Breakdown of massage membership launch-August, 2024
I'm a big fan of recurring income for not only massage therapists, but all self-employed service owners.
Creating a subscription model allows the business owner to have an understanding of the BASE level, a minimum income, that she or he will see each month.
When you add that to your normal client base, your business can start to thrive. You'll harness the power of retaining clients=less marketing for YOU. Plus, you'll build better relationships the longer you work with them on a monthly basis.
Here are a few ideas of memberships for service providers
✂︎Barbers/hairstylists-monthly haircuts, beard trims, hair color
✍︎Estheticians/nail techs-monthly facials, mani/pedi, body scrubs
⚘ Massage therapists-monthly massage services or treatments
☘︎ Nutritional therapists/dietician - monthly meal plans, in person check-ins
Here's the numbers breakdown of my 3 membership launches.
2019
I started my 1st massage membership in January of 2019. The results were significantly better than I expected-16 clients joined.
Each membership client could receive a 60 minute massage or upgrade to a longer session.
14/16 upgraded every month.
All 16 clients stayed for 11 months and the others stayed in for over another year. Slowly, 1 by 1, clients retired or moved.
That first year, I made over an ADDITIONAL $20,000 income from clients who I had previously seen only a few times.
2023
In July of 2023, I opened up my membership again for only up to 5 clients. This time, I tried a different tactic-the only session available would be a 1.5 hour massage. 3 clients joined. I also raised my rates at the same time and offered 6 month packages, which several clients purchased.
2024
This summer (2024), I tried my original tactic of selling a 60 minute massage with an option to upgrade.
Once again, the limit was 5. I sold 6. Whoops. One of my clients had thought he submitted payment but hadn't, so I let him in.
Why limit the number of people who can join your membership?
- It creates a sense of urgency
- FOMO (fear of missing out)-they want to be special too
- You can only take a certain number of clients per month if you're doing 1-1 service work
Here are the final stats for my client subscriptions:
Currently joined:
✦ 7 of my original massage members, who have been getting monthly massages since 1/2019 (5 years, 8 months)
✦ 3 from my 7/2023 launch (over a year now)
✦ 6 who joined in 2024
TOTAL: 16 clients in my massage membership
2 clients who just signed up again had been in the original membership and quit. They are now paying more per month.
This is why it's vital to NOT allow people to quit and rejoin willy nilly.
It's important to note that NONE of these clients were regular clients when they first joined.
My massage membership is adding an additional $1865 per month, not including all upgrades and not including any tips.
Opening my membership to my existing massage clientele will bring in an ADDITIONAL $22,380 plus a few upgrades and tips.
Wanna know more about creating a membership? CLICK HERE.
(Hi! I'm Mary-Claire Fredette, a massage mentor and coach. I help you grow the business you love.)