You Charge How Much?

I hear this quite often from my clients and sometimes it has been from other therapists who think I am short selling myself or making them look bad for charging more.  I promise this is not the case.  I understand all the arguments..."You need to recoup the money you spent for school", "You have all this training you should be compensated for", etc.  I know, I know, I know!   

I became a therapeutic massage therapist because I was looking for a way to bring pain relief to my mom who had a hip replacement, arthritis, and dealt daily with pain.  I love to get massages myself but I cannot afford $65 - $125/hr+ per session on a consistent basis (which is the only way to get the full health benefits of massage therapy).  She could not either.

During massage school internship I kept hearing the same thing over and over again..."I wish massage was more affordable". So I decided at that time that I would only charge $45/60 min session (no up-charge for deep tissue, etc.).   Each massage has  an essential oil diffused into the room to set a relaxing mood and ends with a warm towel wash of the feet.   There are a few items I do charge a small fee for such as sugar scrubs, etc.

This has become my ministry.  I love what I do.