80 minute and 50 minute massages?

I feel my clients are paying for an hours massage and thats what they get.
I clock on as i pick up the oil bottle and clock of 60 minutes or 90 minutes
after that.
However i am a massage therapist that works from home and it is more
convinient for me
to space my clients into 90 minute and 120 minute time slots
Nina
"Tom" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There is frequently reference to 80 minute massages, in
fact, one of the
ahmt threads has a bet going with an 80 minute massage as
the payoff.

What is the deal with these short hours? I don't tell my
clients that I have an hour and a half slot and then work
on them for an hour and 20 minutes!

Is there some reason this industry thinks in terms of 50
minute hours and 80 minute hour and a halfs?

Is it slavery to the clock in terms of starting on the
hour or on the half hour?

And when you tell your client, after their massage, to
relax and take their time getting up and ready, what do
you really mean by that? How much time relaxing and
getting off the table is too much time?

Tom

Interesting Point!

So, for the sake of clarity. Hypothetical, because I'm just
getting started: Say you were wanting to build up a
practice. You need to fill your appointment book. (Yes, it
takes time. I realize because I've been self-employed for 22
yrs now in another business) You have certain hours
available to offer the public your services. Generally
speaking we're looking at day time hours, 9a-5p. Perhaps
even going beyond that into the early evening and perhaps
starting a smidge earlier.

Factored into all of this are the following: You charge by
the hour, changing sheets, prepping room, taking care of the
appointment book, and any paperwork in between clients, and
additional normal costs of running the business.

Question: As a business person, wouldn't you need to define
how much time you could alot for "relaxation and getting
ready" after an appointment, in order that your next client
could count on their appointment time starting at a
particular time? Because they also have things in their life
before and after their massage appointment. Some things have
to be defined and clearly cut in order to run a business and
keep it in the black. What are your time frames like? What
is the set up like where you are working? Do you lease your
own office? Or do you share it with anyone else?

So, you give them time. Realizing that some people have
fallen back asleep on my table when I've left them there,
others have begun getting right up and off the table as I
close the door. But you gotta have some sort of time frame
in place. (imo)

This is all very informative and educational to me and I'm
curious to know your framework because I've had some of the
same thoughts as you have..

Thanks much!

Mj "Tom" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There is frequently reference to 80 minute massages, in
fact, one of the
ahmt threads has a bet going with an 80 minute massage as
the payoff.

What is the deal with these short hours? I don't tell my
clients that I have an hour and a half slot and then work
on them for an hour and 20 minutes!

Is there some reason this industry thinks in terms of 50
minute hours and 80 minute hour and a halfs?

Is it slavery to the clock in terms of starting on the
hour or on the half hour?

And when you tell your client, after their massage, to
relax and take their time getting up and ready, what do
you really mean by that? How much time relaxing and
getting off the table is too much time?

Tom

"Tom" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There is frequently reference to 80 minute massages, in
fact, one of the
ahmt threads has a bet going with an 80 minute massage as
the payoff.

What is the deal with these short hours? I don't tell my
clients that I have an hour and a half slot and then work
on them for an hour and 20 minutes!

The 50 minute massage or 80 minute massage could have come
about due to spa's and the heavy volume of clients they see
in a day. Typically a therapist working at a busy spa/resort
will only have 10 minutes between clients. Spa's shorten the
time from 60 to 50 minutes in order to book more
appointments. Yeah, its all about money.

Quoted message said:

Is there some reason this industry thinks in terms of 50
minute hours and 80 minute hour and a halfs?

Of all the places I go for massage, only the expensive spa's
work on the
50/80 minute massage. I would say the majority of us work
the whole hour. I know I do, unless (and this is
clarified right off the bat) the client is late. Ah but
that is another thread.

Quoted message said:

Is it slavery to the clock in terms of starting on the
hour or on the half hour?

I think it is easier to schedule that way.......I do that
but I also schedule my appointments 30 minutes apart incase
I need to do a little extra work on a client, in case they
are a little late and so they can actually lie there a
minute or two before getting up. I also do the full 60
minutes (or 90).

Quoted message said:

And when you tell your client, after their massage, to
relax and take their time getting up and ready, what do
you really mean by that? How much time relaxing and
getting off the table is too much time?

I mean exactly that. But clients will say they know I have
other clients after them so they don't want to hold me up.
That is a nice consideration. I tell them though, that is
why I schedule the extra time in between. I might be
conservative with my time but as a MT I think 5 minutes is
sufficient. 5 minutes to lie there and enjoy, then slowly
arise to slowly get dressed.

