Serving the bridal market with special events can boost income, increase business visibility and introduce you to new clients. In this 21-minute video, we'll discuss this and more with a lavender theme. You can create any type of house call party event such as birthdays, holidays and bridal parties with these suggestions. You can also use various essential oils to create your party theme, such as purple for lavender or green for spearmint, etc.
Bridal spa parties can be serviced at home or at your establishment. These parties do not have to be gender-based. Creating your party should be whatever the client wishes for as long as it is within reason to create a success. Adding mobility to your existing spa business is a wonderful way to expand your client base, business visibility and income. It can also bring some fun and versatility to the everyday monotony of your massage practice. Any spa practice can reap heavy rewards once a mobile spa menu is created, marketed and the staff are trained.
Prior to proceeding with a mobile practice, please take the time to check that it is allowed in your state or municipality, and that you are fully insured for it too. Also make sure to stay within your scope of practice.
In this article, we’ll review how to capitalize on weddings and bridal parties with a mobile spa business.
Include the Entire Bridal Party (regardless if they've registered for paid services)
Getting married is a time-consuming business, and it can also be overwhelming. It’s important to let your local brides know that you can relieve some of this stress and make the whole process easier with mobile spa services in their own home.
Also, a fabulous mobile wedding spa party is the type of gift that keeps on giving. It’s like getting paid to advertise the spa and staff, and it’s a wonderful memorable event that the guests will cherish and remember for many years to come.
Encourage Everyone to Relax
For the actual mobile spa business itself, think about adding a "relaxation room" in addition to paid service!
Some guests may want more services than others or have a larger budget. It’s important for everyone in the bridal party to feel like a valued participant, especially when they are not receiving an actual spa service.
To create a Relaxation Room, select an area of the home and transform it into something zen.
There are so many nice touches you can add to the Relaxation Room to make the mobile spa experience come to life.
Consider adding pictures of the happy couple. Remind everyone why you’re there and what is being celebrated.
Create a “No Phone Zone.” Encourage the bridal party to treat the relaxation room like a real spa. Print and hang signs that would be appropriate for your spa party and add famous quotes to set the mood, such as: Speech is silver, silence is golden.
Chances are that everyone loves to take pictures. While almost everyone uses their cell phones to take pictures these days, hopefully your guests will avoid these electronic nuisances and spend their time relaxing and enjoying each other’s company and service(s).
Set the Scene
Leave a disposable camera in the relaxation room so that they can have fun taking pictures and sharing the moment without the technological headaches of a cell phone.
Play soft music, anything relaxing, or the bride’s choice. Add soft lighting. Bring a 40-watt lamp, candles or whatever can safely be provided.
Alcohol and spa do not always mix well. Try offering some herbal teas and bottled spring water. A spa tea service is easily portable. Simply provide an assortment of individually wrapped tea bags, individually wrapped sweeteners and some disposable hot cups with lids.
You’ll already have a tea kettle for your mobile spa business, which is often used to create immediate hot water for foot soaks and esthetic services.
Everyone loves snacks. Simply purchase individually wrapped cookies, apple slices or whatever you feel is appropriate for your group. It’s important to provide prepackaged food items so that your business cannot be categorized (or fined) for lack of a restaurant license.
A Slice of Mobile Spa Heaven
Many people see spa pictures in assorted magazines and wish they were part of it! Cut a cucumber into half-inch thick slices and leave them in a small paper or plastic bowl.
Encourage guests to place the cucumber slices over their eyes and relax. They’re great for the perfect spa picture.
Leave some coffee table books or magazines out for your group. Make sure that some of them have “neutral” subjects such as travel. Most of us do not have time for “pleasure” reading. Providing reading materials is an inexpensive and easy way to keep guests occupied in a pampered environment.
Do not forget to advertise for additional service at the party, or for future appointments at the spa! Throw some spa product samples, a candle, anything you wish into a small paper gift bag with marketing materials. Be sure that each guest has your phone number to book their own mobile spa party or to schedule an appointment at the spa.
