Massage Envy experiences...

anonymous anonmous in Freehold, New Jersey said: To Used & Abused MT,
You can get insurance through ABMP instead. It is adequate, in my opinion (AMTA offers the biggest coverage, but ABMP has a lot too).
While the professional agencies do some good, it mainly seems to be about the money. They should not forget the hand that feeds them, i.e. the massgae therapist. We resent companies like Massage Envy which denigrate the massage therapy field. AMTA should not back Massage Envy -- they should take the ethical role and tell them they have a conflict of interest. If asked what, they could tell them that they do not feel (I do not speak for AMTA) that Massage Envy pays ethically.

This is a good suggestion. They really do have a conflict of interest. Thanks.

My wife and I own the ME in Murfreesboro,TN. In reading this, I was obvouisly not happy about the reputation some ME owners have created. With that, I can say that these clinics are individually owned and each owner applies his or her own philosophy to the business. For us, we put principle over profits. We offer medical benefits (Cover TN), 401K (cancelled because no one wanted it), 50% paid CEU's, employees earn a free massage based on helping each other out between massages ect. We pay the servicing therapist just as we would if a customer was in. The therapist gets bonuses for every client that requests them and for every new member.

My wife was a therapist for years before she had to get a job in the manufacturing industry after hurting her wrist. We do care for our therapists. Most of our social circle is our therapists. We have 8 or our 9 original starting therapists and do not loose therapists. I have had talks about pay with our therapists that have been in the industry for 10+ years. No doubt, you can make more for yourself if you have the ambition and business savy. The therapists we have put value on the environment that she's created and the fact that everyday, they have clients. I calculate the $/hr (not $/massage)and it averages low 30's. Like I say, this doesn't blow your mind, but that's consistent whether its Monday morning or Saturday afternoon.

The point is twofold: 1) You should consider the spa/clinic where you are interviewing; no matter what the name on the door is. Catch a therapist leaving. Ask the owner manager if you can talk to the therapists. If they have something to hide, they'll say no. If they are really concerned with the therapist, they'll be happy to offer this.
2) Different people value characteristics of the workplace differently. Running your own business has risk/reward. Scrutinize the regularity of that promised $50/hr from salons as you would anything. Damn.....ran out of characters>>>>

Thank you, your advice is much appreciated.

For me personally, I would rather work on four people per week for 250$ versus 8 people for 130$. I put a lot into my massage sessions and to only get paid 15$ while the client is paying $40-70 does not sit well with me. I do feel, most clients, unless they are or know therapists, have no idea what small % of the cost the therapist truly gets.
That being said, I enjoy marketing, searching for good music, linens..creating the treatment room I excel in ect...yes, I am not very busy yet, I have a day job to keep my bills afloat, but in do time, I feel I will be able to work part-time and have enough clients to provide a nice income.
With a good home business, you really only need 10 regular clients per week. That is two massages a day, five days per week. I am a much happier therapist now, than when I was working in a Spa (making 9$ hr. 6-7 massages per day) or as an independent contractor (making 25$ per massage, avg. 2 per week, no pay for being on-call).....
I am young, and I know my body can not do 25-30 massages per week, so I have to make a decent amount per massage.

Monica in Westlake, Ohio said: Thank you, your advice is much appreciated.

For me personally, I would rather work on four people per week for 250$ versus 8 people for 130$. I put a lot into my massage sessions and to only get paid 15$ while the client is paying $40-70 does not sit well with me. I do feel, most clients, unless they are or know therapists, have no idea what small % of the cost the therapist truly gets.
That being said, I enjoy marketing, searching for good music, linens..creating the treatment room I excel in ect...yes, I am not very busy yet, I have a day job to keep my bills afloat, but in do time, I feel I will be able to work part-time and have enough clients to provide a nice income.
With a good home business, you really only need 10 regular clients per week. That is two massages a day, five days per week. I am a much happier therapist now, than when I was working in a Spa (making 9$ hr. 6-7 massages per day) or as an independent contractor (making 25$ per massage, avg. 2 per week, no pay for being on-call).....
I am young, and I know my body can not do 25-30 massages per week, so I have to make a decent amount per massage.

I would expect that most therapists would like to make $50 - $60 per session. If you can find a way to do it - you should.

Gray Neher in Castle Pines, Colorado said: I would expect that most therapists would like to make $50 - $60 per session. If you can find a way to do it - you should.

