Salary Estimate Needed

[reitakitty]

My husband are going through a legal separation , and I need a salary projection for earning potential. I actually start MT school in two weeks! I live in the Richmond, VA area. Most spas probably charge $60-75 hour massage. However, I know I need to take into account splitting earnings w/spa, insurance, advertising? Any guesstimates of what typical MT's would be helpful with my paperwork & potential needed amt for spousal support.

Thanks,
Barbara

 

[yogazen]

I'm sorry you are going through this.

Talk with your attorney. A salary projection won't help a whole lot right now. I showed what I was making at the time and it was figured from there what the spousal support should be. What was based on my future earnings projection was length of time I would need support. My attorney figured a year of school and then 5 years to build a practice. At that point I rather expected to work for someone else, but even in a spa, it takes time to build the clientele.

The laws here in WI say that I could have asked for and received support for the same amount of years that the marriage had lasted. I could have asked for 20 years. I preferred to get a life, and to cut ties as soon as possible, but as I had been a homeschooling mom and only worked part time for those 20 years, I had to be honest about my timeframe. The laws vary by state, but don't let your lawyer talk you into being too generous. But definitely do all you can for yourself - that elusive balance thing :roll: .

Again, I am sorry you are going through this. I wish you a sunshine and roses future! :wink:

 

[Greeen_Pixie]

Salaries

Unfortunately, until you are a successful therapist with a good clientelle, your salary will be low. Most spas only pay $20 - $25 per hour even though they charge upwards of $85 fo rthat same hour. You also have to put up with doing work the way they want it. Most spas don't give you the chance to do good work. Working in your own shop is best but you have a lot of expenses, and you have to know how to run a business. It takes 2 - 5 years to build a clientelle. If your only income is the business, you need additinal income to support you til the business supports itself.

I have had my business open for 2 1/2 years. I am still looking to have a year where I end above zero. If not for my wife's good salary, I would still be programming computers. It will happen, but it just takes time. And your salary is included in that process.

Good luck. Take care.

 

[ichthusfish]

I agree with Brian. I've been in business for nearly 2 yrs now and it is slow-going. Granted, I haven't marketed myself as much as I could have, nor have I paid for much advertising, but what the hey... If not for my hubby's modest-but-steady job, though, I would still be waiting tables to pay my way into a "Business Degree" or whatever. (Ugh--while I like business just fine, I could never STAND the idea of working for someone else, in the corporate world...ick! But I digress...)

I would work somewhere steady, even if the pay is a bit lower (and if you DO find a good spa, they CAN pay up to about $40/hr plus tips...but you often have to put up with their hassle and often they operate in the gray area of the law--for example, when it comes to IC versus W-2 status and other things). But the steady work will help you pay the bills, which is Priority #1 right now. Do, however, build your own clientele on the side, if you're interested in working for yourself. The pros of working for yourself are many: Freedom, control, not having to answer to anyone or abide by decisions made by anyone with their head up their @$$, more income despite lower volume, etc. There are cons, though: not everyone's cut out to be their own boss. All responsibilities fall on you. You also pay directly (and sometimes dearly) for your own mistakes or failed marketing strategies or whatever, which CAN add up if you're not careful. And, the income is often variable.

I've found that the main goal is not necessarily to generate a long list of clients, but to build a modest, higher-quality clientele of regulars who are reliable and schedule often, even if only monthly. Offer a maintenance plan, in which they receive some sort of financial deal when scheduling with a certain frequency (monthly or weekly or whatever); this will encourage regularity, versus the unreliable (and aggravating) "I'll just call when I need to come in" stance.

Just my ramblings
Good luck, & keep us posted!
~Jyoti

 

[Sumit B]

Not exactly...

The pros of working for yourself are many: Freedom, control, not having to answer to anyone or abide by decisions made by anyone with their head up their @$$, more income despite lower volume, etc.

These "pros" are also the biggest "cons" of being SE

Freedom - not really - clients call you when they want to and most people working for themselves end up obsession 24/7 over how to pay the rent, how to get more clients, etc, etc.

Control - over what? What you get by being SE is responsibility. You have only slightly more control over your ability to earn more, but now it is YOU telling a client "no, sorry, I am taking tomorrow off" and you dealing with No Shows and cancellations

Answering to #%@#@ - Those are called clients - just see the other threads about cancellations and other problems. They can also be the other MTs you hire/contract.

Higher Income - not really. You earn more per massage, but you don't necessarily have more income. Most SE therapists we have encountered make about the same as they did in a good spa job. They just see fewer clients. They may have more time on their hands, but not more income once they pay rent, their insurance, SE taxes, etc.

The Self Employed, High-Income Massage Therapist is one of the greatly romanticized characters of the last decade. It is HARD to be independent and more successful than working for someone else. And to list all those PROS and only one, vague CON strikes me as perpetuating the romantic stereotype. One of the greatest factors behind the high turnover in the industry (AMTA states the average massage career is 2 years!) is too many MTs have this romantic vision in their head, and the reality of a job and trying to fill this dream is so hard to reconcile they become dissatisfied with the profession.

 

[CatsDogsFrogs]

You make very good points, R&R

I guess what I was referring to when I mention control and/or freedom goes something like this...

