Massage Groups

I had a recent round table discussion with other massage therapists about their cancellation policies and I found most, if not all, of their policies to be too lenient. Perhaps it’s just me, but I think any notice less than a week, and maybe 9 or 10 days if there is a weekend notification to be right. Many therapists I know ask for a 24 hour notice, and I think that is too little.

I am sticking to my guns as of now, cancel within 7 business days and no charge for rescheduling, but any less notice than that and I may find it harder to book that time with another client, so I am currently charging a 50% cancellation fee if it;s not done within that time frame, and if it is not canceled within 48 hours of the session, then 100% is expected.

Am I being too stringent with this? Does anyone else use a similar policy?

I’ve used many different outfits for giving massages, and I wonder what is the best clothing to wear when giving a massage?

I suppose part of that choice would depend upon the location of the massage work and how many were being given. Certainly doing massage work in a cold winter climate for one client would require different attire than multiple clients at an outdoor marathon in 90 degree weather, but what makes for great massage “uniforms”?

For a time while in massage school I used sweats and a t shirt, comfortable for the occasional massage, but not professional looking, and no pockets for storage, I imagine clients seeing me with a t-shirt tucked into my sweat pants did not find it adding to the relaxing atmosphere.

For a time I used scrubs, those relatively inexpensive clothes that many nurses and other health care working wear often, I found these to be great in many ways. lightweight, easy to move around in, and accessible storage for little things like towels and lubrication.

Certainly some massage clients would not mind this attire, but I recently saw the “Tai Chi like” uniforms that a friend wears at his massage spa, and I thought that those are a great balance in professionalism, along with light weighted-ness and I’d like to try that a few times.

Perhaps there is not one perfect massage uniform to wear, but perhaps qualities that make each choice in clothing to be best for each situation.

Tai Chi Silk Jacket image from ymaa

What do you consider when choosing what to wear when giving massage work?

I’ve had several discussions with people who have had some troubling issues with contracts with various massage spas or businesses. One particular situation involved a friend who had signed up at a place where she had hoped to make lots of money and stay for a long time due it’s close proximity to her home, however after she signed the contract and began working, she found herself longing to find another place of emplyment, unfortunately, the contract she signed kept her from working within close proximity to her home and also had a clause that she would have to pay hundreds of dollars to the spa id she stopped working there within a year of starting.

From a business owners perspective I can understand the need to protect certain secrets, and the need to protect yourself if you are running advertisements for a certain famous contractor who is working at your establishment. However this friend of mine was fresh out of massage school, so she was not famous. She was not advertised with her name specifically, and was not privy to any of the behind the scenes business or marketing meetings, so this contract was really over broad and went way overboard for her situation, especially since the amount of money she had hoped to make there did not stack up to what she was led to believe.

I suggest reading and re-reading any contracts that you sign, talk to your friends and peers about any contracts, and discuss with an attorney if it is complicated. Also be aware what you sing becomes the rules, and sometimes what you think that has been talked about will be adhered to, is not usually the case.