Ah, but look at those times you mention. In this workaday
world, the ones that need a relaxation massage the most are
also the ones that work a 60 hour week, never take a
vacation day, skip lunch, etc. So then you set your times to
exclude them. How about Saturday or Sunday hours? That
causes you to slip right into their frantic slot, and
potentially need a massage more than they do. Massage
practice can be a very draining process if you let it. When
I was doing it professionally, there were people that seemed
to think they owned me, and I'm sure there are others that
have had the same experience. One of my clients, on the
other side of town, had gotten an injury while playing
tennis, and needed to be "okay" the next day. Even telling
her that it would be 2 dollars a minute from the time I left
home till the time I got back didn't dissuade her. What are
you gonna do? You go. I did, anyway. And seriously
considered the path my professional life was taking.
Nowadays, those pressures don't exist for me, because I have
an 8-4 job, and massage is more of a hobby. But take it from
someone that's walked the path you're on, decide what's
important in your personal life, and make your professional
life match it.

Mj Hess <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]... You have
certain hours

Quoted message said:

available to offer the public your services. Generally
speaking we're looking at day time hours, 9a-5p. Perhaps
even going beyond that into the early evening and perhaps
starting a smidge earlier.

Thanks Michael. :-)

Sound advice. I hear you.. Mj "Michael Baugh"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ah, but look at those times you mention. In this workaday
world, the ones that need a relaxation massage the most
are also the ones that work a 60 hour week, never take a
vacation day, skip lunch, etc. So then you set

your

Quoted message said:

times to exclude them. How about Saturday or Sunday hours?
That causes you to slip right into their frantic slot, and
potentially need a massage more than they do. Massage
practice can be a very draining process if you let it.
When I was doing it professionally, there were people that
seemed to think they owned me, and I'm sure there are
others that have had the same experience. One

of

Quoted message said:

my clients, on the other side of town, had gotten an
injury while playing tennis, and needed to be "okay" the
next day. Even telling her that it

would

Quoted message said:

be 2 dollars a minute from the time I left home till the
time I got back didn't dissuade her. What are you gonna
do? You go. I did, anyway. And seriously considered the
path my professional life was taking. Nowadays, those
pressures don't exist for me, because I have an 8-4 job,

and

Quoted message said:

massage is more of a hobby. But take it from someone
that's walked the

path

Quoted message said:

you're on, decide what's important in your personal life,
and make your professional life match it.

Mj Hess <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]... You have
certain hours

Quoted message said:

available to offer the public your services. Generally
speaking we're looking at day time hours, 9a-5p. Perhaps
even going beyond that into

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

early evening and perhaps starting a smidge earlier.

In article
<[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

There is frequently reference to 80 minute massages, in
fact, one of the
ahmt threads has a bet going with an 80 minute massage as
the payoff.

What is the deal with these short hours? I don't tell my
clients that I have an hour and a half slot and then work
on them for an hour and 20 minutes!

The other 10 minutes probably cover "prep" time. Before you
arrive, the sheets have to be changed and stuff. And after
you're done, there's always a few minutes spent settling the
bill and maybe booking another appointment.

I don't do that, by the way. The 60 or 90 minutes is actual
hands-on time. I always put appointments at the top or
bottom of the hour. That means fewer available slots per
day, but I make up for that by charging more.

Quoted message said:

Is there some reason this industry thinks in terms of 50
minute hours and 80 minute hour and a halfs?

I've seen similar arrangement in other schedule-based
businesses.

Quoted message said:

And when you tell your client, after their massage, to
relax and take their time getting up and ready, what do
you really mean by that?

"Please be gone at least a few minutes before my next
appointment starts." That usually means at least 15 minutes.

I worked as a masseur for 20 years averaging 30-45 min
massages. I was very effective and not rushed. When I was
trained, we were trained in a series of routines all
designed to produce results fairly quickly and without
rushing clients. The extended massages employed nowadays
dont seem to be anymore effective.

"Tom" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There is frequently reference to 80 minute massages, in
fact, one of the
ahmt threads has a bet going with an 80 minute massage as
the payoff.

What is the deal with these short hours? I don't tell my
clients that I have an hour and a half slot and then work
on them for an hour and 20 minutes!

Is there some reason this industry thinks in terms of 50
minute hours and 80 minute hour and a halfs?

Is it slavery to the clock in terms of starting on the
hour or on the half hour?

And when you tell your client, after their massage, to
relax and take their time getting up and ready, what do
you really mean by that? How much time relaxing and
getting off the table is too much time?

Tom

In article
<[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

There is frequently reference to 80 minute massages, in
fact, one of the
ahmt threads has a bet going with an 80 minute massage as
the payoff.

What is the deal with these short hours?

The massage really lasts 60 or 90 minutes, but I always
announce "the end" about ten minutes early as a cue for
client to request a happy ending.

YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lmao!
"jen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article
<[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

There is frequently reference to 80 minute massages, in
fact, one of the
ahmt threads has a bet going with an 80 minute massage as
the payoff.

