On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....report here

[Rachael]

Hi!I just thought it would be nice for those of us that want to or are starting a chair massage business to report their experiences here.  It would be a great way to give advice, ideas and encouragement in this field.Anway I will start......I am just on day 20 of the online e-course(101 chair massage).  It is helping to get some focus...cause lord knows I need some, too many ideas!This past week I did two events.  The first one was on monday which I did for FREE.  One of my clients is a teacher at a local school and I offered to come in for 3 hrs to do 10min sessions.  I had given her a form previously that she posted in the lunch room and took no time to fill up!  I had a summer flyer I did myself that had a $10 off coupon.   I got two bookings out if it(brought my appointment book) and some interested ones who said " I have been meaning to call you".  Anyway that was a good way to educated and get my name out.Second was at the company(my only permanent one at the moment-it's  a large call center) that had there employee appreciation day.  I was there doing massage from 9-3 doing 15 min sessions.  I also brought coupons here and made sure to let them know that they have coverage and I do direct billing for them.  Alot did not even realise they had the coverage.  The best thing that happened is I got one the head ppl from the wellness department, she really likes me and wants to help grow my chair massage business.  So...she is going to try get me there more frequently and she has contacts from other call centers she is going to call for me  I'm really excited about it.  I want to eventually have ppl under me and I actually asked if I could bring another therapist with me this day so we could get more ppl in and they said no....but, the girl I had on the chair said if it went through her she would have approved it :-/  I still have to come up with how I would do a split with a therapist....I want to be fair....One thing I learned ....is don't settle like I did for a cheaper chair. And I was told that, but I guess I had to find out for myself.  As soon as I am able I am up grading.  The clients are comfortable in mine, but the adjusting is friggy and I want the chair that has removable knee rests.  I have learned ppl with knee problems, larger ppl, and tall ppl don't fit on them so comfortably.I am also seriously thinking about taking a chair massage course "Relax to the Max" in Toronto....anybody taken this?  I even looked into the popular one offered in the states, but so far they being offered too far away.Anway, I have babbled enough for now...Jillian, RMTCanada

 

[Joss]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....report he

Hello: I will be taking the Relax to the Max course in a short period of time and can hardly wait. I will let you know when I am back and share my experience with the course, etc. with you,  Lynne

 

[Surprise Butt Secks]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....report he

 I'm in!  I volunteered my time to a school last week.  One of my clients( a teacher there) was organizing a health day and I told her I would be glad to come in and do some chair massage.  Well!  There were three events..yoga, pilates and chair massage...guess what everyone signed up for?  Yep...supposed to do one hour of 5 min...massage...almost 3 hours later I had to say, "sorry, I'm finished"  But, the teachers loved it and my last one on my chair was the principle.  He said he would love to set something up that I start coming to the school ;D  I have to set my price though.  I do mostly all tabe work.  I have two call centers that I go to every 2 months(employees are trying to increase that).  I find it is definately worth my while to go to the call centers as I am given $300 to go from 9a.m-3p.m.  When I go to the school this will be out of the teachers pockets so I am thinking $1/minute.  But if I was to do 10 min massages with 5 min between, I am only making $40/hr.  I want to up my chair massage somewhat, but also want it to be worth while.  I am taking a loss of $20.  But then again I am thinking getting them on the chair could convince them to come to the clinic and get on the table.  I purchased the online course for chair massage but have gotten away from reading over the summer...time to get cracking I guess.  I have to make my decision soon as they want to get this started.   ???  

 

[Pompal 09.]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....report he

Hey there....this is a good topic. I've done plenty of corporate/on-site chair massage and I just have this to say about supplying free introductory massage. Of course you'll have tons of people sign up for a freebie. It's when you schedule returns where you are charging the clients that the sign-up list gradually decreases in size. Sometimes it's not so gradual. I would suggest having specials from time to time and would also suggest you have a handy mailing list available for clients to add their name, address, and/or phone number so you can send them future specials on full body massages. Be well,Jen

 

[rainy]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....report he

Jill, is there a particular reason you are taking 5 mins between each chair massage client?  I've been doing chair massage for almost 3 years now, and with the exception of ONE account that insisted on having 5 mins between people, I've never taken a break between clients.  It takes only a minute to get someone on and off of the chair and for them to pay you; I've always included that minute in their time.  I've had some people tell me that they take time in between to clean/disinfect the chair.  However, if you are in the workplace, your clients should be fully dressed, so all you really need to do is change the cover on your face cradle to ensure cleanliness.  I use the paper disposable covers.  I do clean my chair at the start of the day and at the end of the day, so my chair is very clean.  Also, I'll clean it between clients if there is a need (client left a makeup stain, drooled, etc.  LOL)

 

[giddy penguin]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....report he

Jill, is there a particular reason you are taking 5 mins between each chair massage client?

Hi Pete,

We all have our own ways of doing things and that is what I feel comfortable doing at this time.  I massage for the full time offered and then give the client time to slowly get up and answer any questions they may have so really it's not much of a break.  I see them off, change the face cradle and greet the next client who is waiting anxiously ;D

The school function I did last week was just one after the other.  I just posted a sign up sheet and I think at times it was under a minute between clients.  I didn't like that so much as I felt I was running an assembly line, but I was trying to take as many as possible where the interest was so high...it was FREE, so of course I was swamped!  Good experience though.  The principle emailed me yesterday and said he was approaching the teachers on what day they would like etc.  