The relaxation room should be available to everyone in the bridal party, regardless of what they book for service. You can charge a flat fee for the relaxation room or build the costs into the bridal spa party budget and/or individual services.
Please do not provide outcall parties or services that are not within your licensed scope of practice or operations.
Massage therapists and bodyworkers can increase their income with responsible product retailing; but, manufacturers can become a quasi-silent partner in your business when promoting or reselling their products.
Ask yourself, are you retailing some of your favorite products as a customer perk, or do you want to build a true partnership to increase your business?
Here are a dozen different subjects and concepts to think about to get the most out of your product choices, use and sales in a product partnership.
Maximize your partnership and avoid potential problems that can arise from not discussing or addressing such topics upfront.
1. Efficacy. What makes their products special? Why would you want to use or retail their products, and what makes their products something your customers would want to buy? What are the active ingredients that make their products effective, and where do these active ingredients come from? Are there any published research studies that show the effectiveness of their products?
2.Training. Is product training available? Do they have in-person training? Will they come to your business? Do they have a training facility, and if yes, where is the facility? Do they online videos? Do they have written product service manuals? Do not underestimate the value in product training. Most training can provide new additional services or service versatility and help practitioners avoid burnout.
3.Service. Is the product sales rep or customer service easily available? Do they respond, and do they accurately answer questions? Avoid manufacturers or people who will tell you whatever you or your customer wants to hear.
Placating answers may help you in the short term, but these could also open you up to legal or lethal consequences if erroneous information is provided. Many people have all types of products concerns and allergies these days. Some are common and some are not.
You must choose a partner that will recognize these important concerns, and respond in an appropriate, accurate and timely manner – so that you can be responsible in responding to your customers needs.
4.Optics.Be sure to Google a manufacturer prior to investing into their line (and reputation). It’s difficult to find that perfect manufacturer or product that does not have an ingredient that is labelled as a carcinogen or just plain bad.
Consumers are ingredient and reputation savvy these days. Remember that when you retail a brand, you represent them. That means your business will represent what you are known for, and what they are known for too.
5.Return Policy.Sometimes product manufacturers ship a product that’s nearing (or past) its expiration date. Do they pay for return shipping in addition to providing product credit or refunds? Do they charge a restocking or return fee? What is the average remaining shelf life of the products that they sell or ship? What are their product return policies from you as a retailer (when a dissatisfied customer returns a product to you)?
6.Pureness. Offering organic products and services is one of the strongest ways to grow an alternative or complementary health practice today. However, organic products (thus services) can be extremely expensive. So, are their products natural or organic? From where do they harvest their product ingredients? What is their corporate message about the healthfulness or their products? And more importantly, what is yours?
7.Eco Friendly.What is their product packaging like? Do they use eco-friendly and recyclable packing materials? Do they have refillable containers? What is their corporate message for the care of our environment?
A small but growing number of consumers will be turned off by irresponsible environment practices. Watch your business’s eco practices, especially when adding retail factors that will further impact your environment footprint (shipping boxes, product containers and so forth).
8.Shipping.Does the company offer free shipping with a minimum order? How much does shipping cost? Are you adding the shipping costs into your sales price? How much are shipping costs cutting into your retail profitability? How long will it take for your product order to arrive?
If your products endure a long shipping period in an extreme climate, what responsibility is taken to ensure the products retain their efficacy during shipping? Try to find a vendor that can ship locally to you to keep shipping costs low, or a vendor that will pay your shipping costs with a reasonable minimum order.
9.Samples, Testers & Back Bar. Some companies will offer a discounted or free tester program, product samples and/or back bar. What do you have to do to become eligible to receive free samples, testers and back bar (if this is achievable with this manufacturer)? Business expenses such as paying for samples, testers or back bar can cut into your profitability, so consider any value that a manufacturer can provide with samples, testers and back bar.
10.Availability. Who will you compete with for product sales? How many like-businesses in the area carry their products, and can you get a product exclusivity agreement within a certain mile radius? Are their products offered via Amazon or are they at beauty stores? If their products are saturated in the marketplace, what extras can a manufacturer provide in exchange for you to carry their products (such as a free back bar)? Can you get your business listed on their digital media as a retail location? Will you be included in their advertising and marketing campaigns?