What is the deal with these short hours?

The massage really lasts 60 or 90 minutes, but I always
announce "the end" about ten minutes early as a cue for
client to request a happy ending.

lol
"mossrite" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lmao! "jen"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article
<[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

There is frequently reference to 80 minute massages,
in fact, one of

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

ahmt threads has a bet going with an 80 minute
massage as the

payoff.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What is the deal with these short hours?

The massage really lasts 60 or 90 minutes, but I always
announce "the end" about ten minutes early as a cue for
client to request a happy ending.

Tom said:

There is frequently reference to 80 minute massages, in
fact, one of the ahmt threads has a bet going with an 80
minute massage as the payoff.

What is the deal with these short hours? I don't tell my
clients that I have an hour and a half slot and then work
on them for an hour and 20 minutes!

Good for you. Private practice, I take it. When I do massage
out of my home, or corporate chair massage, I don't cut
things short, albeit for different reasons.

Quoted message said:

Is there some reason this industry thinks in terms of 50
minute hours and 80 minute hour and a half's?

Yes.

Quoted message said:

Is it slavery to the clock in terms of starting on the
hour or on the half hour?

Yes.

Well, logistics is tight in a spa environment, you know?
Dozens of rooms, dozens of therapists, hundreds of clients a
day... easier to schedule on the hour and half-hour.

Quoted message said:

And when you tell your client, after their massage, to
relax and take their time getting up and ready, what do
you really mean by that? How much time relaxing and
getting off the table is too much time?

One minute.

Just kidding. But five minutes makes getting the room ready
for the next client on time really tight.

Mj Hess said:

Say you were wanting to build up a practice. You need to
fill your appointment book. (Yes, it takes time. I realize
because I've been self-employed for 22 yrs now in another
business) You have certain hours available to offer the
public your services. Generally speaking we're looking at
day time hours, 9a-5p. Perhaps even going beyond that into
the early evening and perhaps starting a smidge earlier.

Factored into all of this are the following: You charge by
the hour, changing sheets, prepping room, taking care of
the appointment book, and any paperwork in between
clients, and additional normal costs of running the
business.

If you're running a private practice, yes. In a spa
environment - the 80 and 50 minute massages aforementioned -
you change the sheets, but someone else cleans the room,
washes and dries and folds the sheets, takes care of the
appointment book, keeps supplies in stock, does the
paperwork, et cetera. So ten minutes is reasonable, since
you only have to strip and redress the table, maybe refill
your oil bottle.

Quoted message said:

Question: As a business person, wouldn't you need to
define how much time you could allot for "relaxation and
getting ready" after an appointment, in order that your
next client could count on their appointment time starting
at a particular time?

Yes. Half an hour is a more reasonable minimum for single-
practitioner table massage practice. For corporate (meaning
outcall to a busy office) chair, heck, doing a 12-13 minute
massage every 15 minutes is easy.

Quoted message said:

Because they also have things in their life before and
after their massage appointment.

Much more of a concern for table than chair, of course, but
yeah; sometimes they even need a shower before they get on
the table.

Quoted message said:

Some things have to be defined and clearly cut in order to
run a business and keep it in the black. What are your
time frames like?

For private table I prefer a half hour free between
appointments, minimum.

Quoted message said:

What is the set up like where you are working? Do
you lease your own office? Or do you share it with
anyone else?

At the spa, described above. At home, well, a home studio,
shared with my SO RMT.

Quoted message said:

So, you give them time. Realizing that some people have
fallen back asleep on my table when I've left them there,

Turn the music up a little before you leave the room.

Tiffany said:

"Tom" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There is frequently reference to 80 minute massages, in
fact, one of the ahmt threads has a bet going with an 80
minute massage as the payoff.

What is the deal with these short hours? I don't tell my
clients that I have an hour and a half slot and then work
on them for an hour and 20 minutes!

The 50 minute massage or 80 minute massage could have come
about due to spa's and the heavy volume of clients they
see in a day. Typically a therapist working at a busy
spa/resort will only have 10 minutes between clients.
Spa's shorten the time from 60 to 50 minutes in order to
book more appointments. Yeah, its all about money.

One alternative I heard about was 60, 75, and 90 minute
massages, booking on the quarter hour, with fifteen minutes
between massages. Kinda leisurely for spa work, but it
sounds nice.

Semonifors said:

I worked as a masseur for 20 years averaging 30-45 min
massages. I was very effective and not rushed. When I was
trained, we were trained in a series of routines all
designed to produce results fairly quickly and without
rushing clients. The extended massages employed nowadays
don't seem to be anymore effective.

Nice! Sounds wonderful. I am intrigued by your ideas and
would like to subscribe to your newsletter. ;-)