Thank you, thank you THANK YOU for giving Monica permission to make better money than Massage Envy is willing to offer. Again, your posts prove to be SOOOOOOOO helpful...

client said: Hi. I am glad I found this forum.

I have limited financial resources (otherwise I would go to a deluxe spa which includes many amenities far and above the actual massage), but if I feel any pressure whatsoever to tip in addition to paying a membership fee, then I simply will not join Massage Envy.

I am shocked and disappointed to learn that a membership-based entity would even permit you to accept tips, let alone encourage them

They encourage tips because they pay their employees so little. If their employees could not accept tips, they could not afford to work there. It is the industry standard to tip for massages. If you do not tip, I would advise you to not frequent the same place more than once. The therapists talk to each other, and you don't want the reputation of being a bad tipper or a tip stiffer - the quality of your massage will go down.

"client said: Hi. I am glad I found this forum.

I have limited financial resources (otherwise I would go to a deluxe spa which includes many amenities far and above the actual massage), but if I feel any pressure whatsoever to tip in addition to paying a membership fee, then I simply will not join Massage Envy.

I am shocked and disappointed to learn that a membership-based entity would even permit you to accept tips, let alone encourage them."

Client,
Please take your business elsewhere. As a therapist, I too have limited financial resources, and with people like you, they become more limited. So if you feel that you can not afford it, then don't do it.

When you go out to eat and stiff your waitress, they remember and they tell the other waitresses too. It's amazing how often the five second rule is used for bad tippers in restaurants. ;-o

And yes, ME's encourage tips to the point of the tip schedule being in on the front desk when you leave and some even have them in the rooms along with gratuity envelopes.

"I have limited financial resources (otherwise I would go to a deluxe spa which includes many amenities far and above the actual massage), but if I feel any pressure whatsoever to tip in addition to paying a membership fee, then I simply will not join Massage Envy.

I am shocked and disappointed to learn that a membership-based entity would even permit you to accept tips, let alone encourage them."

To the Client: I recommend you schedule with a therapist who has a home practice. You will pay about as much as Massage Envy and you will not be expected to tip.
Additionally, the benefit's of a home studio include:privacy, more time to discuss your needs, the massage is not rushed and you will not receive the standard 'cookie-cutter' massage.
A happier massage therapist= a better massage!

Insurance and massage just don't mix. I hear a lot of talk of massage becoming more mainstream and acceptable. This may not be all that great for the therapist or the ME owner.

See, insurance companies are out to make money, and they set the fee schedules for the services that are covered. I charge $60 for an hour of massage. If I want to accept insurance, the fee is $40 and hour. So I lose $20 an hour and I have to do paperwork, learn codes and submit it to the insurance company for payment. They pay in 30 to 90 days depending upon which insurance company you're a part of (you can accept more than one insurance).

For the ME owners out there, it would be cost prohibitive. You must treat the clients files as medical files, which they're not treated like right now. They must be in a separate secured room (Which treatment room are you willing to lose?)or in a lockable cabinet for a period of seven years (that includes inactive files). One of the front desk staff must be trained in medical coding and billing and submit the forms correctly (or your claim will be rejected) to the correct insurance company OR you can program Millennium to do this to keep it simple. Maybe submit the day's insurance claims at night when closing in a batch file. You won't be paid for at least 30 days after the service is performed. And it'll take more man hours to complete the forms. The medical records must be kept confidential and talk of a client's ailment must not be used to sell memberships. IE:
Therapist: Okay Jane, I'd like to see you back next week so I can treat that sciatica.
Front Desk: Let me tell you about our wellness program, did Confused tell to you about it? No, okay, for only ...... this will allow you to come back and get your sciatica treated next week for only ...
All HIPPA laws must be followed to the letter.

er... I think that's enough to get the picture.

Leann in Portland, Oregon said: Thank you, thank you THANK YOU for giving Monica permission to make better money than Massage Envy is willing to offer. Again, your posts prove to be SOOOOOOOO helpful...

~ Sarcasm is ugly & useless ~

monica in Cleveland, Ohio said: ~ Sarcasm is ugly & useless ~

You haven't been around this forum much to see how Gray works, have you? I agree, for everyone except that walking billboard for Massage Envy with nothing better to do than constantly post on this forum.

