5 Business Tips from a Mobile Massage Therapist

The beauty and wellness industry is always changing and evolving. To help professionals keep up with the demand for on-site wellness providers, we spoke with a Booksy Ambassador who has years of experience showcasing her skills on the road as a mobile massage therapist.

Samantha “Sam” Jeanine has been working in the wellness industry for almost seven years. Despite the success that she experienced while working in a spa, a few years ago, she decided to start her own business as a mobile massage therapist to bring her services directly to clients.

Sam says her regulars “love” the convenience. Her Los Angeles, California based business is 100% mobile. And that means she’s on the go seven days a week, specializing in Swedish and deep tissue massages. She also performs lymphatic drainage and stretching services. 

Making these kinds of strides and achieving this level of success as a mobile massage therapy service provider takes a host of qualities. Most noticeably, professionals have to know how to navigate through a unique set of obstacles and challenges. 

Learn how to overcome some of those hurdles from this business savvy professional. Because once Sam was able to overcome the challenges of offering on-site services as a mobile massage therapist, she experienced a host of benefits. Listen to her advice, especially during this time—since industry experts say the demand for mobile services is higher than ever before.

Take Advantage of Client Referrals 

The first piece of advice that Sam offered to industry professionals is to take full advantage of referrals. By creating a referral system with other professionals, it’s possible to meet an entirely different demographic of clients. And that list of new clientele can keep growing, she said.

Sam uses a network of health professionals, who treat patients that also need wellness services. And she in turn provides referrals to these same health professionals, when clients have questions about who they can turn to for top of the line medical treatments and care.

Part of the reason that working with other professionals is so beneficial is that it lets Sam meet a host of new clients. But it also lets her weed out clients who have difficult personalities and may bring more mental and emotional stress to the appointment than necessary. 

“There's some very difficult people out there, some very difficult clients. You don't know who you're going to get when a new client books an appointment. So, when I get those referrals, I know that I’m getting a genuine person who’s ready to enjoy my services,” she said.

Engage Clients via Social Media 

Mastering social media is a tough task for any beauty professional. But Sam said it’s especially challenging as a mobile massage therapist. And that’s because Sam spends so much of her time traveling to and from appointments. It can be difficult to always upload engaging content.

Sam likes to spend the bulk of her social media marketing time uploading quality images. She makes a conscious effort to publish each image with a quote that resonates with loyal clients. Her end goal is to publish content that reaches people and keeps customers engaged.

“I like sharing content that can connect to people in different ways. So, when I use images with quotes, I always ask myself ‘what am I trying to say?’ Because I want my content to be shared throughout the internet. And I want to touch everyone with what I do,” Sam said. 

Since it’s so important to encourage loyal clients to use social media, Sam gives clients discounts on their next service, if they publish an image of her work, share a positive review on social media, or repost some of the content that she publishes on her Instagram profile. 

“People love this approach. And so a lot of my clients will share my Instagram posts onto their pages. This also helps me get more traction on Instagram. New clients will reach out and say ‘hey, I saw your post on my friend’s page, and I loved it,’’' Sam said. She added that connecting with loyal clients is another way to earn a host of indirect referrals, which is great for business.

Attract More Customers with Pop-Up Events 

Another marketing tool that Sam likes to use is pop-up events. Although most industry professionals can benefit from pop-up events, these are particularly useful for a mobile massage therapist, Sam said. Specifically, it helps Sam meet a lot of clients face to face, as she offers free hand and arm massage services, which can be performed in a short amount of time.

Sam said that it’s important to set a list of goals before creating any pop-up event. List and rank those goals long before meeting with people. Then decide how to best showcase your skills. And finally, have an idea of how many people you're comfortable serving and for how long.

When Sam creates pop-up massage chair events, she rents a vendor booth at a street market. Although she provides free services, she always has a tip jar to help with any costs. This strategy was particularly helpful, when she first started offering services as a mobile massage therapist, because it’s a great low-cost strategy to generate business, she said.

Most importantly, Sam said it’s necessary to make the most of that time by accepting business cards and following up with each of those potential clients. Sam recommends that industry professionals remember to send potential clients thank you messages and follow-up texts to connect with those future customers.

Utilize Continuing Education 

Continuing education courses is another big topic that Sam discussed at length. She recommends additional coursework to any and every mobile massage therapist or on-site service provider. Attending continuing education classes created specifically for massage therapists has helped her stay in touch with a number of industry developments. 

With regards to the wellness industry, stretching and lymphatic drainage are the two services in her field that recently required some additional education. But by staying on top of these more recent wellness trends, Sam has been able to better service her client base. She is preparing to add additional techniques and skill sets to her already comprehensive service menu. 

“Educational classes teach us how to stretch and keep clients flexible in different ways—keep the range of motion going, because it's kind of part of our service anyway. So, stretching is probably one of the biggest changes to the wellness industry, along with lymphatic drainage. Because a lot of women and women need lymphatic drainage after surgery,” Sam said. 

Medical professionals recommend lymphatic drainage after surgery to help their patients avoid a host of complications and difficulties. And attending continuing education classes helps Sam stay abreast of these kinds of developments, which are in very high demand, she said.

Master the Booksy Software 

The final piece of advice that Sam offered was for every mobile massage therapist to master using the Booksy software. In particular, she said the scheduling features are a must for any professional who is always taking appointments outside of a wellness center. 

The scheduling features help her juggle appointments with ease. But she is also able to cancel any appointment, if she feels uncomfortable traveling to the home or office of a new client.

Just as importantly as the scheduling features, Sam uses the Message Blast tool to contact all of her clients at once. She uses this feature on a monthly basis to promote packages. This marketing strategy helps to entice clients to book on the spot, after reading her promotion. 

For instance, Sam uses Message Blasts to promote a package of five to ten stretching sessions. Once a client buys a package, they usually work with her at least three times a week. And with regards to lymphatic drainage, some of her clients require treatments every few days. 

She adds that using Message Blasts for marketing purposes brings more income into her business. Additionally, she doesn’t have to work as hard to fill her schedule. Instead, it helps attract returning clients by encouraging them to continue booking appointments, she said.