05/06/2026
A gentle reminder from your local massage therapist 💛 I know other independent massage therapist that will feel this. ☺️
When you book a 60 or 90 minute session, you’re not just paying for “time on the table.” You’re supporting years of training, continuing education, physical labor, emotional energy, and the many behind-the-scenes expenses that help create a safe and healing experience.
Many people see a $150 massage session and assume the therapist takes home most of that. In reality, there are often significant costs involved, including:
✨ Room rent or studio overhead
✨ Professional licensing & insurance
✨ Massage oils, creams, hot towels, aromatherapy, and supplies
✨ Laundry detergent, linens, blankets, and constant washing/drying
✨ Scheduling software & payment processing fees
✨ Continuing education and certifications
✨ Self-care for our own bodies so we can continue helping others
Massage therapy is physically demanding work. A 90-minute session can mean hours of preparation, cleanup, laundry, charting, and recovery afterward.
Sometimes people compare independently owned massage practices to large chain facilities — but they operate very differently. Large corporations often have multiple therapists, memberships, higher client volume, and large-scale business models that allow them to offer lower pricing.
Independent therapists are usually running every part of the business ourselves:
Scheduling, laundry, supplies, cleaning, marketing, bookkeeping, continuing education, and client care — all while personally providing the session too.
Most therapists truly do this work because we care deeply about helping people heal, relax, and reconnect with themselves. We simply also have to make a sustainable living while doing it. 💛
So when you support a small massage practice, please know you are supporting a real human being pouring energy, heart, and care into every session.
We appreciate you more than you know. 🙏 ❤️
