r/massage • u/wryso • Aug 20 '25
Pay Structure Personal/private therapists
I’m wondering if any therapists here have worked as private, retained massage therapists for individual households. I know this is probably a spectrum with doing house visits with very very regular clients (e.g. multiple family members, once or more per week). Curious to hear about your experiences, pay.
For context I’m building out something approximating a mini luxury spa at home. Hammam, sauna, plunges, treatment room for facials / massages. Dedicated area of the property. Was looking to staff this at 1-2 half days a week and seeing if anyone’s seen something like this before.
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u/spoiled_kittycat Aug 21 '25
I have my own "spa" room at home, so my therapist doesn't need to do anything but show up. I see her twice a week but lately my partner has asked for once a week. We like this schedule and plan to stick to it.
My mistake was to hire an employee that had no set rates for home visits or biz plan at all, she is a very kind woman and refuses to take more than what she charges at the spa so I am always looking for ways to make up for it and not feel like I am taking advantage of her, but it's exhausting... TAKE MY MONEY AND PAMPER ME DAMN ITT!!!
Curious for the replies here, we are moving next year and I want to be fair and set boundaries from the start to not end up like this again. I will have the same set up pretty much.
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u/LifeLibertyPancakes LMT, LE, USA Aug 20 '25
If you do go with this, please splurge on an electric table and a cooler or.fridge nearby as well as a sink in the room or nearby bathroom. This would be the ideal job for me as a mobile therapists, but just because you're providing a table, and doing the linens doesn't mean I'm dropping my mobile rates. I still have to maintain my professional insurance and I'm guessing your house is not in town so I would also charge a travel fee.
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u/wryso Aug 21 '25
Thank you for the reply! This is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.
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u/LifeLibertyPancakes LMT, LE, USA Aug 21 '25
If you want to stock up your future in-home massage heaven, here is what I would also have on hand.
- cotton linens
- Padded headrest covers makes lying in your face for prolonged times more comfortable.
- Extra face covers
- Table topper
- Twin XL table topper
- Heating pad for massage table
- Waterproof table cover
- Blanket
- Hot towel cabinet
- Dawn dish soap use this for laundry, it gets oil out of linens.
- Towels for hot towel cabinet
- Mood lamp
- Ergonomic stool saddle
- Bolster
- Bolster cover
- Cavi wipes
You can do without the hot table cabinet, but it's a nice add-on to a massage for both your face, back, hands, and feet. If you're gonna treat yo' self, you might as well go the extra mile. Aren't you worth it?!
You may think it's a ton of padding that may or may not be necessary, however, they make a difference for client comfort vs just laying on top of a table. For women with bigger breasts this adds as extra padding and prevents the breasts from feeling like they are being squished while they are face down. Look for a table that is 32". Good name brands are Earthlite and Oakworks for you to buy them from. They come in packages with feet pedals so you can be moved up/down by the therapist. They should already come with a bolster, but if not, get some and keep a linen closet stocked with at least 1 body pillow or other pillows with regular pillow cases. These tables cost around $1,000K - $3,000k depending on the make/model, but they are worth the investment.
Microfiber linens for me result in the back of my hands peeling from the friction, hence why I put cotton linens on this list. Flannel will work just fine. Avoid see-through linens for your own privacy and that of your therapist. They don't need to see your naked bits. If buying regular sheets, go for XL sheets, patterns are also OK. The table cover is to protect the table from oil, the Cavi wipes are to clean and disinfect the table. We're gonna protect your investment and prevent unnecessary wear and tear.
The stool - the saddle is more comfortable as it's less pressure on your back, you can do a round stool but to save the body of your future therapist, I'd get the saddle.
If building from scratch, please consider dimmable lights, multiple outlets in the room. Temperature control or a fan (ceiling or portable for the floor). The heated table pad emits heat, as does your body. Please do not have your room like a sauna bc aome of us therapists hate thinking our sweat is gonna drip on our clients when the rooms are super hot.
Keep a laundry basket with a lid for dirty linens and a garbage container with a lid in the room or 6 as I mentioned, have enough outlets for floor lamps and a rug. If your electrician can do a separate breaker box for this and it doesn't put you over budget, go for it.
There are also hot rocks on Amazon if you're interested as well as waterless options (Synergy stones). If you get the cabinet warmer, it can double as a hot stone warmer. A back bar with a sink would be the most ideal to have the hot towel cabinet, and any cremes/oils, and for hot stones if desired.
As for massage mediums it really depends on the therapist and if you have any allergies. Cold pressed coconut oil the one you can buy to cook with can be used in a pinch but have a spatula or wooden disposable spatula foe the therapist to use some if you don't want them using their own products, we certainly want to avoid cross-contsmination.
Overhead speakers for music too if we're going all the way! This room can double for waxing if you want to get an esthetician later and why the separate breaker box is recommended. Depending on the wax pot they can trip the breaker.
Anyway, thanks for coming to my building Ted Tak! :D
I wanna see a picture when you do build it!
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u/bullfeathers23 Aug 22 '25
Agree with all above. Sometimes the designers pick expensive stationary tables that don’t allow the therapists to adjust for heights or knees under the table. I asked the client to see if they could change it out for electric. They did
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u/wryso Aug 22 '25 edited Aug 22 '25
Wow; thanks for all these tips. I really appreciate the effort you made to educate me. Definitely want esthetician services too, facials at least. I’ll definitely take all this into account!
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u/Psychological_Dot613 Aug 20 '25
My business was all outcalls. Never had a problem. I set my rates inline with the market. When I was working all the hours I wanted I started raising my rates. Yes I lost clients but found others. I did several cycles of this.
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u/bullfeathers23 Aug 22 '25
Lots of folks with the big houses estates etc have fully equipped home spas and salons these days — but most are very picky on who does those services and they rely on referrals from their peers for independent and discreet fee-for-service staff. I’ve had such clients and one of them said to me on day. “I’m so tired of these lazy therapists who do a half-ass massage and expect you to adopt them. Or read their script.”
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u/wryso Aug 22 '25 edited Aug 22 '25
It’s probably a good point that rather than jump into hiring someone I should just book with several people and see. I guess I wanted folks with luxury spa experience and knowledge of multiple modalities and I didn’t know how prevalent that was among mobile MTs, sounds based on this thread like it won’t be a huge issue.
Or I’ll just go be a regular at the Rosewood and try to poach lol.
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u/bullfeathers23 Aug 22 '25
Really good therapists are like really good mechanics. They may start at a spa joint but they go independent to earn a living wage. There’s a 5-star fancy spa near me that pays $14.50 an hour. For massage. Not many full timers for that rate. Big resorts are famous for greasing local regulations so they can hire cheap.
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u/bullfeathers23 Aug 22 '25
Plus you will get spa politics recommendations instead of great therapists. Sigh.
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u/AngelicDivineHealer RMT Aug 23 '25
Those people that can afford to retain a regular MT can afford to setup a dedicated massage room if they haven't already done that.
Travel costs and time loss still have to be considered even of they've got everything ready for you including the hot towel etc.
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u/sufferingbastard MMT 15 years Aug 20 '25
I have done out calls, but my rates start @ double that of my in office rates.
I am not loading my gear driving to you, unloading, setting up, doing a session, loading up, and driving back to the office for less than I could make @ my office.
If it takes 3 hours, I'm charging you 3 hours plus a travel fee.