11.Marketing. Can they provide high-resolution pictures of their products and product services for use on your digital platforms? Do they provide retail point-of-sale (POS) marketing opportunities such as a gift-with-purchase program? What are the costs of these marketing programs to you, if any? Do they offer free product with purchase wholesale program, such as buy 12 pieces, receive 1 free or get a percentage off? Can you negotiate a better wholesale price with larger wholesale ordering?
12.Profitability.Most spa-type product manufacturers will provide the opportunity to double your wholesale price as the final retail price. But some product manufacturers, especially equipment manufacturers, will provide a smaller (for example 30 percent) markup for their regular retail price; however, these equipment sales are usually more expensive items which make that 30 percent profit a generous amount of income.
You need to decide how much business space you want to (or can) dedicate to retail. Is there space readily available in your business to retail? Or, are you paying extra rent for extra space to provide/sell retail? How much shelf space is required for an item and how much of that item can be sold in one year’s time?
What are the expected sale rates of these products and what are their profitability? Does that product sale income cover your rent for the space you are providing to retail those products? What type of markup is available to sell at the average retail price of their products?
Choose Wisely
As you can see, there are many concepts to consider when choosing, using or retailing products beyond the numbers and salability. It is 100 percent your responsibility to become knowledge about what different product lines can offer your business to support you and help you grow.
Some sales reps and product manufacturers will become a great supporting partner—and some will not.
Do not be afraid or feel guilty about asking these important questions to gain the information you need to choose the right products and partnership. Remember, this is about building your income, reputation, services and your entire business.
Choosing the right product manufacturers is a really important decision that can make or break your business–so make the best choice you possibly can to support your own business.
50 Questions to Help Find the Right Products Manufacturer
• What makes your products special?
• Why would I want to use or retail your products?
• What makes your products something my customers would want to buy?
• What are the active ingredients that make your products effective?
• Where do these active ingredients come from?
• Is there any published research studies that show the effectiveness or your products?
• Is product training available?
• Do you have in-person training?
• Will you come to my business for product or service training?
• Do you have a training facility and where is it?
• Are there online videos? What training is provided in the online training videos?
• Are there written product service manuals? What training is provided in the written product service manuals?
• How do I contact the product sales rep or customer services?
• What is the average response time to questions?
• Are any of your products being reformulated or product packaging changes being made within the next year?
• What type of support do you provide (if any) if there is a bad customer product experience?
• Do you pay for return shipping in addition to providing product credit or refunds when a customer returns a product?
• Do you charge a product restocking or return fee? Do you still charge this fee if you shipped me an expired or damaged product?
• What is the average remaining shelf life of your products once they arrive on my doorstep?
• What is the open product return policy if a dissatisfied customer returns a product?
• Are your products organic?
• From where do you harvest your product ingredients?
• What is your corporate message about the healthfulness or your products?
• What is your product packaging like? Do you use eco-friendly and recyclable packing materials?
• Do any of your products have refillable containers?
• What is your corporate message for the care of our environment?
• Do you offer free shipping with a minimum order?
• How much does shipping cost (i.e. is there “flat-rate” shipping)?
• How long will it take for your product order to arrive?
• If the products endure a long shipping period in an extreme climate, what responsibility is taken with shipping to ensure the products retain their efficacy?
• What do I have to do to become eligible to receive free samples, testers and back bar (if this is achievable with this manufacturer)?
• Who will I compete with for product sales?
• How many like-businesses in the area carry your products, and can I get a product exclusivity agreement within a certain mile radius?
• Are your products offered via Amazon or are they at beauty stores?
• If your products are saturated in the marketplace, what extras can you provide me to carry your products (i.e. can you offer me a free back bar)?
• Will you list my business on your digital media as a retail location?
• Will you include my business in your advertising and marketing campaigns?
• Can you provide high resolution pictures of your products and product services that I can use on my digital platforms?
• Do you provide retail point-of-sale (POS) marketing opportunities such as a gift-with-purchase (GWP) program?
• What are the costs of these marketing programs to me, if any?
