S/O - 30 min massages - half price or more money?

[Pooperdooper]

Do you price your 30 minute massages half of your hourly rate? Or do you price them slightly higher to encourage people to move to the hour long massage? How does your pricing effect your clientèle?

From this thread about price increases http://massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=122073#122073 we had the following comments:

To peacenut: I believe the reason that 30 minute sessions cost so much more per minute than 60 min sessions or longer is that they actually cost more per minute. The time for intake, the client dressing and undressing is the same, you have the same laundry costs, etc. A half hour should not cost half of what a 60 minute costs. It should cost almost the same.

As far as pricing goes, there should be a base cost simply for seeing the person, no matter how long you see them for. Maybe that would be $30. Then you can charge .50 per minute on top of that. Therefore the 30 minute would be $45, and the 60 minute would be $60, 90 minute would be $75. This is how many places do their pricing (even if they use different numbers, it's the same concept).

Many business-oriented places (like spas) are getting away from having half hours because it is simply not worth the time it takes to see a person, when you're only making a small amount of money. The price should be high, or they should not have them at all.

So jacqueline, I support the price you have for your 30 minute sessions and I believe it reflects the actual cost. Good luck raising your rates! The suggestions you've gotten have been good.

and

ShivaShiva,

I can see your point, and it is a valid one. Let me express my view.

I have found my 30 minute clients to be the most frequent of all of my clients. My area is a little blue behind the collar. Lots of working class folks around here. I have one woman coming in twice a week for 30's, I have one weekly client for 30's, and at least 5 clients who come in every two weeks for 30's.

Personally, I don't think I would be as successful as I am today if I had a higher priced 30 minute session. Let's face it, a good massage isn't cheap. 30 minutes is enough to get people to try you out without breaking the bank. 30 minutes is what a lot of newbies start with. I can gaurantee you will get your hands on more people if your 30's are lower. The more people you get your hands on, the more people you can give coupons to give their friends and family. Then you can upsell the hour and it's benefits. Heck, give them a 90 minute session for the price of an hour and maybe you can get them hooked on bigger money maker.

Shiva, your idea would suit a very successful therapist well. I had my pay increase planned for the next time already. After reading your post, I am rethinking it.

So, to the OP, if you have a thriving practice, I would recommend keeping your half hour on the higher end and if you are still building your base clientel, keep it on the lower end.

Let us know what you decide to do.

Angela

 

[superlisa96]

I don't advertise 30 minute massages, except with my seniors. Most of my seniors I see in groups, so the 30 minute rate is half of the hour rate. I can understand why in a spa the rate would be more than half the rate of an hour, but my practice is just different.

 

[Smelly Cat]

I don't advertise 30 min. massage, but if I were to, it would be at a higher rate. Sheets, lotion, time to turn over the room, encourage client to go ahead with the full hour, etc. are reason enough for me.

 

[superstup]

I doubt many will say they charge exactly half of what the charge for an hour for their half. My half hour is about 65% of the price of one of my hours.

If I work a 6 hour shift and have 6 30 minute sessions, at my current rate I would earn $210 (3 hours of table work ). In that same time, I can do 4 60 minute sessions and earn $$220 (4 hours of table work.) If I had 3 90 minute sessions in that same 6 hour stretch I would earn $240 (4.5 hours of work.)

To have such a solid block of just one type of massage doesn't happen often with 30's or 90's for me, but it happens a lot with hours. I wonder if I had a smaller price gap between my 60 and 90 minute session if I would see more clients jump to the 90? Hmmm.... Something to think about. Any quesses?

Maybe next time I raise my rates I will increase by $5 on the 30 and the 60. Previous to this topic, I was planning on increasing by $5 on the 60 and 90.

 

[Pompal 09.]

First, I want to make it clear that I don't price my half hour slightly higher to encourage people to move to the hour. I price it higher because it costs more per minute than the longer sessions, as I've described. I also don't advertise 30 minute sessions, though if people inquire I do offer them.

I do think it would be a good idea for practitioners with various scenarios (slow practice, low income clients, just starting out, etc) to advertise 30 minute sessions at a discount. I myself would want to do this for new clients only, or for qualifying people only (low income, seniors, etc). It's just a fact that it takes more time to do a 30 minute session. When normally I can do a 60 minute massage in 75 minutes, including intake, redressing table, going to the bathroom, getting water, writing notes, etc, doing 2 30 minute sessions would take me 90 minutes or perhaps a bit more.

