Why Free Chair Massage?

[Kanyee !]

Okay, I don't want anyone to think I am not a giver or anything. I am very passionate about my work and my clients.

I just want to rant really quick.

I belong to 4 different networking groups. ALL have been wonderful for my business and I have met
some really cool people. Anyway, I am approached several times a year to provide free chair massage at
events, and saying "what a great opp. to get new clients".
The last person approached me with this increbible opp. to share my business? The cost would be $100 for a table
and they suggested I offer free chair massages. I said I would think about it and get back to him.

I politely declined and he told me that every other massage therapist they invited turned down or cancelled.
He asked me why?

Why do you think?
I would love to hear what you have to say about this before I post my reply to him.

 

[carmenH2-ali]

Why Free Chair Massage?

Right out of school I was offered an "opportunity" to pay for a space to provide free chair massage at an event where all other vendors were selling their products. I just said, "I will take the space, but I will charge for the massages. I always get paid for my work." The lady was quite surprised, but didn't tell me no. I made good money that day.

I do volunteer work. I enjoy doing volunteer work. I don't consider it advertising or a great opportunity to get new clients, I consider it volunteer work. Is this event a cause you wish to volunteer for? I might respond to him that I volunteer when I am on board with the cause, and I work for income. They are two separate things!! He is asking you to spend time, money and huge amounts of energy for a little hope. You could MAKE money if you stay at the office and work, and that promotes your business in a proven way. I would give him an answer and let him know WHY everyone is turning him down. This is not the great opportunity he thinks it is.

 

[Stoic]

Why Free Chair Massage?

I would only do free chair massage for a charity event.

In my experience you don't gain huge amounts of clients at these events. I guess it would depend on the event however. People (in general) don't value what they get for free.

A day of chair massage is hard work and you can't rely on tips. Charge what you are worth, especially if you are paying for the space!

 

[Abby Normal]

Why Free Chair Massage?

I want to clarify that this event was for charity.
On that note, I told him why most massage therapists are not
gonna be extremely excited about this opportunity.

Reason being, we are the only people who are expected to give our service or product away.
No one else is asked to giveaway something to everyone interested.
While everyone else is socializing and having a great time sharing their business with other people,
I work my A** off NON-STOP for hours. Get to work on people I will never see again, and on top of that, pay you $100 to do it?
Charity or not, it's crazy and nobody works harder at these events than the massage therapists.

So many people think I want to do free chair massage. I just don't get it.
It doesn't even represent the kind of work I offer as a therapist.
It's not the giving away for free that upsets me, it's the expectations people have about MT's.

Anyway, this I told him this in a very polite way. He said, "Oh, I never considered that."

 

[meow m]

Why Free Chair Massage?

It's always non massage therapists who think that offering free massage at events is a good business idea. Free massage generally attracts people who wouldn't want to pay for a full session. Most people don't realise the training, blood, sweat, tears and stress we went through in order to get qualified (or maybe that was just me!!). As mentioned paying $100 will make you out of pocket when you could be earning some real money.

On the very rare occasions that I give my time for fee, I don't take any equipment with me and treat people sitting in a normal chair. I've yet to get any of these people booking a full session with me.

A clinic I work had space at a fair - myself and the my colleague were doing 10 minute head and shoulder or reflexology for £5 ($7.50) we were busy all day. Foloowing the fair a few poeple booked in for full treatments at the clinic. One lady I saw booked a 30 minute massage with me at the clinic, then bought a course of 7 x 1 hour treatments, booked her mum and friend in, and has been telling all her freinds about me.

People don't tend to value things when it is free. A friend told me of his friend who put a refridgerator outside his house with a note on it saying, "free please take". It stayed outside untaken for over a week. He then put a sign on it saying, "for sale £30 ($45) within a few hours it had been stolen!

 

[bennyblueballs]

Why Free Chair Massage?

Ukgal- LOL!! About the refridgerator thing!

 

[emucompboy]

Why Free Chair Massage?

