How much commission does a massage therapist make in Philadelphia?
Friday, April 16th, 2010 at
2:21 pm
What’s the usual commission rate (50/50, 40/60 etc) for massage therapists working with spas in Philadelphia? How would the rates differ for beginners fresh out of massage school and for veterans with several years of experience?
Filed under: Alternative Medicine
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
It all depends on the place. Probably your best bet is to go around to some spas and ask them in person, don’t call. Find a place you are comfortable with because if you don’t, no amount of money will be enough if you aren’t happy in your environment. Believe me, I’ve had plenty of massages from therapists that weren’t happy at the salon or spa where they worked and it really made a difference in the quality of the massage they gave. I often felt more "keyed up" after one of those than relaxed and refreshed.
When I was fresh out of massage school, I was also looking for a job at a local spa. I was told that for $90 the client would get a 90-minute massage and I’d get $15-$20…after giving a NINETY MINUTE massage. I said "no thanks not interested".
After you get more experience and develop you own style of massage you can ask for more money or maybe even branch out on your own.
Good luck!
It all depends what type of business you intend on working for. Here in philly, most spas pay commission only with the norm at about 30%-40% for more experienced therapists. This percentage does drop to about 20% for new graduates. Usually, this rate will increase on your first anniversary depending on your job performance. In ac, the hotel spas pay more, usually about 50%. But most places in jersey require that you are either nationally certified or state certified. pa doesn’t have any work requirements.
If you work at the "discount" massage places like hand and stone and massage envy, they are at about 50% but their prices are lower thus meaning a lower pay per massage. but these places may be busier than a spa because they are inexpensive.
if you decide to work for a chiropractors office you are paid per 30 min massage, the average being $13/massage. You may be busier here as well because of the number of clients, but most likely you will not get tips.
then of course, you can always bypass the whole commission issue and work for yourself. the average rate for an at-home therapist is about $60-$70 for a 50 minute swedish.
hope this helps!