Ok....I did not know...Massage Envy advocate..argh

monica in Cleveland, Ohio said: Ok....I did not know...Massage Envy advocate..argh

It gets worse...much worse...Massage Envy OWNER! And he comes up with alternate identities that 'advocate' for ME, too. 'oilylady' on page 6 is a recent example.

ok crazy people....I am a massage therapist, not an owner of an ME. I just work at one. I am having a pleasant work experience and that's all. I am not logging in as another user name! you guys and your conspiracy theories!

Miss Kitty in Lincoln, California said: I work for them as Front Desk and my CA is a BI*CH to me. She makes me feel like a retard pretty much every day I am there. If I happen to make a mistake she doesnt even really correct me. I'm NOT stupid and I CAN do the job. If anything it is a reflection on her and how she trained me or LACK THERE OF. Its not hard to book a damn appt, but I guess it is. I am their little bi*ch and I feel like I have to kiss ass which i refuse to do cuz I barley even work there to begin with....Uggg.

Dont work for them...

I understand Your Frustration. I left Massage Envy today fuming. I don't like working for massage envy because I feel under payed and over worked. At the Spa I work at, I get payed 40% commission on all services I provide. So if I give a one hour swedish massage, I get payed about $26 an hour or about $30 an hour if it's a deep tissue massage. At MASSAGE ENVY, I get paid $15 an hour no matter how hard I work. Massage Envy works you into the ground because let's face it corporate america could not care less about the health and well being of their employees. What the schmucks care about is how much profit can be squeezed out of each employee. My CA asked me upon hire how many massages I can do in a row before I need a break. I said 4-6 generally, assuming I've gotten a good night's sleep and I've eaten a good meal. However at massage envy I'm lucky if I get my "break" because front desk personnel are encouraged, at least at my clinic, to badger therapists into "just one more" massage every hour. IF its not buy you can rest all you want but if that damn phone rings, the clinic MUST be accommodated. On Valentine's day, Our clinic was open an extra two hours. Every available therapist was on deck and if they dared to ask for a break they were laughed at and sent on their way into their rooms of torture for yet another massage. Some MT's did 9 DT in a row. The insanity must stop.

WOW....i was luck as a SA that I didnt work that day, one therapist called in sick so I'm not sure what happened. I totally understand what you say. I have wanted to get into Massage but w/ the econ I chose to put that on hold....but as working in the front for this company I am NEVER going to work for them again. I'm praying for the day when I can quite. I was working 2 days in a row w/ my CA and she didnt correct me once, I'm just waiting for her to correct me and I will go off on her. If I'm messing up tell me when I do the mistake not after the fact. Dumbass... Glad you got out and are making what YOU deserve. Massage is hard and its a workout for you. Hope it all works out!!

Eric in Toronto, Ontario said: I'm curious about people's experience with Massage Envy. I hear a lot of negative comments especially with regards their pay scale. Has any therapist found working at Massage Envy to be a positive experience? Are you able to accept tips at Massage Envy? Are there other perks in working there in terms of professional development or benefits?

My advice to you- don't do it! If you have any self-respect at all, don't. They don't pay you what you're worth, the tips suck, and so do the hours. They don't give a crap for their employees and they don't care if you have health issues that need to be taken into consideration. The only thing you will get is the experience and why get experience if they aren't paying you well for it.

I have been a licensed massage therapist for 6 years and have taken a lot of CE courses, deep tissue and myofascial release included. I have done a lot of reading on my own on the subject of deep tissue and trigger points and I feel I have a good understanding of what it means to give a therapeutic and safe deep tissue massage. I recently applied at a Massage Envy, really just because there are so many here in northern Virginia now and I was willing to take a job there for a few months until I figure out how to do my own thing. I walked out on the interview process after I had to perform a 1-hour "deep tissue" on the clinic administrator, who was a total snob, and who then proceeded to tell me that my deep tissue was very light and that her clientelle wanted far deeper work and that I would get complaints if I did my version of a deep tissue there. Let me tell you all something. If the management of Massage Envy caters to all of these freaks who want you dig your elbow or knees and really hurt yourself trying to hurt them because that is what they think deep tissue is, that management has no regard for your health and career longevity. She had me work with her lead therapist who was supposed to be showing me how to give a proper deep tissue massage and the poor guy we were working on was practically jumping off the table, told her it hurt, that it was too much, and she continued to critique my deep tissue, which he said felt good, and told me to work deeper. What is wrong with people out there? If the majority of her clientelle want a massage that is so deep that you have put your full body weight and fist and elbow and grind into their muscles, then people need to be more educated about what works to heal their pain. The management caters to these people instead of sticking up for a good therapist who has people's best interest at heart. You won't last a year doing this type of massage for this low pay for these greedy people who are damaging our profession