• Do you offer a free product with purchase wholesale program, such as buy 12 pieces, receive 1 free or get a percentage off?
• Can I negotiate a better wholesale price with larger wholesale ordering?
• What type of markup is available (thus profitability) to sell at the average retail price of your products?
Be sure to interview the manufacturer prior to investing into their business. Below is a 45-minute video, where we will provide these 50 questions to ask in detail prior to investing in a company's product or inventory.
Retailing products can help increase your income while gaining new clients and offering new and exciting experiences in your bodywork practice or massage establishment. In this 16-minute video, we'll review 7 ways in how you can start a retail practice, boost income and retain clients with retail sales. This review includes:
1. Choosing a Product Manufacturer
Find/select a company that offers benefits to massage therapists. Many product manufacturers have solid point-of-sale and gift-with-purchase programs, or free classes and education, but many massage therapists do not take advantage of these valuable marketing tools. Ask manufacturers what they offer to support their product sales. Most should provide:
• High-resolution product pictures.
• Discounted or free product testers and samples.
• Product education via books, online videos or live classes.
• A solid product return or exchange program for any returned products.
• Posters or signs that can be displayed on or around the products, cash register, doors or walls.
• Gift with purchase opportunities, such as a trial size product for free with the purchase of a full retail-size product or with a certain purchase amount.
2. Choosing the Right Products
Determine which manufacturers offer products that have a good reputation for therapeutic benefits without unpopular packaging or chemicals. Choose products that complement your massage. While it is perfectly acceptable to retail jewelry or homemade items from your BFF, you should also sell items that are used in your massage service.
3. Talk About the Product Benefits
Some clients will purchase a product to remind them of their fabulous experience. For these clients, reliving their service through product use is an enjoyment, and it could even provide prolonged therapeutic benefit with the product’s active ingredients.
Products with active ingredients that could provide therapeutic benefit include: menthol; products that promote circulation; cinnamon to reduce inflammation; or arnica, which could promote pain relief among other benefits.
4. Put Your Sales Opportunities into Electronic Action
Once you have chosen your manufacturer and products, it’s time to activate sales. Include your new product promotions in customer emails, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to create a sense of excitement. Do not forget to use your manufacturer’s high-resolution pictures and any available promotions or gift with purchase.
5. Keep the Excitement Going at the Office
Display any available product promotion posters in the service or waiting areas, restrooms, hallways or any other appropriate place. Small picture frames are regularly available at dollar stores, so manufacturer print items can easily be made into something elegant or professional with a little effort.
6. Product Display and Merchandising
Create a designated area for product testing, merchandising and sales. Be sure that the product sales prices are readily available so that clients do not have to guess or ask what a product costs.
Your designated product area should include a “tester bar” where clients can see, smell, touch and feel the actual products. Mark the product testers with stickers to ensure the testers are not sold instead of new products.
Display any promotional marketing materials provided by the manufacturer at the tester bar, including customer testimonials, signage, discounts, sales promotions, gift-with-purchase info and so forth.
7. The Educational Check-Out
Take advantage of your manufacturer’s educational information so that you can select the right products for clients and promote their therapeutic benefits. Then, make sure to inform clients that your product is available for sale and take-home use. You can even write customized product instructions that include how much product to apply to which areas and how often so that their new product(s) are used effectively between professional services.
If you have not already informed the client of your product’s benefits before their service or during treatment, do not miss this last opportunity at check-out. Educating your client about your product’s benefits shows them that you are invested in their personal care and therapeutic outcome.
Most clients are not aware that additional therapeutic benefits such as pain relief or increased circulation can be continued at home with product use. Be honest with your client. Explain that these products will probably not achieve the same benefits as receiving an actual massage service. However, any prolonged or added benefits are always a plus.
To view the Massage Magazine article that was written by Selena Belisle at CE Institute LLC that covers what is reviewed in this video in greater detail, please visit: https://www.massagemag.com/retail-selling-118449/
Communicating the therapeutic benefits of aromatherapy today can be like walking a tight-rope. Common claims once shared amongst aromatherapists may no longer be used due to a FDA crack down on aromatherapy and essential oil language. Some practitioners have unfortunately made unsubstantiated claims which have created greater government oversight to ensure that the public is not deceived by false claims or practices.
