Chair Massage - Corporate Package

[dmx87]

Hello All. I am interested in offering on-site chair massage to companies.I am looking for ideas/suggestions for the following:1) How to approach the companies;2) What types of packages to offer;3) What rates to charge;4) What rate to pay other therapists that I contract to help with the events.Any suggestions would be helpful.Thanks!

 

[rposzich]

 Get in touch with someone from human resources, maybe? Offer them a free chair massage, and be prepared to talk about the benefits of on site massage for their employees (do your homework, it not only reduces stress, it reduces the amount of sick days employees take, bosses LIKE that!) get as much info as you can.  Make it sounc like thier competition is considering offering chair massage, too. Noone wants to be outdone in business :} You can either see if the company will pay (some will, many will not) or if there is enough employee interest for you to set up in a breakroom. and they will pay out of pocket. Do you plan on doing this as your main source of income or as a lure to get regular clientell? The rate you charge would depend on that, AND the going rate for chair massage in your area. I would suggest paying other therapists for the people they work on, not a perceneforum.xxxe. Just my opinion, hope something helps you!

 

[PB&J]

My first successful chair massage "gig" was a few weeks ago (tax season in an accountant's office - boy were they happy to see me roll that chair in...) so I'm by no means an expert.  I've had a few other chair massage gigs that have ranged from "mildly disappointing" to "complete failure" (learning experiences, right?) so hopefully I can offer some advice.

1) How to approach the companies

With the successful venture, I had casually mentioned to my regular clients recently that I now offer corporate chair massage and he immediately showed interest.  Chances are a few of the people on your table already are business owners.  If not, they're probably employees who can introduce you to their boss.I've had better luck approaching small offices than I have big companies.  With small offices, I usually get to speak with the decision maker right away.  With big companies, there are so many layers of red tape and management that it is next to impossible to figure out who decision maker is, much less speak with them or get them to commit.  (If anyone a bit more sales-minded than me can offer ideas to convert a "not right now, call me again in a few weeks" response to a "come right over and show me" response, let me know!  That's my big hurdle right now.)I've also done a small health fair, where I paid for "booth" space and was paid directly by those who got a massage from me.  That didn't work out so well.  Not only did I spend more $$ to be there than I made that afternoon, but I lost several potential appointments at my regular office because "sorry, I'm out of the office today working a health fair."  Plus, it was far enough from my office that none of the coupons I distributed that day have returned.

2) What types of packages to offer

Hourly rate, with a two-hour minimum and 50% pre-paid deposit to hold the appointment works for me.  Within their time frame, they can choose 6-minute, 15-minute, or 20-minute massages and schedule as many participants as they want during their allotted time.  Charging "per massage" gives no incentive for them to use my time efficiently and results in a lot of idle unpaid time, as I learned the hard way.The only time chair massage has been profitable for me so far is when the employer paid for my services.  When the employees pay themselves at the time of service, I could end up wasting the entire afternoon for just a couple massages - or none!  Having the employees pre-pay was only moderately more successful.

3) What rates to charge

Whatever the market will bear for the city you want to work in.  Your massage offers more benefits for their company than most of the other employee "perks" - like catered lunches and fitness memberships - which the companies are already spending LOTS of money on.  In addition, there is very little competition for chair massage services.  Theoretically, you could charge any amount you want.Whatever rate you choose, keep in mind that you'll be away from your regular office and regular clients and also keep in mind that there will be mileage costs, travel time and the work of transporting your equipment.  With my one successful venture, the client had no problem with my charging extra for the travel time, since his office was about 40 minutes from mine.

4) What rate to pay other therapists that I contract to help with the events.

The best advice I can offer here would be to call other chair massage companies (if you can find any) and see what they pay.  Decide in advance if you will or won't allow your helpers to distribute their business cards to build their own table massage businesses and whether you will offer free chair massage training to those helpers, as these factors may make a difference in how much employees will expect to be paid.  If your state law allows, you may even be able to recruit massage school students.Sorry, didn't mean to get so long winded.  Hope some of my rambling was helpful.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Dear MichelleTX,Thanks for your "long windedness"! Your experience and thoughts on the subject have given me alot to think about and consider before embarking on my Corporate Chair Massage adventures.It's so easy to be excited about this business, but it is also important to be savvy and grounded professionally.Thanks again!  

 

[Alex M]

Dear Bodymovers,Thanks so much for your response and advice on the the subject.  ;D You too, gave me some very good ideas to consider, especially the benefits to the employer as well as employees.I intend to use the chair massage as a "lure"/marketing to get regular clients.Finally, I intend to allow the other therapists to market their businesses as well. (I know, it can become sort of a sticky situation, but I don't want to get into the whole "employee" thing, right now.) :-/

 

[Dr House]

Chair Massage - Corporate Package

I don't use a "massage chair" for my corporate and conference workshops as I like the participants to know that we can give our massage in their chairs. Anyway, it makes it easier to work with large groups. If you are interesed in using my program do visit my website that discusses this creative approach to introducing and teaching the use of "safe, skillful and appropriate touch." Our research and over 20 years of experience also opens many doors for us to give this method.