MeBad, some of them still like us. Cheer up! But the reality is setting in. Most pooners are wimps believing that their choices have no impact, The fact is that individual spend matters, Even with the insurance based massages. If you were a regular at some location 4x a month and you stop going, it makes a difference. Client power. Since covid i posted several ideas for independents and most guys here pooh poohed the ideas. I have been diligent and refuse to pay for crap services and as a result i get pretty decent services. But i dont waste my funds on massages where i am paying someone elses mortgages without equivalent services, Guys need to be more discriminating. First figure out how much you will realistically spend this year on massages and tips. How much of that will be legit massage insurance and how much out of pocket? Honest assessment. Then you are in a position to discuss with your favourites. If you prefer random spending... go for it... my approach is of no value to you.
Whether you go for 2 massages a month, 4 massages, 6 or 8 a month, the idea is simple. I average 6 a month. Not into escort services. I love real therapeutic massages but with added MUTUAL enjoyment. My personal budget is 6 x $200 or $1200 a month. Insurance is good for only $2400 a year so most of it is out of my own pocket. I prefer a focused spend seeing only one or two or three for the entire year. Any others I treat it as exploration, not as part of my massage budget. The point is that you can actually work out innovative arrangements. And independent therapists can also benefit by working out some plans with favourite clients. If a therapist can intelligently develop 10 great loyal repeat clients for each year (Nothing is forever) then they can have $100K tax free (earned early mornings or late evenings outside their main work hours). My favourite is 2 hour massage sessions, and yep at $200 all in. Snicker all you want but you guys need to get more demanding as long as you have a committed budget. Cheers