this area, cough cough that value spa is only paying $15 per 50 mins to the Mt. Teachers at my school are making $17 per 50 mins, and we are in a high tax state.
Hi Gary,
Thanks for reading and commenting!
$15/17 and hour is really a low wage for both massage therapists and teachers! What state are you in?
Sue
Things are made worse in states like Minnesota, where State licensing isn’t an option. Massage and bodywork is still considered “entertainment” here and we have to charge sales tax. Sales tax added leads to lower tips. I know many independent therapists that don’t take tips, but charge $85/hour. I would like to see bodywork separated by field: 1. medical practice, 2. spa practice. Medical professionals don’t take tips. By this distinction, we are getting closer to bodywork as a profession and can charge a professional fee. Tipping is for bell hops.
Hi Annette,
State licensing has it’s benefits and costs to the massage therapists. Highly skilled massage therapists with business savvy can charge more and build a good clientele. But adding sales tax definitely adds costs to the clients and I can see how it would reduce tips and wages for the massage therapists. Sales tax is not national however for massage, although many states are considering it. (Shhh, don’t give other states ideas!)
Ideally, I’d also like to see massage therapists separated by medical practice and spa service. Likely spa service for those that only learned Swedish massage for relaxation and pampering purposes and medical for those that have injuries and want more of a rehab or sports/deep tissue massage. But that is not how the field is set up. Unfortunately, it seems more and more massage schools are not teaching the higher level medical massage techniques and only teaching spa type massage skills, at least in my area. Massage therapists have to take additional training AFTER paying $10,000 and up for basic massage school. In Illinois, they state licensing changed the requirements to only 500 hours of training. My school provided over 770 hours back in the late 1990’s and over time moved to a 500 hour program for about the same cost.
As to tipping, that is not only for bell hops (but a great line!). Tipping is also for food service workers, and then manicurists, hair stylists, etc. in the spa environment.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Sue