Ensuring professional and efficacious practice is any modality is extremely important, so it is more than acceptable that proper oversight is governing how therapeutic benefits are communicated within the public to avoid fraud.
In this brief 7-minute video, we'll share some guidelines of how to responsibly communicate your aromatherapy bodywork and practice with your clients.
Setting massage prices (for the self-employed) is often a fine balance between what we can charge and what our customers are willing to pay.
Here are some common questions, answers and tips about setting these massage prices:
What should I charge for a one-hour massage?
Look to your local peers and consider what they are charging.
Consider their property amenities, training and years of experience with their one-hour price.
Now, look to your own practice and try to determine if your service is the same, less or better than what they are providing and charge accordingly.
It is important to consider your market’s average price for viability of your own.
Should I charge more for deep tissue work than regular massage?
This can be one of the most puzzling questions and situations in massage therapy practice today.
The real question here is, “What is deep tissue?”
Some clients will request a “deep tissue” and then only tolerate the lightest of pressure while others will say they want a “regular” massage but demand your full body weight be applied with every stroke.
My solution is to charge a fairly high hourly rate and tell the client that they can have any type of therapeutic massage for this charge. Then, I may discount the service if it’s an easy appointment, or they book regularly, or whatever feels appropriate.
Sometimes I feel that massage therapists should charge a little more than their “average” market price so that there is room to offer discounts on slow days/seasons and for repeat/good clients.
Some customers may also be intrigued as to why you “costs” more than average, too. Keep in mind that good pricing involves providing your best possible service for the best possible charge.
How do I explain a price difference for different services?
While I personally charge an “expensive” one-size-fits-all price for services, some therapists will have a low base price for massage, and charge more for additional modalities.
It’s perfectly acceptable to charge more for harder or complicated work. Here are three reasons why therapists can (and sometimes should) charge more:
Additional equipment and/or training was involved to provide the service; therefore, a higher price will recoup the financial investment for training and/or equipment. This is often applicable for prenatal, stone, aromatherapy, NMT and so forth.
The work is physically “harder,” which means you will not be able to provide as many appointments that day. This is often applicable for deep tissue and hot stone work.
Extra time is required to provide the service. This often applicable to mobile appointments, stone work, prenatal, shirodhara, etc. (Be sure to add any parking expenses to a mobile appointment price, too!)
What is the best practice to charge for add-on services?
You should always charge for “add-ons” such as a foot scrub, paraffin or anything else that would not be normally added to the scheduled service.
If you do provide “add-ons,” it’s important to publicly post a detailed price list of these add-on services on your website, at the reception counter and/or in your service menu.
And, if a client requests an “add-on” during service, tell them the additional costs for the “add-on” before it is provided. While it’s never ideal to talk about money during a service, it could also be considered unethical to charge more than agreed without the client’s informed consent.
Setting your own appointment prices can often feel confusing and conflicting.
Use these guidelines to help make decisions about this important process. Be upfront, honest and clear about pricing – so that regardless of what you charge – you provide a professional, reputable business operation that is reliable for your customers.
Good business usually provides good prices – so don’t be shy to charge what you’re worth and let your cash register ring!
When you're self-employed, it can be difficult to determine what price you should be charging for your services. In this brief 10-minute video, we'll review this information in detail, with some thoughts on how to set massage therapy or bodywork service prices.
For comprehensive massage and bodywork training, please visit our website with many subspeciality modality classes at: https://ceinstitute.com/
Would you like to take live, online, computer-based training but do not know where to start?
Many of our masssage therapist, cosmetology and bodywork students would like to train from home with a live instructor, but simply do not know how - given most of their work does not include using a computer.
As such, we provide free Welcome Webinars to helpensure a quality or complete live interactive webinar CE class training experience. Students will receive an invite to our welcome webinars AFTER they have registered for one of our live interactive webinar CE classes. Welcome webinars are FREE optional meetings that can help students learn how to view, operate and participate in our webinar program and are great for those who are new to online/webinar training.
