How much does a massage therapist get for one massage?

Answer 1

In terms of money: anywhere from nothing to hundreds, or even up to thousands of dollars. Apart from the money, they get the priceless satisfaction that only comes from helping another human being, and in some cases animals. Such an easy question but the amount charged is really based upon a multitude of factors. Such as: 1- Is the massage private (in your home) or at a spa? 2- What kind or type of massage? 3- The length of time worked on the client? 4- The current market and economy? 5- What part of the world or area does the massage take place? Start with #1. Is the massage private (in your home) or at a spa? Lengthy answer... Massage therapists working privately have a tendency to charge more than if you were to go to them. This would be due to travel time, distance traveled and set-up/break-down time of the table, etc. If you have the option of going to the therapist, then you might save some money since you are doing the traveling. The downside to that is that once you are done with the massage you need to get into a car (most likely) vs. getting off of the table, paying the therapist and already being in the comfort of your home. I charge between $75-115/hour depending upon where the massage takes place. If it is at a spa the spa will charge you and pay the therapist later. Based upon my experience, most therapists working for spas or Chiropractors get very little of what is actually charged. For example, a spa might charge $110 for a 50 minute massage but the therapist will only get a small percentage of the fee. Many spas in the South Beach are of Miami, FL will only provide 25% of the amount paid and if the therapists are lucky they will get all of the tip/gratuity added to their pay. Some spas will add a 10-20% gratuity to the client and only pay part of that to the massage therapist. A spa at a famous gym called Equinox, has an interesting pay schedule (unless it has changed from 2008). They pay the better of either their hourly wage for a 2 week period or they pay them their commission during that same time period. They DO NOT get both hourly wages plus commission, only one or the other. So what happens is a therapist might be scheduled for 80 hours in a 2 week period at $7-8/hour. Let's say it is $8/hr and make Equinox look good. That would mean they can make $320 in a 40 hour pay period or better. But in order to make better than $640 they need to do a whole lot of massages. Equinox therapists will earn approx. $30 for a massage and gratuity (if the client pays it). So that means if a massage therapist gets in 21 massages ($630) in a 2 week time period, their pay is going to be the better of massages vs. hourly ($640). So basically, the therapist worked for 80 hours making only $8/hr and Equinox charged around $2310 for the 21 massages. #2- What kind or type of massage? Therapists MIGHT charge more for different modalities used to treat a client. For example, if only Swedish massage is utilized vs. Deep Tissue or Hot Stone Therapy, you may be charged less for only Swedish massage. This is due to the complexity and amount of energy that is used in the various types of massage. #3- The length of time worked on the client? Some places charge for a 50 minute hour or a 60 minute massage. Or 80 minutes vs. 90 minutes. This all depends upon the spa or therapist and it varies upon location. The idea is that time is money. A 50 minute massage is designed with the idea that it requires you 2 minutes to disrobe and get comfortable on the table and 8 minutes for you to get off the table and get dressed which leaves the massage therapist a few minutes to change the sheets for the next client. #4- The current market and economy? How much massage competition is there in the area? The economy these days can dictate a lot. In hard times you will find better deals than if money is flowing like it did in the early 2000s. In Florida, there are over 9000 Licensed Massage Therapists. So, competition is quite strong in this state. #5- What part of the world or area does the massage take place? In Thailand you can get an hour massage for under $20. Here in the USA $20 might get you a 20 minute chair massage. If you live in a big city like New York City you will probably pay more than if you live in North Dakota. Hopefully this will answer your question.