Private Massage Practice- Home based offices, pros and cons.
My home treatment room.
Three to four days a week I make the long commute down the 13 stairs of my home, to go to work in my home-based massage clinic. If I’m too tired, this can be a dangerous commute as sometimes my big fuzzy slippers catch on the carpeted stairs, but for the most part not to much effort requires me to get to work on time. I am the proud owner of my own private massage practice. Personally, I love having an in-home clinic. This is due to the fact that I’ve tried other things and found this to be the best option for me. There certainly is advantages and disadvantages to this choice.
If you are trying to figure out how and where to start your massage business, you are in the same boat as many other massage therapists just starting out or moving locations. This can be daunting task and can make you question your sanity, but having control over your own schedule and life is well worth the decision making process. Your options are truly endless when you get an excellent education. You can work at hospitals, chiropractor’s offices, cruise ships, spas, rehabilitation centers and home along with many more places. If your choice is to do a home office, here are some things to consider:
The Pros:
Money: You can keep more of the money you make. You do not have to pay rent to another entity. You spend less money on driving and commuting to another office. Keeping your overhead expenses down allows you to keep you fees reasonable which can be a big concern for your clients. Everybody wins.
Time: Yes there is the commute thing again. However, no matter how hard we try to have everyone there for their appointments…life happens, and occasionally you have the “missed appointment” this can be quite annoying. Unless it’s the last one of the day, that’s much less annoying 
. If you are at home this is a minor inconvenience for the most part, there is always dinner to be made, laundry to be folded, weeds to be pulled, dog poop to be scooped, walks to be taken, exercise to be suffered though, favorite shows to be caught up on, closets to be organized, walls to be painted, bathrooms to be scrubbed, but most importantly of all naps to be taken. So at least you can be productive in some sense of the word.
Taxes: You can write off many home expenses such as water, electricity, rent, home owners fees and a percentage of the interest on your mortgage to name a few. Also everything directly related to your office space furniture, pictures, upgrades in the space.
Personal taste: Your office area can be whatever design you can imagine. Choose your colors, theme, ambience, lighting, temperature, use candles, surround sound, fountains, hardwood floors, carpets etc. etc. etc. Make it your own amazing space – no need to clear it with anyone. Just dream it up and do it. Love your space and your clients will love it too.
The Inevitable Cons:
The ” Creep” Factor: It is your home and you are inviting people into it. If you take new clients randomly, you have to be prepared for the occasionally “creep” that you wish didn’t know where you lived. This can be avoided for the most part if you only take new clients on personal recommendations, but that is not always possible. For me this is a hard fast rule, I only take new clients if someone already knows and recommends them. If in doubt, meet at a public place to discuss your massage techniques and whether or not the client would be a good fit for your practice. I offered this one time and the person never called back, GOOD!
“Super Clean Bleach” House Factor: If you’re a messy person by nature this option is not a good fit you. You do have to keep your common areas clean for you and your clients. If you have pets, you have to work even harder. Clients may have allergies and your dog may love to sleep on your massage table. Door handles and railings need to be wiped down regularly, you don’t want to be the cause of all your clients coming down with swine flu.
Pets Again: If your dog barks spontaneously (like mine) or when the UPS guy drives by he breaks into a full blown frenzy you have to train them, so they don’t disturb your clients relaxation. Nothing like an abrupt bark to send a relaxed client through the roof. I have apologized for this more times then I can count. (Not now though, I have a training collar.)
Your Space: Having a home office means people walking through your space touching your things and sitting on your couches. So if possible a well designed office would have a separate area possibly a separate entrance and bathroom too. This is not always possible, so it can be tough to keep things separate and professional. You can only write off space exclusively used for massage so at least one room has to designated for this use and this only.
Final Thoughts: Check into your insurance wherever your office is – always protect yourself against slips and falls, malpractice, damage to property, and more. Home owners or renters insurance in addition to your malpractice is vital. My AMTA policy covers almost everything and I love it. My homeowners covers the rest, check your policy to see. Consider if you have any disabled clients, or ones with broken legs your home may not be accessable for them, is your treatment room on the main floor?
So if I have convinced you to have your home-practice up and running here are a few hints to help you along the way. Keep it professional, it may be home and I may wear my fuzzy slippers down to my office but I wear my work shoes in my office. Just because you can wear your sweats at home, don’t! Keep your animals out of the treatment room. I actually have clients that switched to me because their therapist didn’t kick out the animal.The pet’s presence was more important to the therapist then the clients comfort. Cat hair in the face cradle, nasty. Keep your space separate, even foldable room dividers help. I actually bought a different house to make this possible. Plus, now I don’t have to bleach my whole house 3 days a week.
Tags: Private Practice
Jessica