Our next welcome webinar is available this Thursday evening, January 7, 2022! Please check your email within 5-minutes aAfter you register for your live webinar training to find your free welcome webinar registration invitation. We hope to see you there!
Suggested appointment prices for manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) services are difficult to develop for some practitioners, especially when they first get started in the modality.
In this brief 7-minute video, we'll review some tips to follow if you're trained in lymphatic drainage and wondering what to charge for your service. This video was primarily created for CE Institute LLC students who train in our MLD application - however some others may find it helpful.
Here is some basic info about setting prices in general for massage therapy and bodyworker services:
Here are some common questions, answers and tips about setting these massage prices:
What should I charge for a one-hour treatment or service? Look to your local peers and consider what they are charging? Consider their property amenities, training or years of experience with their one-hour price. Then, look to your own practice and try to determine if your service is the same, less or better than what they are providing and charge accordingly.
It is important to consider your market’s average price for viability of your own.
Should I charge more for specialized work more so than a "regular" appointment? This can be one of the most puzzling questions and situations in practice today.
One solution would be to charge a fairly high hourly rate and tell the client that they can have any type of service for this charge. Then, I may discount the service if it’s an easy appointment, or they book regularly, or whatever feels appropriate.
Sometimes I feel that massage therapists should charge a little more than their “average” market price so that there is room to offer discounts on slow days/seasons and for repeat/good clients.
Some customers may also be intrigued as to why you “costs” more than average, too. Keep in mind that good pricing involves providing your best possible service for the best possible charge.
How do I explain a price difference for different services? While I personally charge an “expensive” one-size-fits-all price for services, some therapists will have a low base price for massage, and charge more for additional modalities.
It’s perfectly acceptable to charge more for harder or complicated work. Here are three reasons why therapists can (and sometimes should) charge more:
Additional equipment and/or training was involved to provide the service; therefore, a higher price will recoup the financial investment for training and/or equipment. This is often applicable for prenatal, stone, aromatherapy, NMT and so forth.
The work is physically “harder,” which means you will not be able to provide as many appointments that day. This is often applicable for deep tissue and hot stone work.
Extra time is required to provide the service. This often applicable to mobile appointments, stone work, prenatal, shirodhara, etc. (Be sure to add any parking expenses to a mobile appointment price, too!)
What is the best practice to charge for add-on services? You should always charge for “add-ons” such as a foot scrub, paraffin or anything else that would not be normally added to the scheduled service.
If you do provide “add-ons,” it’s important to publicly post a detailed price list of these add-on services on your website, at the reception counter and/or in your service menu.
And, if a client requests an “add-on” during service, tell them the additional costs for the “add-on” before it is provided. While it’s never ideal to talk about money during a service, it could also be considered unethical to charge more than agreed without the client’s informed consent.
Setting your own appointment prices can often feel confusing and conflicting.
Using these guidelines will hopefully help make decisions about this important process. Be upfront, honest and clear about pricing. Regardless of what you charge, you should always provide a professional, reputable service that is reliable for your customers.
Good business usually provides good prices, so don’t be shy to charge what you’re worth, and let those cash registers ring!
We are pleased to announce that we will continue our live interactive webinar training without end.
We are continually updating our live interactive webinar program with best practices. These updates and our most updated practices are reflected in our new Quick Start Video.
Please review this quick 13-minute quick start video to learn what may be required and how to get the most out of our live interactive webinar, computer-based training. Thanks so much and we hope you enjoy the experience!
This free 30-minute training video shares how to setup Massage Therapy Valentine's Day Appointment Specials. Creating Valentine's Day Specials can help massage therapists:
Diversify work
Boost income
Increase business exposure
Gain new clients
Valentine’s Day Appointment Specials Supplies Needed to Offer these Valentine's Day Specials Include:
ATTENTION: Massage Therapists! We have Florida Board of Massage Approvals to teach live hands-on/relevant to massage technique CE classes and issue CE credit to CE Broker via live interactive webinar until Aug 31, 2021!