Personally, I think starting out with buy one hour get 30 minutes free (peacenut mentioned something like this) would be a better introductory special. I understand that many people want to work with lower income people. I myself don't market to that group. I don't want bargain shoppers or people who can only pay $30 for a massage. I'd rather get them on my table for 90 minutes, show them what that's worth, and have them keep coming back. I don't want clients who are going to continually book 30 minute sessions, and my reasoning is not only for the money. I think 30 minute sessions are much less therapeutic than 60, or especially 90 minute sessions. I think frequently a person who gets a 30 minute massage doesn't really "get it."

In fact, I don't really like to run specials at all. For awhile, when I was just starting out and had a slow practice I ran a special that gave new clients $10 off their first hour massage (which was $55, low for this area). Every single person that came in claiming that discount never came back. But I had tons of people who came in from seeing that ad (it was my only ad) but didnt' claim the discount, and are now regular clients. Just my experience, but it has led me to my policies today.

Thanks for starting a new thread, Angela, and thanks peacenut for sharing your views peacefully!

 

[~Animal Hugger~]

Good breakdown of your $$ per hour, peacenut.

My 60 min is $65 and my 90 min is $85. When most people hear what the price difference is, they convert to the 90 minute. I bet the rest of my clients who are getting 60 minutes could be easily converted if I gave them one free upgrade, just to feel what a 90 minute is like. I think some regular 60 minuters are just so used to it they don't know what they're missing.

 

[AHMAI]

That's an interesting point too about a 30 minute being less therapeutic. When I worked in the chiropractic office we had a major insurance company limit the potential billing to two 45 minute sessions per week. So 45 minutes it was!

When I would finally get a cash patient or client who's insurance allowed billing a full hour it seemed so odd to me at first. hehehehe

I learned to work very effectively and efficiently in 45 minutes but they were NEVER able to be full body massages - always very specific and focused work as part of a treatment plan.

Angela

 

[waq4500]

I guess I'm talkative tonight, cause I keep posting!

True that a 30 minute massage can be therapeutic, especially when you are in a chiropractic or other specifically therapeutic situation. Most places I have done 30 minute massages have been spas where I ask what they want in their 30 minutes and they say "well, my neck, and my back, and maybe my arms, and my legs. Oh, I like my feet, too!" ?!?! Impossible to do anything therapuetic with those parameters.

I have worked on someone who I was doing injury work with and for one treatment we literally only had 30 minutes. So I did the bare minimum. And it certainly was therapeutic. Countless times I have worked on my husband for a few minutes here and there and he has seen definite benefit. I would hate to imply that any amount of massage, even 5 minutes, "couldn't be therapeutic" so thanks for pointing that out!

I am all about becoming more efficient and getting the "real" work done in less time. That is why I am amazed sometimes when people on this forum talk about 2 and 3 hour massages. WheW!

 

[wesley g]

I don't charge more for deep tissue work. But, I am tossing around the idea of introducing 20 and 40 minute sessions. At my current rate of $35 for a half hour, I would charge $25 each 20 minute block. These sessions would be very focused sessions and not full body or relaxation massage.

 

[randyken]

This is one of those areas where the differences in practices can be HUGE. Many of my clients are the *very* elderly - over 90, and even over 100. Half an hour on the table is all that many of them can possibly tolerate. When I do a senior group, I have a sign up sheet for half hour sessions. Those who can tolerate and want an hour session just sign up for two slots. If I tried to push everyone to the longer session, some would do it, but it would be less beneficial (they would get up much too stiff and in more pain rather than less) for a lot of those. Others would just quit receiving massages.

For the rest of my clients, though, half hour table sessions are no longer made available. That's because I do outcalls only. If they don't want a full hour of massage, they just choose chair massage. Locally, since I'm in a small town, I have no qualms about taking the chair to someone for 20-30 minutes. I can still be at the next place in 15 minutes, and it is much easier and less expensive for me to do.

This is all very interesting. Someone with a new practice can see a LOT of different ways of doing things, *and* the reasons behind the differences, and gain a lot of insight into how they need to set up for their own goals to best be met!