Just to say a little more, I don't think all Massage Envy's are scary. Some of the owners have the best intentions and if you can find one of those, ME is a great place for someone just out of school who needs to work on their skills. It is the lowest pay you will find, but if they let you work the schedule you feel is best for you and don't pressure you to do extreme deep tissue on freaks hour after hour, then you can get some experience there and learn as much as you can from the other therapists, and then do the types of massage you like to do somewhere else. I had a year-long membership at ME and I can tell you as someone who gets a lot of massage, I had about 1 decent/good massage for every 5 terrible/inexperienced/unprofessional massages and I would gladly pay a little more to go to a talented and experienced therapist than the newbies practicing at ME (for the most part, some very good therapist work there as well, why I don't know). I'm sure this is the case for anyone out there who is thinking about joining or has joined a ME. No skilled therapist is going to stay there for long, so the paying customer has to suffer through bad massages until they find someone they like, only to have that person leave shortly thereafter when they get their head screwed on right. The underlying concept is a good one, but as it turns out, the customer and the therapist are both better off in a world without ME where creativity and talent are rewarded and valued over cheap and barely passable skills. Pay a little more for a quality therapeutic session and leave the lower cost inexperienced massage at the schools and their student clinics. Let's not let these people turn us into massage slaves to fatten up their bank account at our expense.

I would like to start by saying, some of the best massages I've had have been from people just out of school because they are new and unjaded. Not that thats all therapists but my experience in general. Also, I am a CMT and Ive been reading about Massage Envy on this forum, never having been to one (Im in Lancaster PA and not sure that there is one around here) but one of my clients from Baltimore MD just told me-she brought it up- that her friend is a CMT and works at an ME and loves it. I was suprised as all Ive heard or read about ME is on this forum. She said the pay is good as well as the clients. Who knows? But I am starting to think it is all in the owner or franciser or whatever you want to call them. I think we, as a group, should not be stereotypical as it has been one major blow to our profession as a whole, the stereotypical "happy ending" therapist. I say, whatever works for the individual at that time in their career. If they are not getting proper pay, they will wise up, no?

PS. Unions????? ugh...

I have also had many colleagues who have not been treated well as employees of Massage Envy, one of which, the location she worked at, gave no hourly wage if you didn't have a client. As in for example, you're scheduled for 7 hours, only get paid for 4 kind of thing. There's a reason they can afford to advertise so well! They have enough money to buy their way into the AMTA organizations, schools, and Massage Therapy Journal, as a reputable company instead of a massage factory treating employees poorly. Everyone remember, you get what you pay for.

That happens to be the majority of cases. Most clinics will choose to only pay work hours instead of shift hours. From what I understand the ME clinic has to be in a bad part of town where it gets next to no business before a clinic manager will consider paying a massage therapist for their time regardless of their client total. The only thing that makes working at ME worse is when you have one or two clients during your shift and they tip you nothing. Think about it. Waiters get 15 to 20% of the check total as a tip. People don't think about the fact that it takes a lot of physical labor to do this job. if a massage costs $65, 10% of that is $6.50. Your tip should be at least 10 dollars minimum. If your not tipping AT LEAST 10-15 dollars, therapist remember you as a cheap schmuck and makes a mental note to bruise your ass next time so that you'll wake up the next morning feeling like an 18 wheeler hit you. Deeper pressure also deserves a bigger tip.

I signed up for the prepayment plan with Massage envy and used their services about 15 times. In September, I lost my job. In November, someone from the Westminster Massage Envy store called because the charge on my credit card didn't get through. This was because the card had been stolen and had to be cancelled. Also, all my banks have reset my credit card limit to whatever my current balance is - so I have no credit cards that can be used for automatic payments. I told her my situation and that I couldn't afford their services for now. She told me that to cancel the monthly PREPAYMENT for services, they must receive a cancellation notice in writing, (which they have), BUT they say I must pay the account in full before they will stop future payments.

