Massage Therapy Housecalls

Massage therapy housecalls are known as massage therapy outcalls in the massage therapy field. They are perfect if you are just starting out because there is no overhead. There is no rent, utilities, no office to clean, no additional boogeyman alarm to pay for other than your home alarm, no furniture to buy other than your trusty massage table that you probably already purchased while you were a student, no client bathroom to clean, no mood lighting to worry about, no fancy stereo system, no business phone to install.

What you need are a portable massage table with case, some sheets, a pillow, a bolster or two, some hand towels, massage cream put in small salad dressing containers that you can buy at Sam's, a portable boom box with some easy listening CDs, a cheap prepaid cell phone for business calls only, some business cards, and a good reliable vehicle to get you from your home to client homes.

Chances are you already have a vehicle that runs. You probably have a portable CD player. If not, you can go to Wal-Mart and find one for about $40. While you are at Wal-Mart, buy a cheap prepaid cell phone such as TracFone, which is what I use. Go to Dollar Tree and pick up some easy listening massage CDs for a buck a piece. I have about 20 that I bought there and they are great.

Go to a discount store and pick up some cheap twin sheet sets and a pillow. Order one or two bolsters along with your massage table. I got mine from Sam's dirt cheap with a good carrying case.

Go to an office supply store and have some business cards printed up that you can hand out everywhere you go. Have some SOAP notes and client intake forms printed up there as well. There should be examples of these forms in your massage therapy textbook from school that you can take with you to have printed. Buy an alphabetized accordion file to file client records in.That is it. Once these items are bought, they are all you need to start a successful massage therapy housecalls practice.

Let friends, relatives, neighbors, coworkers, church members, and other parents at your kid's school know that you are a new massage therapist and that you make massage therapy housecalls. People love the convenience of having massage in their own homes when it is convenient for them. True, as you build your practice, it may not be at the most convenient time for you, but when you are starting out, you will be grateful for whatever business you can get.

Don't forget to add about $10 on to the normal fee to cover the cost of gas, wear and tear on your vehicle and to cover your commute time. People will pay extra for the convenience.

As your client base grows, you may wish to combine your outcall practice with an office practice as well. But let me assure you that there are many massage therapists who only make massage therapy housecalls and they make a decent living at it.

Outcall commuting or having a massage therapy chair in your car can waste a large chunk of the massage therapist's valuable time. Try to schedule several massages on the same day in the same area so travel time is saved. If you are smart, you will not schedule an outcall during rush hour traffic or more time will be wasted.

You should charge more for a massage therapy housecall than for an office visit to pay for the gas and the commute time. Some local massage therapists charge anywhere from $10 to $30 more an hour for an outcall. Remember that your time is valuable.

Sometimes you will get stuck in traffic. Always try to give yourself a little extra time to travel for this purpose. If you are running late in traffic, have a cell phone handy and do the courteous thing. Call the client and let the client know you are stuck in traffic. Do not make this a habit or you will lose your outcall clients. The client's time is valuable, too.

Always have your vehicle gassed up and try to keep it clean. Your vehicle is a neighborhood advertisement when you make a massage therapy housecall. Your client's neighbors may ask who you are and what you are doing. They may decide they want to start getting massages from you to keep up with the Joneses!

Always have business cards with you to pass out to these new clients-to-be.

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