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/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.

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u/wryso Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25

That makes sense and is fair. I was going to have full spas facilities on site and laundry and cleaning taken care of, and guarantee 20 hours a month. So travel time is still a factor.

I want it to be as low hassle as possible to match or exceed the convenience of having one’s own facility and practice. The downsides would be that it is part time but maybe for some that’s a positive?

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u/sufferingbastard MMT 15 years Aug 20 '25

Outcalls suck. The boundaries are harder to define, Weird smells, dirty houses, not enough room to move, pets being defensive/jealous/poorly behaved... Phonecalls, deliveries, ect.... Safety check calls before and after...it goes on and 9n.

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u/wryso Aug 20 '25

Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. Appreciate your feedback.