In my salon days I did free chair massages to cut and color clients all the time. Well when I was there at first it was fine bc it git people to know me. After a while I tapped out with the clients I was going to get for a full session. I was still left with giving away chair massages bc now clients expeded it all the time as part of their hair service. Granted most of them tipped, but in the end it still was not worth it

 

[Maria M]

Why Free Chair Massage?

When I used to work for a Chiropractor we did several events where I was expected to provide free chair massage.
I worked hard at these events, sometimes getting a tip but mostly NOT.
At all the events I ever did I very seldom gained a client. There are people that want a free chair massage and people who want a MASSAGE. the people who want a massage aren't really interested in chair massage. The people who want a free chair massage just like free.
Later, when I negotiated with the chiro to pay me an hourly rate at these events he eventually stopped doing them as he also rarely gained patients.

When I worked at a salon/spa I was also expected to provide free chair massage in the salon during down time.
I gained no clients from doing this.
I still see a ton of employment ads that include this expectation (free chair massage) as part of job requirements.

For me I don't see the ROI (return on investment).
I personally do not like chair massage nor do I feel it benefits me, and I have only paid for it one time.
It was okay but barely worth my time.

I sold my massage chair this year.
I am done with this.
Let the young and new kids do it.

 

[Better Than]

Why Free Chair Massage?

squash I agree with you. I did tell the person who asked me this time, that this would be a GREAT opportunity for
a therapist who is new in this field. These new therapists will learn from experience that this may or may not be the
best way to market themselves. :iagree:

 

[Lulu Panda]

Why Free Chair Massage?

I can't think of a reason in the world to do free chair massage to promote table massage work.

That's like a sushi restaurant putting out bowls of rice to promote is main menu!

 

[Dens112]

Why Free Chair Massage?

LOL- Love it!!!!

 

[ii love youu :)]

Why Free Chair Massage?

Just tossing this out as well... even though it isn't exactly "on-topic". I think another reason people expect free and discount chair massaage for "MT's to gain clients", is because there are enough MT's out there who work that way and make the statement that it is a way for them to get their name out there. In trying to build a business (and I realize Chair Massage has worked for a number of MT's on our forum) I think they end up making it hard, overall, for the chair MT's.

My opinion would be that we as a profession start to charge more for chair massage. As in: Whatever your table rate is, then as much as double the fee for your chair massage. This is what I do. I am a shade under double my fee for any outcall work, be it chair or table. Chair is always an "outcall" for me, and I charge as such.

I am not saying one has to make it double. But at least make it a fee that is comparable for working outside of a fixed office, which pays you back your time, travel & effort. Of course this is dependent on the area of the world one lives in (regarding fee schedules), but I hope it makes a little sense, at least.

Just my random thoughts as I have rarely gained a client from chair massage and have worked at the $1/min. charge way back when I needed extra work.

 

[Heywood Jablowmi]

Why Free Chair Massage?

I'm one of those people who built my clinic clientele with chair massage. I wouldn't do it after you have an established clientele. However, when I had no clients and no contacts, the tactic got me out of my empty clinic and built my business when I had no money for regular advertising routes.

 

[Elliot R]

Why Free Chair Massage?

I used my chair to help build my business. I was able to be very visible in the community which helped me become recognizable. It was a decent income at times when business was still quite slow. I still do chair massage as a source of income and at times also as a means to renewed visibility. Chair massage is great! I just don't expect charity work to build my business, and see no reason that someone else should have that expectation that they can decide I'll work without pay. It really is a lot of work, and I did pay for schooling, certification, continuing ed, the chair and face cradle covers and cleaning supplies......

 

[Doc]

Why Free Chair Massage?

Well, I'm neither young nor new and I make a very good living doing corporate/convention chair massage. However......I only volunteer for the Lupus Foundation and the Scleroderma Foundation...I have both illnesses. I charge for any other time I bring my chair out to work. I do not expect my doctor to give me a free visit. I do not expect my mechanic to give me a free visit. Why would someone expect me to give them a free visit? I tried once to volunteer a free visit to an ALS support group. They insisted on paying me, with the logic that it was my job and I deserved to be paid for doing my job. I reluctantly accepted it and donated it back after I had left for the evening. But they got it (the idea of paying someone for their work). Anytime you are asked for a freebie and they tell you "you can bring your cards...it will be great for your resume (or good experience)" run for the hills. It's not.

