Massage

[sunshine_tanning]

I am looking for something to get revenue in the off season. does anyone know anything about having massage in the salon I would like to have some feed back.... is that a good ancillary service to have to help with the revenue in the off season .please advise .phillip

[SUNTRAP]

We have only been open for 6 months now, and like yourself, worried a little when the quiet season began. Our shop is a good size, and having qualified as a beauty therapist a while ago, we decided to offer alternative treatments to bring in a little extra money. this has prooved very popular in bringing extra income when the beds have died off a little. We just offer simple treatments like back, shoulder massage, eyelash/eyebrow tinting, & waxing. We have also rented out a little space for our nail lady to use which also helps.

Good luck with this - let me know if I can offfer any more advice to help.

[ramcat]

I've looked into getting a massage therapist and/or an esthetician into my salon to add another service and to cover the "slow" season. The problems I have come across is 1) the cost of the equipment: This can range up into $20,000 just for the basic face equipment; 2) finding a person who will either work for you for a % or has their own customers and will bring them into your salon; 3) finding someone with their own equipment; 4) additional licensing for these services.

In every case, it ended with up with trying to find someone with their own equipment that was willing to set up in my salon and just pay for the space/electric, etc. So far....NADA. They're out there, but they don't want to share.

[SUNTRAP]

Ramcat..sorry to hear that you have come accross all these problems - but couldn't you look at offering some 'basic' treatments? Over here, we have something called the 'Bargain Pages' and it has all sorts of sections in it for sale that are second hand. We have beauty section that some therapists put some of their beauty furniture/equipments in - most of which is in very good condition. Surely you may have some sort of pages that you could look through? As for the therapist, couldn't you look at the local colleges, put in an advert and hire a college leaver on a low wage? - I know that quite alot of places do this to save money...??

[itan]

I have two massage therapist in my salon and between the two of them they bring in about half of what I do in tanning over the course of the year not to mention all of the giftcard revenue they generate during holidays (mother's day, Father's Day, and Christmas). They are subcontractors so I do not have to worry about taking out any taxes etc. All you have to do is give them a 1099 at the end of the year. The arrangement I have with them is we split all massage revenue 50/50 in return they each have their own private room and we handle all of the scheduling. They also get the benefit of our Advertising expenditures which they could never afford on their own. If you have approx a 9x9 room that is not being used I would say put an ad in the paper for a lic massage therapist or call the local massage school and go for it. It is nice to do $200 in massage on a day When tanning is horrible during the off season.

[ramcat]

I have talked to the local college and the students just graduating want a place to go but they want you to foot the whole bill. If they leave, you are stuck looking for another therapist. In the mean time you have customers waiting or scheduled and have to send them away. Not the thing I want to do. I want a therapist that will be doing their own business. That way I know they will be here when the customer arrives.

[itan]

When you talk to the recent grad you need to be upfront and tell them they are building their own business in the salon and that it will be slow at first. It also has to be impressed upon them that the more they work the more they make and the better the job they do the faster their clientele will build. This is like everything else you have to choose people that fit in and are enthusiastic about your salon and what they are doing there. You have to impress upon them the image that you want your salon to portray to customers and if they don't seem to be able to grasp it or seem like they are not going to be able to sell it to customers don't put them in the salon. I also supply nothing for them. They bring their own table, oils, even their own liability insurance. If they don't like the deal don't let them in your salon. They have to want it heck they spent $10,000 plus to go to massage school if they are not motivated to show up for appointments then you made a mistake in personality judgement. I do admit that I have two therapists so when I have lost one I usually have one to fall back on. Nothing is easy, but for little to no added expense massage can be a great way to generate supplemental income in the off season.