So since I can't afford to pay for Nov and Dec. since I need the money to pay for food and keep from losing my home, they're going to keep charging me $49 a month instead of stopping future payments. So, according to their policy, the charges will never end, even if I never use their services again. I've had 6 conversations with them, all the same.

It was at this point that I started ignoring their calls because NO ONE WAS LISTENING TO ME OR CARED ABOUT MY SITUTATION. It was too frustrating and stressful to try to talk to them again. Then I got a letter demanding payment.

At this point, I wrote a letter to the manager calmly explaining my predicament (for the 7th time), and asking the charges for Nov/Dec to be dropped. I said that if the charges were dropped FOR SERVICES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN RENDERED, I would return to ME when I'm in a better financial situation but if they continued to try to force me to pay for SERVICES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN RECEIVED, I would never again set foot in any of their stores, and would tell all my friends about their lack of understanding and concern for future business.

Her response was to send a threatening letter giving me 72 hours to pay up or it would go to collections and I

www.indeed.com/forum/cmp/Massage-Envy/Getting-out-massage-envy-membership/t31772

Here's some others talking about their contract problems.Since at no fault you lost your job they should allow you out of contract but if not there are a few things you should look into.First think about a doctors note.If they don't wish to be fair then have your doctor write you a note.Saying you cannot because of the stress from your jobless state and that the added stress of the atmosphere at Massage Envy has cause you mental and physical illness.Massage for to healing not to make one feel ill.If you sent the note to cancel the contract and still sending threating letters.Get a letter signed by an attorney stating the contract was legally terminated and that if you send any more letters or a collection agency on something you have even recieved.You didn't get anymore massages so why would you pay for something you hadn't recieved.

Also best way to get them to live you alone go to "7 on your side".Nothing will shout them up quicker them bad press on the TV.Here's head line she's laid off job can't afford the massages which were to help de-stress her now that she has explained it 7 times they still insist she pay even when she has no income to pay for it.Get that on TV and list all the contract complaints you can find for the TV station to put on TV and see how well their contracts sell then.

I have worked at hourly jobs for many years of my life, and ALL of them provided paid time off as a benefit, starting with as little as 1-2 weeks per year, and going up with additional years of service. Shame on you for not providing this benefit to your hourly paid massage therapists.

I find these arguements pointless since no matter what I say, you find what we are doing exploitive. So I will end this here. Good luck.

I will not say my name on here for good reason. World Massage Day was created to save the field of massage, yet, other than the creator of it, one person who sent an article that was published on it, and myself, no other massage therapist, to my knowledge got on board with doing free lectures to publicize themself and their practice through World Massage Day which turned out to be a failure. Since no one on here does much to save themselves, and I want to make money, maybe I will open a Massage Envy or Hand and Stone when I have the money. Exploiting other massage therapists as a franchise owner seems to be the most surefire the way to make a good living in this field. Exploit the mts who would not help themseves.

Leann in Portland, Oregon said: It gets worse...much worse...Massage Envy OWNER! And he comes up with alternate identities that 'advocate' for ME, too. 'oilylady' on page 6 is a recent example.

Owner for sure. Alternate identities - no way. Just trying to provide a little balance to this forum which seems to be frequented by more than a few haters.

Why Us in Seattle, Washington said: I will not say my name on here for good reason. World Massage Day was created to save the field of massage, yet, other than the creator of it, one person who sent an article that was published on it, and myself, no other massage therapist, to my knowledge got on board with doing free lectures to publicize themselves and their practices through World Massage Day which turned out to be a failure. Since no one on here does much to save themselves, and I want to make money, maybe I will open a Massage Envy or Hand and Stone when I have the money. Exploiting other massage therapists as a franchise owner seems to be the most surefire the way to make a good living in this field. Exploit the mts who would not help themselves.

I wasn't aware that we were in trouble. It seems to me that there are lots of MTs out there. I see the schools graduating new MTs all the time. Where are we in trouble, Afghanistan or any of the ME (not Massage Envy) countries? Because it's not in the USA. There are lots of therapists around here. Many at ME's and many more in private practice.

Give it a rest, Grey! You don't convince anyone.

Good call, Me-Here. I didn't participate in World Massage Day because the massage business doesn't need saving.

Massage Envy poses absolutely no threat to private MTs. It's a cold, greedy franchise that chases off more customers than it keeps with shameless, inflexible billing practices. It hires only piss poor MTs with no experience who are out the door as soon as they build up a small following.

