Self Employment or Spa Employment?

Almost everyone gets their first massage at a spa; my first professional massage was at a spa in Calistoga (wine country) back in 1978. Spas provide an "official" environment for therapeutic massage, usually with the added amenities of a steam, sauna and some nice cucumber water. So why would anyone want to work for themselves? Why would anyone want to get a massage outside of a spa?

Ah Grasshopper, you have much to learn....

Spas, gyms, or medical offices (I have worked in all three environments) are usually the starting point for new massage school graduates because they provide what is basically a continuing education course. Think of spas as graduate schools for massage therapists; the students now have some knowledge and skill, but not necessarily experience in the working world. Another practical consideration for many newly graduated students is that the spa provides massage equipment and supplies (a good massage table costs about $1000), a room to work, advertising, and administrative functions that many new therapists can not afford or know how to handle. Providing all this costs money, and that money is taken from the prices charged for services (along with a hefty profit for the spa owner) before the therapist gets paid. Therapists at a spa make anywhere from minimum wage to $60 an hour plus tips. Yes, therapists only take home 15-50% of what the public pays at a spa. Since some spas only pay minimum wage, please TIP the overworked and underpaid therapist who works on you (I will cover tipping in another post). My first job out of massage school was at a high end spa where I made $60 an hour plus tips, but after my shift I would go home and literally lay on the floor completely exhausted after putting in 22 hours over 3 days. One day at the spa I did 8.5 hours of massage without so much as a meal break; I knew that my body and spirit would not be able to endure that pace for long.

After a stint in a spa honing their skills and knowledge, most therapists who have some talent, courage, intelligence, and business sense, become self-employed. The advantages are numerous, first and foremost being the ability to decide and control the hours, location, style, clients, and money aspects of the business. Having all these choices is overwhelming to some people and they are happy staying in the spa environment. Some people have no skill or talent for business and are better off staying in a controlled environment; I have met therapists who prefer a structured workplace and are willing to pay for it (literally).

What do clients get from a self-employed therapist? Usually someone who has worked less than 6 or 8 hours that day, so he or she has more energy for your needs. Clients also get someone who is happier, which is priceless when hiring someone who works so intimately with your body and energy, as anyone who has ever had a stressed, robotic or lazy spa massage already knows; one of my friends said she got a stone massage at a spa where the therapist literally left the room for the entire session after placing the stones on her. A self-employed therapist can take more time to prolong a session to target a problem area, and can reschedule to accommodate an emergency pain relief session (try doing that at a spa). Most self-employed therapists have more skills or talent or both simply because to become self-employed, and to do it successfully, it takes both.

Sometimes it takes doing something to know you don't want to do it anymore. My experience working for other people taught me that I wanted to work for myself because I am the best employer for my services.