Thanks for your input

 

[Mag]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....report he

I also take 5 minutes between 15-minute chair appointments on my recurring gigs. I go to a high-stress credit card processing company (that is expecting another round of layoffs -- maybe next week?) 2x/week for 4 hours each time. I do a relaxing chair massage, and they're in no hurry to get up when we're done, so I use that 5 minutes to visit, let them re-acclimate, and if enough time, I get to sit, take a drink, have a snack, stretch, etc.Also, I clean the arm rest and face cradle between every session -- I just use Viva paper towels, and sometimes they move around and don't cover the cradle adequately. The cleaning solution I use I've added a few drops of Tea Tree and Lavender oils to -- people have noticed and commented on how nice it smells in the room! It's subtle, though, and doesn't last long. I also use Purell hand sanitizer between clients -- esp. in cold and flu season if I'm working on their hands I certainly don't want to take that home with me! I add a few drops of Lavender to the bottle of hand sanitizer, too. That way it smells less alcohol-y.Good luck, JillRMT!A.

 

[FL410]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....report he

Good luck, JillRMT!

A.

Thanks Yoga,

I think they appreciate the extra attention.  I also wipe the arm rest and use hand sanitizer.  What is the "recipe" to your solution, sounds much better than the antibacterial wipes I use.

 

[Pompal 09.]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....report he

Chair Massage is another way to add to your income.  I find corp offerings very hit or miss.If the Corporation pays...you are in like flynn.However, if it is sign up/out of pocket  for each employee it gets a bit more complex.  It's a Catch 22.  I do 15 minute sessions with no breaks in between.  I do get backed up the moment someone is 2, 3, 4 minutes late.No shows happen frequently...stuck in meetings, on important calls.   Unfortunately my time waiting is my loss.  Some regulars have paid me for their time missed, which I appreciate.  However, the majority does not.I am still trying to weigh if it is feasible for me to continue any account where the company does not foot the bill.  

 

[J&JLove]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....report he

What is the "recipe" to your solution, sounds much better than the antibacterial wipes I use.

I'm using an all-purpose surface cleaner (Seventh Generation brand -- more $$ but all-natural) and I add 6 or so drops of Tea Tree and 4 or so drops of Lavender to the solution in an 8-oz spritzer bottle that I got at Target. I may get adventuresome and add some other oils at some point...

Now, I have seen other MTs wipe down the *entire* chair with Clorox wipes after each client. This bothers me for 2 reasons: 1)the clients are fully clothed, and unless skin is coming into contact with the chair there is no reason to do this. 2)the Clorox wipes clearly state on the container that you should wash your hands after using them. In other words, you don't want to be absorbing the chemicals from those wipes through your hands.

So... washing my hands after using Clorox wipes is simply not an option where I do chair massage. And being a bit chemically phobic, I certainly don't want to absorb 12 wipes'-worth of chemicals over a 4 hour period 2x a week, 50 or so weeks a year.

But is the surface cleaner solution that I use anti-viral/bacterial? No, unless the small amount of tea tree oil I add does the trick. My intention is to do as well for my chair as a hand washing would do for my clients. I use anti-bacterial wipes if someone sneezes or coughs on my chair, but as we all know... colds are brought on by viruses, not bacteria, so that probably doesn't do anything either.

Besides, I'm doing chair massage in an office environment -- meaning my clients are touching all manner of surfaces all day along with their co-workers (elevator buttons, door handles, computer keyboards/mice, walls...) and I can't prevent that. Not that I'm advocating not cleaning up!! Because the facial considerations that BJB-LMP brought up are certainly very valid, and I'm honestly not sure what to do regarding those situations.  :-/

Sorry for the long post -- I'm interested to hear other thoughts on this.

Have a great day --

A.

 

[Barkley Hound]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....report he

Jill, is there a particular reason you are taking 5 mins between each chair massage client?  , I've never taken a break between clients.

How long have you been diong it this way Pete?

I only ask because I know I NEED a minute or two or five to recharge myself.

Robyn

 

[Pompal 09.]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....repo

To those of you who have an on-site business already, I have my info packet put together. Do I send the cover letter first before sending the info packet or is the cover letter included? Do I take the info packet should an interview with demo massage bet set up? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Ya Boy]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....repo

Use Lemon (essential) oil in your cleaning solution as it is a natural disinfectant and shouldn't harm those who come into contact with the chair after wiping it down.Also, I would include the cover letter in with the presentation packet (make that the first thing they see when they open the packet though). It basically is what you would say when you meet with your contact at the corporation but summarized in a professional letter so they can read over what y'all discussed during the meeting (after you leave) and have it all down in print as a pre-contract type of thing.Once I get back into my massage therapy business full time later on this summer (can't wait!), I'll be trying to get corporate chair massage accounts once again--I think I'll try for Call Centers first as those seem to be sure money-makers for this gal.  Be well,Jen

 

[PAYET M]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....repo

Re: Relax to the Max.I have taken the course.  I found it very educational and a great service to add to my dwindling reflexology business.  I think that you will find that Eric Brown (director) knows his stuff and so do the instructors. I will say that its an easy course and should have a higher level of difficulty.  I think in this business we need to keep our standards high.  

 

[trackman]

 On-siteChairMassagePractitioners....repo

I'd say if you can afford to/are able to schedule 5 minutes between clients your body (and mind) will thank you in the long run. Also, your clients may notice the difference in not feeling like on a treadmill. (Though, I know there are times when ya gotta go constant)