 

[nestprop]

Rose,

If I were you, I would consider trying to get those half hours closer together, but know with seniors, A LOT of them need more time getting dressed and undressed. I might be inclined to charge $5 more.

 

[Brendon Knows Best]

Rose,

If I were you, I would consider trying to get those half hours closer together, but know with seniors, A LOT of them need more time getting dressed and undressed. I might be inclined to charge $5 more.

Closer than what? lol..... At once place, I schedule half an hour every 45 minutes. They generally come to me in a bathrobe. At another place, they don't undress, and it's literally scheduled every half hour. I use only a bottom sheet and face cradle cover and change that as they switch out of the room. I am usually running close to 10 minutes late after the 4th, but then I have that half hour off, so I get 20 minutes to decompress, drink, maybe eat, (usually on my 2nd break) and visit that "little room" down the hall.

It works. On my "senior days" I make more money than the other days because I stay in one place. I can do more work on that day. Because I go to them and have a very reliable system, they have their schedules pretty well set, so they are much more regular than they would be otherwise. That also translates into me making more money. They are also very good about filling in time slots if someone can't make it. Plus, I LOVE working with them....so what I am doing is working for me.

 

[landscaper07]

We charge more than 1/2 of 50 min for 25 min.

"Smaller sizes" cost more in every industry -- just ask Sam's Club

 

[nextGREAT1]

I work with a totally different system. I have an upper body massage which lasts for about 50 min for $60 dollars I also have a full body which is $70 that lasts for an hour and ten mins. I do 30 min for two clients and do not advertise this.

 

[soum]

I'm in the same boat as most people: I don't advertise 30 minutes but will do a half hour of Swedish/Deep Tissue for 66% of the price of an hour, $40 vs $60. I won't do a 30 minute Ashiatsu. My intake and description of the massage takes even longer than Swedish/Deep Tissue and to be properly compensated I would have to charge even more. Plus just working prone usually takes me 35 to 40 minutes. Shaving that to 30 minutes would seem so incomplete!

 

[roxy07]

I charge $60 for 1 hour and $35 for 1/2. the rationale being that even though I spent less time massaging the person I still need the same time to set up and clean the room, change the sheets, do the intake, take the phone call and do the reminder call. I actually think that my 1/2 hr rate is low for the area, I've seen ppl charge $40 and $45 with average hour rate still being $60.
And that's why I don't let ppl split 1 hr gift certificates into 2 1/2 hours. Or they woudl have to pay extra.
I have quite a few 1/2 hr clients so I like having this service.
Except for I would not do a 1/2 hr hot stone or Thai massage (too rushed!) and if I do a 1/2 hr Ashiatsu it would have to be just one specific area like the upper back/shoulders or the hip. I don't think these 3 modalities are very condusive to 1/2 hr massages!

 

[jeark]

My prices are set by the clinic - Swedish at $35/$60, DT & other modalities at $45/$75. The difference is entirely because we leave the same amount of time between appointments regardless of the length of the session.

The other MT at the office doesn't like to do half hour sessions, but I do. A number of my clients are elderly or medically frail, and an hour session would not be appropriate.

I always suggest half hour sessions to clients who come in on a regular schedule and say they wish they could afford to come in more frequently. They reliably come in twice as frequently when they take the half hour, and often give the same tip for a half hour as they do for a full hour. (For clients who come in sporadically and complain about the price, the half hour sessions don't seem to encourage them to come more frequently or to tip better.)

I definitely see more therapeutic benefit for for clients who switch from one hour every month to a half hour every two weeks. With monthly clients I feel like I am providing a vacation from their usual patterns, but not creating any lasting change. When I see them weekly or at least every other week, it seems like I can make some progress.

-- Joshua

 

[mzjilly]

I definitely see more therapeutic benefit for for clients who switch from one hour every month to a half hour every two weeks. With monthly clients I feel like I am providing a vacation from their usual patterns, but not creating any lasting change. When I see them weekly or at least every other week, it seems like I can make some progress.

-- Joshua

I have had the exact same experience.

 

[All Star]

I'm $40 per half and $60 per hour. Can't get as many 1/2 hours in a shift as I can 1 hours.

Never had anyone complain.