I agree with R&R....using your chair as a marketing technique for hopefully bringing in more table business is a bad idea. It doesn't work.

I used to have arguments with my school over and over about this same subject.

 

[Nunya B]

Why Free Chair Massage?

I am reminded of the call we got from some HR manager at a law firm, asking if we would send someone to do chair massage at their health fair. We were told it would be a great way to generate business, therefore we would not get paid.

Sounds like a plan, I said. But tell you what, we will do this if one of your attorneys will review and help negotiate a hotel contract we have at no charge. It might just lead to more work from us as a client, since we are looking to add lots of hotels.

Silence.

I am pretty sure we don't do that to generate clients, she replied.

She was unable to explain why she expected us to do what her firm deemed to be a a waste of their time. But she did try to make the case that her firm does pro-bono work.

Yes, but pro-bono law work is for people who can't afford your fees -- charity work. I am quite certain the lawyers and paralegals at Dewey, Cheatem and Howe can well afford to pay for massages.

Silence.

She thanked me for my honesty and hung up, and probably kept calling other MTs and spas until she found someone who believes free trial stimulates usage in services. It probably only took her 3 or 4 more calls. So long as MTs de-value their work by giving away services for free and under-charging for chair massage ($1/minute should be stricken from the English language) chair massage will always be a step-child of the industry.

 

[Robert Plankton]

Why Free Chair Massage?

I think I may have been mis-understood. I was not trying to say that chair massage can't help buiild a business nor that it can't be a business. Only that the MT's who have downplayed it over the years, to companies and corporate entities, as a way to "get clients" by charging less or free has becomes a problem for those who actually do it as (or see it as) their "work" (how to make a living). It is my opinon that many places, over the years, have grown into the mind-set that it is not real work, but an "attention grabber, because of the way MT's have "sold" the concept of chair massage.

Does that help any? :undecided:

This says what I was trying to say a bit better:

So long as MTs de-value their work by giving away services for free and under-charging for chair massage ($1/minute should be stricken from the English language) chair massage will always be a step-child of the industry.

 

[Krystyn H]

Why Free Chair Massage?

OMG. :
You HAD to have practiced this...
or were in particularly fine form that day.
Very good.

I am reminded of the call we got from some HR manager at a law firm, asking if we would send someone to do chair massage at their health fair. We were told it would be a great way to generate business, therefore we would not get paid.

Sounds like a plan, I said. But tell you what, we will do this if one of your attorneys will review and help negotiate a hotel contract we have at no charge. It might just lead to more work from us as a client, since we are looking to add lots of hotels.

 

[Rex]

Why Free Chair Massage?

I practice it every day.

It being learning how to put my business into a parallel context of other businesses.

When hotel complain we could not "do the 4pm appt the guest wanted" I remind them of the # of guests the put into double-double rooms that requested king bedded rooms. We both do the best we can with the capacity-restrained resources we have and the demand of the day. Those who plan ahead/check in early, are more likely to get what they want, those who wait get what is available.

You will also find people have more respect for you if you show that you understand the respect their business by putting yours into context they can understand.

Lots of folks on this board object to the fact we are not MTs and can't possibly understand what it is like to be an MT. BS! OUr clients - and your clients - are business people or employees of businesses and understand and respect us better when we speak a language they understand -- that of business -- a language too many MTs are virulently opposed to learning.

 

[Barragan L]

Why Free Chair Massage?

The health club I work at has stressed heavily in the past that when we don't have appointments, we should be doing complimentary chair massage to promote ourselves. It's ok when a new therapist comes in (to introduce themselves) but beyond that... same old story - people who want free rarely if ever convert into paying clients.

We haven't been doing much free chair massage at all for several months now, so one of the "frequent fliers" actually called the front desk to see if she could BOOK a free chair massage into our schedule. Luckily with our computer service the person working the desk couldn't figure out how to book a service at no charge...