01/06/2026
Recently I increased some of my treatment prices as many the same since 2016! Really appreciate how this therapist explains how much what you pay goes to expenses and to ensure the continued quality of care, products used, further training, admin etc. In my case due to an ongoing ankle injury alongside nhs admin job and commitments as a single mom, I am limited to 2-3 clients 2-3 days a week but still pay a weekly room rent. It is not for profit but with my now decades passion for supporting your wellbeing. At almost 64 I hope I am inspiring others that you are never too old and it is never too late! That even when life gives challenges like restricted mobility there are still ways to keep doing what you love! đ
Look forward to welcoming you at Mandala. Darlene
Iâve been reviewing my business and prices recently, looking at where things are going and what the next step might be.
Itâs no secret that I absolutely love my job but, like anyone else, bills need paying and they seem to be getting higher by the minute!
I was chatting to a friend about my business, I mentioned that I currently try to average treatment costs at around ÂŁ45 per hour.
They laughed and said,
âWow⊠Iâm in the wrong job. Wish I got ÂŁ45 an hour.â
It made me realise how many people understandably assume that if a therapist charges ÂŁ45 for an hour treatment, that means theyâre earning ÂŁ45 an hour.
The reality is⊠itâs not even close.
That ÂŁ45 isnât wages.
Itâs business turnover.
(Some charge less and some A LOT more)
From that ÂŁ45, a whole load of things need paying for before the therapist even thinks about paying themselves.
For example:
Room costs, heating, electricity
Insurance, professional memberships, ongoing training
Oils, products, laundry, towels and blankets, cleaning products
Booking systems, website, card payment fees, marketing
Etc etcâŠ
So straight away somewhere around ÂŁ20 of that ÂŁ45 for most of us is already gone.
That leaves roughly ÂŁ25
Then comes tax and national insurance, which can easily take another 20â30%.
So that ÂŁ45 treatment might realistically leave the therapist with something like ÂŁ15âÂŁ22.
This is all before we talk about time, because a âone hour treatmentâ is rarely just one hour of work.
Thereâs the consultation, preparing the room, cleaning and resetting afterwards, washing and drying sheets and towels, replying to enquiries, admin and bookkeepingâŠ. Each 1 hour of treatment time often represents 90 minutes to 2 hours of actual work time.
Which means the real hourly income can land somewhere around ÂŁ10âÂŁ15 per hour.
Many massage therapists also canât physically do more than 40 hours of treatments a week.
Itâs demanding on the body. Most therapists cap out around 25 hours of treatment time and another 25 hours of everything else if they want their own bodies to last! (Especially the likes of me whoâs also a mum as I know may of us are⊠the âworkâ doesnât stop after âwork)
If someone did even 20 hours treatments in a week at ÂŁ45, thatâs ÂŁ900 turnover.
Once business costs and tax are accounted for, that might realistically land somewhere around ÂŁ350âÂŁ450 take home for the weekâŠ.
THEN thereâs the other reality of being self-employed.
No-shows and last minute cancellations.
That hours you kept free for someone?
Often, if they donât turn up, you donât get paid.
Thereâs no sick pay, no holiday pay, no pension.
Also when you run your own space, youâre never really âoffâ.
Messages come in late at night, early mornings, weekends, and because itâs your livelihood⊠you often answer them even when we kind of know we shouldnât.
So when you pay for a treatment with a small independent therapist, youâre not paying their hourly wages.
Youâre supporting a whole small business, and someone using their hands every day to help people feel better in their bodiesâŠ. Most therapists arenât doing this because itâs a goldmine, weâre doing it because we genuinely care about the work, but the reality behind the scenes is very different from what people often imagine. I do love my work but also see how itâs often misperceived and under appreciated.
I suspect massage therapists arenât the only onesâŠ
Hairdressers.
Beauty therapists.
Nail techs.
Tattoo artists.
Tradespeople.
Pretty much anyone self-employed!
