How to Start and run a Mobile Massage Business

A Mobile massage business is a type of massage business that goes out to people’s homes, hotels or other such facilities to bring massage to the massage client!  It can be just about anywhere – a party for weddings, going into senior facilities, going into offices or companies where people need massage.  I have even heard of massage therapists going into casinos and bars! The most popular is going into people’s homes and giving them a massage there. It can be a mobile foot massage business or even a canine/equine/animal massage business, if you have the license, skills and training for that.

It is a bit different than having your own office or renting your own space from someone in that you are taking a bit more risk with going into places to give a massage.  The first thing to decide is whether you really want to have a mobile massage business or are you just doing this because you think you can’t open an office or rent a space?  From what I have seen in the massage profession, it often tends to be that massage therapists open this sort of business so they won’t have overhead and won’t need to commit to an office space and rent.   If you are doing that just to start out and you hope to eventually have a space – that works too.  There are also ways to start at an office space that are inexpensive to help you while you grow your business like renting from another practitioner, renting by the hour.

Risks of Being a Mobile Massage Business

As a mobile massage business owner,  you will be taking safety risks everyday of going into strangers homes.  There are not any ways to really screen these people to know what you are getting into.

There are some things you can do to make it safer, but there is still the risk.  The first thing is to have a system set up where you let someone know where you are going at all times and let them know when you are due to be back or to your next appointment and tell them you will contact them after each appointment to let someone know you are OK.  If you are going into a hotel regularly, you can make arrangements with security there too to let them know you are in the building.  You can also work with the concierge or front desk people to make them aware of your whereabouts too.

You can also find things like Personal alarm systems that you can trigger to let someone know if you get into trouble. You can even hire a security officer to accompany you where ever you go. That will add on extra cost but is really one of the best options.

Screening clients can help but it is not foolproof. Talk to people before you schedule them. You can also work only by referral of friends and family members.

Mobile Massage Therapist Business Plans

A business plan for a Mobile Massage Therapist is basically the same as for other types of massage businesses.   See also: Massage Business Plans

You will need to do a market study and find out if there is a need for this in your community.  You can also be looking for specific areas in your community that might have a higher demand like a retirement community or  a co-housing community.   There also might be large housing development communities with higher priced houses which might be  a good target market.

You will need to figure out what equipment you will need and figure out if your vehicle will be able to do the job of hauling your equipment.   You will need to haul:

• Massage Table
• Massage Table Carrier
• Supplies – Sheets, pillows, lotions/oils
• Laundry bag for dirty sheets
• Clock
• Music player or phone and speaker system.
• Cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer
• Towels
• Blankets

You will need the standard business supplies like:

• Online scheduling system with confirmation system and prepayment options.
• A way to do intake forms online or in person.
• Liability insurance that covers you in other people’s homes and transporting equipment.
• Carry your massage license, business license and liability insurance with you at all times.
• Credit card reader to accept payments
• Signs for your vehicle.

Just like any other business, you will need a marketing plan.  How will these people find you? Start with a Website that gets found for the keywords – massage your city – because many people will not even realize that massage therapists do come out to your home.  If you are in a tourist area or seasonal sports area where there is probably a higher demand for mobile massage therapists, they will need to find you in a search on Google or Bing.   You can learn how to do that in in my section on websites –  Get More Massage Clients with a Website that Works!

Having a good referral network will also help.  Figure out a way for people to tell their neighbors when you will be in their neighborhood!  Making the most of your time will be important in this niche.   You can post things on your website or use Social media tools like Facebook/Twitter to announce the areas you will be in on what days – sort of like the food trucks do!

You can even do something like convert a van or RV into a traveling spa and be just like the food truck revolution.

Other considerations in opening a mobile massage business.

One of the other big concerns is will your car insurance cover you using your vehicle for work? You might need to check to see if you need extra insurance or anything and look into whether or not it would cover a theft of your massage table and equipment.

Your massage business name will be very important. You have to make it sound more professional because of the extra risks of going into people’s homes and places of business. Unfortunately you have to think like a perv. Do not name your business Heavenly hands!

You may need different business licenses if you are traveling to other cities.

You will also have more travel time and depending on your city – you may be stuck in traffic often that will make it necessary to schedule more time in between sessions or you will be late too often.  Scheduling more time in between sessions means your bottom line profits are reduced because you are spending more time traveling and not doing massage.  That is why most mobile massage therapists also charge more for their travel time.

Think about only going out to someone’s house when there are a minimum of two people to work on or make it even 3. Charge more than an office massage as it is the same service but you are going out of your way to get to them.

Pros and Cons of starting a mobile massage business.

It seems the trend right now is to start a mobile massage business with many thinking it would be cheaper with less start up fees, overhead and not have the commitment to an office lease especially during this pandemic. The cost of opening a brick and mortar space may or may not outweigh the additional risks and concerns. There are other ways to open a physical location without the high overhead too. Start where you are at and share office space is one way.

Pros	Cons
No office expenses like rent	Travel expenses like gas, car insurance, wear and tear on vehicle, extra insurance
Set hours usually during the week/weekends.	Home massage often requires odd hours, weekends and holidays
Set location	Traveling to unknown places, figuring out parking, dealing with lugging equipment.
In the same location every day.	Variety of locations

More reading on mobile massage businesses:

Massage Magazines articles:
MASSAGE THERAPISTS ADOPT THE FOOD TRUCK TREND – Images of examples of trucks!
THIS IS HOW MOBILE MASSAGE THERAPISTS STAY SAFE, SECURE — AND STRESS-FREE

Guidebook to Mobile Massage (Amazon book)