Right now, I juggle two small practices, run vastly differently. One of them is by working for the school I used to go to as a renter/IC. I get to set my workdays and times. But I am relegated to their pricing, their measly 2-hour cancellation policy, their soft enforcement of no-shows, their acceptance of same-day male clients, etc. I can't screen most of the clients myself, because someone else makes the appointments. No problem, it's just that one of my pet peeves is when the school charges more for Deep Tissue than Swedish (both are kind of ridiculously low rates, but at least Deep is $10 more) and clients are given the option to choose and they choose Swedish, knowing full well they need Deep but they want to save the $10 and then tell the MT to go deep when they get into session. I really would have LOVED to screen the client (at least a meet & greet!) that signed up for an HOUR AND A HALF Swedish and then wanted me to do ONLY her upper back and neck! (Basically, her traps were rock-hard and she was getting headaches.) I mean, this should have at LEAST been a deep tissue, if not an NMT session (which is $10 more than Deep Tissue and thus $20 more than Swedish). How the front desk describes each different modality is irritating to me... What they say is, Swedish is regular massage, Deep Tissue "costs $10 more and goes a little slower with some more pressure" and they don't even mention any of the other modalities we offer like NMT, Hot Stone, or whatever. Now I've had school clients call me on my cell wanting to set something up at the school and I ask them what they hope to achieve from their session. When they mention they just want to relax, I recommend Swedish. When they mention any kind of pain or stiffness, I recommend Deep Tissue or NMT, depending on the specifics. Most ppl go "oooohhhh...I didn't know THAT." (Well duh--it's because the front desk isn't telling them! ANd it's NOT like we're so high-volume that the desk doesn't usually have time.)

OK, rant aside... In my own practice, I have the freedom to charge one rate, no matter what the work. I don't have to adhere to different prices for different work. I get to remove the burden from the client of having to decide what kind of work they want. I have the freedom to say I take cash only (no checks, due to the fact that many in our area write hot checks). I can enforce a 24-hour cancellation policy. I can schedule an extra hour for new clients (consultation, explanation of services, biomechanical assessment, getting to know them, explaining our incentives, etc.) I get to offer the client incentives for scheduling more frequently. I get to work in my own space that has been decorated the way I (and my clients) like it. I get to play the music THEY want to hear, use the essential oils THEY want to have used. I get to say that outcalls aren't available on Fridays. I can say I take my last appointment at 8pm. I can decide to work a half-day on Saturday. I cater to the clientele that view massage as preventive healthcare, as preventive medicine, as part of their overall wellness program. I do NOT cater to those who chronically decide to get a massage on whim and want it NOW. (There are those who do, and they can have those clients. I like my steady monthly and weekly regulars who make a commitment to their health and keep my schedule relatively steady, considering the nature of this business.)

Of COURSE many things depend on the client. There is a certain amount of control and freedom you give up, because you can't simply just take a month of vacation and expect to come back to a full clientele. If you can't be there when they need you, they'll find another therapist. But I CAN say "no, I'm not working that late" or "I take Sundays off" or simply "I have nothing available that day" or "my next available appointment is (x)".

Having worked in two wildly different settings now for nearly 2 years (not much in the grand scheme of things, but my experience has grown exponentially in those 2 years, with many thanks to this board) I still maintain my assertion that working for yourself DOES carry a certain amount of freedom and control, especially when compared to working for someone else, or (gasp!) a 9-5 desk job (shudders)...

So anyway, that's my thesis
Peace,
~Jyoti

 

[cathima]

Joyti, I could not have said it better!!

 

[Rahrah]

I had all these things I wanted to add, but I think Jyoti said it all! I have my own business, too. As for estimating potential income, I wouldnt even try. After 4 years I have a good idea how much I will make during what month. Looking back, I never would have tried to "guestimate". Thankfully, I never fell for the hype (the schools telling people how RICH they could get doing massage....) Your future income will depend on the quality of work you do, and how much effort you put into it. best of luck!

 

[Riff Raff]

R & R, I don't understand why you are so against the self-employed. Aren't YOU self employed? Are YOU obsessed 24/7 with how to pay the rent, get more clients, and make more than your competition? Why are you in business, if it is so awful?

 

[Vemsteele]

Salaries

A bit off topic, but

Most spas don't give you the chance to do good work.

No offense to anything I say below, I've never heard anyone say that before..

I work in a spa and it was one of the hardest jobs for me to get because of so many people that were interviewed.. with both the face to face interview and hands on interview.. you have to do a great job with massage at prestigious spas to even be considered for hire. So saying they don't give you the chance to do good work.. is just wierd to to hear..

And if the phrase was implying that you can't do wonderful structural work for the clients you see, I have to disagree again.. I have people that come back specifically for the work I do.. postural work is one my favorite kinds..

For me, I don't want a private practice.. I make too much money at that spa and don't have to go about the hussle & bussle of owning my own business.. I have the freedom to do my own style of massage, plus the benefits of having everything I need to do tons of different spa stuff.

Now granted, you could definitely receive a mediocre massage from basically anyone.. not just in a random spa.. but the super expensive spas.. they work hard to hire the right people.. so I guess I was just a little offended by you saying that statement..

 

[rodney c]

I think what Brian meant buy the "good work" comment is that many spas want their therapists to give massage a certain way to all clients (their way, aka the proverbial "cookie cutter" massage). I think part of the rationale there is so that clients can expect and receive consistency, and if all the therapists massage the "same" way, clients won't play favorites and ask to book with certain people. I have interviewed at several places that operated this way. IMO, it takes the personal touch and individuality out of the work. The 50 minute hour also limits what a therapist can accomplish during a session.

 

[lilbigd2010]

The 50 minute hour also limits what a therapist can accomplish during a session.

That is one downfall and trend that unfortunately every damn spa seems to be following.. but at least I tackle it with a determination to do as much as possible.. instead of just losing myself in massage, it really makes me truly focus.. so that's one thing I do like..