Hopefully I'll be out of the business soon, anyway. I've been doing this for 6 years, which is the average. Massage is too physically and emotionally demanding to be considered more than a short-term diversion. 80% of all MTs leave the business in 5-7 years and aren't concerned about "saving" it for anyone.

Why Us in Seattle, Washington said: I will not say my name on here for good reason. World Massage Day was created to save the field of massage, yet, other than the creator of it, one person who sent an article that was published on it, and myself, no other massage therapist, to my knowledge got on board with doing free lectures to publicize themself and their practice through World Massage Day which turned out to be a failure. Since no one on here does much to save themselves, and I want to make money, maybe I will open a Massage Envy or Hand and Stone when I have the money. Exploiting other massage therapists as a franchise owner seems to be the most surefire the way to make a good living in this field. Exploit the mts who would not help themseves.

I agree with Me Here & Sabeena. I also chose not to participate in World Massage Day. I appreciate the overall goal of educating the public on the benefits of massage. However, I prefer accomplish the same thing on a local level through participation in local community events. Too much "mob mentality" leads to failed social groups like unions.

Many of us are offended by your accusation of not helping ourselves just because we do not share your enthusiasm over World Massage Day. Everyone I know is too busy running our very successful massage practices that earn us good money. We won't give Massage Envy power over our lives by working to "save our business" from them, because there's simply no threat.

So go ahead and exploit away. And we'll still ignore you!

Why Us in Seattle, Washington said: I will not say my name on here for good reason. World Massage Day was created to save the field of massage...

Hmmm, 4 of us in a row with the same opinion. Maybe you should consider that WMD failed because the massage community doesn't think it's necessary. I thought it was a silly waste of time.

I will give my name: Tracy Miller. Sabeena, Sharon & I are not so ashamed of our opinions that we must conceal our identities.

When Massage Therapists are paid minimum wage by Massage Envy and everyone is going there, it will be much harder to do anything about it. That is why this was the time. They already slashed pay by 50 % -- what do you expect them to do next? Why are MTs so passive?

Hey! I am an MT working at ME and liking my job! I am not a fake made up person. Some people like working there, and get treated well and paid well. If you don't want to work there, then don't. But if you haven't had the personal experience of working there, just mouthing off to sound superior isn't helping you.

Why Us in Freehold, New Jersey said: When Massage Therapists are paid minimum wage by Massage Envy and everyone is going there, it will be much harder to do anything about it. That is why this was the time. They already slashed pay by 50 % -- what do you expect them to do next? Why are MTs so passive?

We're "so passive" because you're wrong about the entire ME situation.

First, everyone is NOT going there. I work 4 blocks from a new ME and at last count had 26 dissatisfied ME customers who heard about my clinic's reputation and called for an appointment. Some of them were existing clients of mine who tried ME for quicker appointment times and immediately came back. The majority were new ME clients who were VERY unhappy with the services.

Second, ME is a good place for new therapists to gain valuable experience. It's the perfect place for them to work while they're not so good at it. What's so terrible about that? It's a perfect match!

Third, ME is GOOD for the massage business because it increases public awareness by its advertising and web presence. That's how you educate the public! World Massage Day does NOTHING to increase public awareness by cloistering MTs in a room a discussing it to themselves. I say let ME spend millions on advertisement. Let the public go a few times, get treated like a bank account, pay the same for decent services, then they'll want to FIND THE GOOD PRACTITIONERS DOWN THE BLOCK LIKE ME!

For these reasons, it is NOT the time to do anything about it, and it never WILL be the time. Why can't you see any of this?

Here's how you can tell a post from a "happy ME employee" is really Gray Neher. It sounds just like ad, then he says "If you don't like it, fine. Don't work there!" So predictable and lame.

Why Us in Freehold, New Jersey said: When Massage Therapists are paid minimum wage by Massage Envy and everyone is going there, it will be much harder to do anything about it. That is why this was the time. They already slashed pay by 50 % -- what do you expect them to do next? Why are MTs so passive?

I think the previous posts explain why most of us in the massage business feels ME is too lame to be a threat, so I won't get into that any further. But I don't understand exactly what World Massage Day was supposed to DO against ME. Please help us understand how giving free lectures and writing articles can somehow bring down the evil ME empire.

