I’m going to kick this off by invoking the playful energy of this Nana showing her cards, because let’s be real: money is generally a taboo subject. I grew up within a British and Irish culture which taught me that money is a private matter. The world of business is generally propelled by strategy, tactics, and secrecy. I am not interested in this way of operating.
What I am interested in is providing a service to my community in a sustainable and honest way which offers flexibility and respect for the economic circumstances of both myself and my clients. I am writing to offer transparency and clarity around the choices I am making, as a practitioner who offers a service which I think everybody should have access to as fundamental healthcare, but which is often rendered an inaccessible luxury.
I am also writing because I want to make visible what you are paying for when you receive a massage. As a friend recently reflected, revealing these acts of service add value to the experience, because they demonstrate care and intentionality which can often remain unseen. In that spirit, here goes some radical revealing!
My Pricing
As of 22/08/2024, I work with a sliding scale from £35 – £65. Within Edinburgh, this is a low price. Other massage therapists frequently charge between £55 – £70. I have set my rate in recognition of the fact that I am recently qualified, and because I can afford to do so. Working from home reduces my overheads substantially.
I work with a sliding scale in recognition of economic inequality, which is especially prevalent among my primary client base of LGBTQ+ folks who are more likely to be systematically economically marginalised. A sliding scale is a beautiful and radical pricing structure in which those with greater financial means pay a higher rate so that those with less means may pay a lower rate. Everybody pays what they can afford within a fixed scale.
Sliding scale massage therapy allowed me to afford a series of massages at a time in my life where I struggled greatly with chronic pain and disembodiment. I am honoured to be able to continue this cycle of generosity, and I am overjoyed to witness it working within my own practice. It’s easy to fear that clients will take advantage of the possibility of a cheaper massage, but it’s been a pleasure to witness the honesty and integrity of my wonderful clients, who thoughtfully offer what feels truly appropriate to their means. Each month so far this has balanced out to result in an average charge of £44 – 46 per massage.
While my circumstances mean that I have the opportunity to charge lower rates at this time, my prices will increase over time to approach market rates. I am committed to maintaining a sliding scale as this happens.
So What Are You Paying For?
Massages are expensive! I used to think that the cost of a massage was extortionate and that it must be a very lucrative business. These days, as a massage therapist, I can see a bigger picture. While even the lowest rung of my sliding scale is more than I’ve ever received for an hour’s work, I know now what goes into that hour-long appointment.
Let me share from behind the scenes what the cost of an appointment covers:
- The treatment
x - Time taken in preparation for the appointment, including room set up, reviewing case notes, researching/reviewing how I can best work with specific symptoms or pain patterns, digital communications, emotional centering
x - Time taken to follow up the appointment, including laundry, clearing the space, writing case notes, and digital communications
x - Time maintaining social media
x - Time spent studying
x - Sick pay and holiday pay
x - Expenses, including training courses, annual insurance, association memberships, booking systems, massage wax, towels, etc.
In general, each hour appointment will take me two hours of direct work, in addition to the time taken completing the background processes of running a business and continuing to grow and develop as a practitioner. In addition to the above, the cost of a massage also considers the reality of unpredictable self employed work, and what that entails.
In Summary
That I can even have this conversation is a privilege. I don’t need to hustle, keeping my cards close to my chest to try and make ends meet. I have a measure of stability thanks to Universal Credit, which offers a great deal of leeway to businesses in their first year of operating (and I’m happy to share what I know with anyone who gets in touch). I believe that the secrecy that often surrounds finance contributes to economic inequality by obscuring the reality of how capitalism functions.
My little corner of the market is hardly a bastion of enterprise, but I am grateful that I can take this opportunity to be transparent .I hope that sharing more about what your money pays for helps to demystify a little just what goes into a massage, and why it costs what it does. These are things I wish I’d known as a client before being a practitioner.
I welcome questions and reflections! Thank you so much for taking the time to read.
Love, River