Hi all,
I have recently relocated from Australia where I have had my own massage business for 8 years.
My question: How much can I charge in London for massage (both mobile and at a my home)?
I am very experienced, have a diploma of Remedial massage, and a lovely, comfy Oakworks table.
Don't want to sell myself short, but at the same time, still need to get enough work to pay the rent!
Any input appreciated.
Cheers, cat
It depends on the area. Obviously you can get quite a bit more in Central London than in the suburbs.
The best thing would be to test the market. Pick up price lists from local clinics and call a few (in the guise of a potential customer) to ask their costs.
I used to live in West London, from memory I think charges really do vary... the cheapest charges seem to be about £35 - £40 for 1 hour massage, but I have seen some more upmarket spas and clinics who charge up to £80 for one hour massage, so I guess it really depends on what clientele you are targeting!
I think it also worth making the point that not only are the suburbs likely to be cheaper than Central London, but that some suburbs are likely to be much cheaper than others. There was a recent survey which purported to show the average income for each Parliamentary constituency. For example, the average income in Kensington & Chelsea was over £50,000 pa, whereas the average income in Croydon North was only £18,800 pa. I would expect that therapists working in Kensington & Chelsea would charge more than therapists working in Croydon North.
I work in Croydon as a sports massage therapist and have recently increased my prices to charge £35 for a massage: I have done occasional ‘therapy swaps’ with two other therapists who charge the same. Incidentally four years ago there were a couple of very good local therapists who charged only £25, but one has now increased to £35 and the other has moved out of the area.
It might also be worth pointing out that therapists who work from clinics in London (particularly Central London) are likely to have to pay quite a lot of room rent, so that a therapist who works from home should be able to undercut them. Conversely, anyone who works as a mobile therapist will probably have to charge significantly more, because the traffic in most parts of London is so bad that you will have to allow a lot of time for travelling between appointments.
Alan
I pay £40 for a full body aromatherapy massage which takes one and a half hours. This went up recently from £35 and takes place in a salon (hair and beauty) in Finsbury Park, North London. (Finsbury Park is by no means an affluent suburb!)
xxx
i charge £50 for an hour and that seems pretty reasonable in my area (kingston) and i have quite a few people telling me that it is quite cheap!
I charge £45 working from home and £60 mobile for massage - depending how far away it is and the time you take to get there and back. Some charge more than this. I have heard of £80-£90 per massage, that was from a very highly rated masseur.
As said before it does depend on where you work and how much you value yourself and the treatment you give.
Binah
x
I had a client last week who said he chose me because I was the nearest - and the cheapest! Not sure if that means I am competitively priced, or too cheap...
thanks very much for the advice, everyone. Keep it coming if you have anything else to add.
cheers, cat
an update...I booked my first mobile client in today. I quoted £80/£110 for an hour/90mins. She didn't turn a hair and paid in advance for 90 mins. (I'm also teaching her yoga). I'm charging £65/95 for mobiles if they have their own table, or if I am already at their house and it's the second client within the same trip. £45/65 from my house in E5.
I think the real killer is the tube travel...
Thanks everyone for your input.
Cat
an update...I booked my first mobile client in today. I quoted £80/£110 for an hour/90mins. She didn't turn a hair and paid in advance for 90 mins. (I'm also teaching her yoga). I'm charging £65/95 for mobiles if they have their own table, or if I am already at their house and it's the second client within the same trip. £45/65 from my house in E5.
I think the real killer is the tube travel...
Thanks everyone for your input.
Cat
Congratulations and well done on getting your first mobile client. Your client probably appreaciates the fact that you go to her. You are a braver person than me for carting your couch on public transport. I don't do mobile work but if I did I would charge similar prices to you. It has to be financially worth my while to step out of my house with my massage couch. I did a home visit for a friend and charged her £55 which was mates rates plus cab fare - I couldn't face getting on a bus or train with all my equipment. I charge a similar rate to you for working from home.
Hello!
Wishing you blessed 2017!
I'm wondering how much have the prices changed as I've moved to London and started my own small mobile business recently and there is the question: How much to charge?
I started on £ 30/45 mins, but lots of people said to me for that service it's too low. A friend of mine told me to charge £1/ 1minute which sounds quite right. Does anybody have an experience with that? (in general, I'm aware of the "location" thing). I know that too low prices might sound a bit cheap (my costumers told me).
Also I'm wondering how much to charge for travel costs (as now I mostly massage in my area where's no need to travel). One dedicated client though lives a bit faraway and I told him the price doesn't include travel costs, and that he needs to pay for it - taxi or pick me up! It worked with him perfectly. But then the prices would need to go even higher, so another question - can I take my massage table on the bus for free?
Thank you very much and be sure 2017 would be better than 2016!
Thanks
V.
Veem - have you googled massage therapists in your area to check their fees? Also, if you are still visiting the one client who is a 'bit faraway', then of course you must charge him more - calculate your time, and then add the return journey cost. You should be able to take your couch on the bus, as long as it fits in the luggage compartment or will fit where baby buggies are stored.
Well things have moved on in London in many ways, but actually pricing has pretty much stayed the same!
When we launched in 2009 in central London, we used to charge £50 for a 1 hour massage (any treatment style from classic Swedish massage to more intensive deep tissue or sports therapies). We discounted the hourly price slightly for the most popular booking duration of 90 minutes to be £65 rather than the £75 but only offered it to customers who book a massage online using a special discount code (TMR33).
Today, 10 years later .... as we said many things have changed, but our pricing remains the same! And that's pretty much the standard.
Kate
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