Hey Oilylady! (formerly oilylady without '!') Question for you. What is your favorite style of massage, and why?

I like doing Swedish because I have a good rhythm and have been complimented on it. I also specialize in working on the neck. Why do you ask?

Oilylady! in Los Angeles, California said: I like doing Swedish because I have a good rhythm and have been complimented on it. I also specialize in working on the neck. Why do you ask?

As you know, each of us massage practitioners has a special technique or move that we particularly like and make our own. Mine is a push-pull motion of the sacrum using the palm of my hand to push away, then my fingers on the opposite side to pull back. It helps ease spasm of the piriformis and return mobility to the SI joint.

What is your special technique?

I forgot to tell why I asked for your opinion on techniques, Oilylady! I always appreciate feedback from people like yourself. You're happy and successful, working for a rising company. Obviously a big part of that is working for ME. I'd just like to know what distinguishes you personally as a massage practitioner.

that sounds nice. I may try that someday. I like to work on the subocipital muscle region right at the base of the skull. that is where most of the tension headaches come from. It also feels like your head being lifted.

I suffer from neck problems myself, so I know what people need when they complain about their neck. I am not afraid to get in there.

Wow, Oilylady! You sound like you have thorough training in anatomy and really know your massage techniques. Maybe one day you could tell us how you work the low back, right where the spine thingy meets the butt.

Grey Neher, why do you post so much here? Do you really think you're helping your company's image by what you're doing? Do you honestly have this much free time as an owner of an ME franchise?

My opinion of ME used to be neutral. I consider it a non-factor in my business. I don't compete with ME because I provide experienced, quality services and insurance billing at the same price, considering the tip which can't be considered gratuity since it's demanded at ME.

But your conduct on this forum is changing my opinion. I don't want to automatically lump you in with the rest of the greedy owners who exploit their employees, but thou dost protest so much that it's hard not to assume it's true for you as well!

BOO-YAAA Sharon Moak in Vancouver! Hell yea! I want to meet you, GODDESS OF AL THINGS MASSAGE!

client said: Hi. I am glad I found this forum.

I have limited financial resources (otherwise I would go to a deluxe spa which includes many amenities far and above the actual massage), but if I feel any pressure whatsoever to tip in addition to paying a membership fee, then I simply will not join Massage Envy.

I am shocked and disappointed to learn that a membership-based entity would even permit you to accept tips, let alone encourage them

I am really shocked at your response - when you go to a restaurant, do you not tip the waiter/waitress??? Massage is also a service provided for YOU and a massage therapist has gone to school and paid good money so they can provide that service. Why would you NOT tip? That is so cruel.

AMEN! "client said" let me explain something to you. ME charges you the ten dollar membership so that any additional massages you get at ME are not $65 an hour, $78 for an hour and a half, etc. The ten dollars goes to corporate not the therapist who works on you. your ten dollars buys you a discount. And in fact, of the 39 dollars you pay per massage as a member, a therapist gets 15 dollars. and truly the amount of hard labor it takes the body to give massages all day every day, 1 hr massage is equal to two hours of normal work. that's like getting paid 7.50 to sit in front of a computer at a desk all day doing what ever you do. the normal tip for a waiter is 15-20%. we deserve the same since we do a whole lot more for you than a waiter. do the math, a ten dollar tip is not alot to ask. 10% of 39 = $3.90 Are you serious? Come on now! the next time I get slipped a five for my hard work, I want to shove it down that client's throat. Because it means they are too stupid/cheap to do the right thing!

Isn't it amazing how slippery elbows can get when clients don't tip worth a darn?

Now if you want to pay $85 - $120 for an hour massage at a spa, go ahead. You will get the same massage, only you will have to PAY! So why not pay a little less for the massage and give the therapist what she/he deserves, and what they have worked for. And by the way, the ones you pay $85 and up for are looking for a tip as well. They are no different than ME. We just want to be recognized for the work we do. Granted, some therapists don't deserve a tip, but some waiters/waitresses don't either. Be thankful that we wanted to go to school to help your aches and pains or you could still be suffering.

You will probably get the same massage at a spa but you won't get the same massage if you pay an independent massage therapist who owns their own business and charges more. When massage therapists own their business and charge more they actually don't expect a tip.

can u help me sign up for texas careers Massage Therapist so i can enroll there?