Are you a massage therapist working with Soothe to get clients You’re not alone – Soothe employs over 13,000 massage therapists in almost 70 cities across the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. Soothe is an app that sends a licensed massage therapist to a client’s home, and was founded in 2013 by Harvard Business School graduate Merlin Kauffman.
The platform has been dubbed the ‘Uber of Massage’ by fans of the service, likely because it provides on-demand massage therapy services. Soothe connects licensed massage therapists with clients seeking stress relief.
As a professional massage therapist, you’re probably wondering how you can make the most of your time and skills with Soothe.
In this article, we’ll break down the top reasons that make working with Soothe different from a traditional day job as a massage therapist at a spa and also give tips on how you can make the most of your new gig.
WHY SOOTHE IS DIFFERENT
No doubt, you joined Soothe because they claim that you can make over 3 times as much money as you can make working at a spa.
Soothe offers a 60, 90, or 120 minute massage, which starts at $129 for a 60 minute massage in most US cities. Massage therapists earn 70% of this service price.
Clients can also purchase a monthly or yearly membership, which knocks 20-25% off the retail price.
You can also pick and choose the dates and times that you’d like to work unlike working with a traditional spa.
Their hours range from 8AM to midnight, which gives you plenty of flexibility in terms of setting your own schedule.
While you’re working hard to give your clients a relaxing experience, Soothe has been racing to become the head honcho in the $16B massage therapy industry.
In 2018, Soothe acquired a competing massage therapy startup called Melt, helping it grow even faster and further dominate the massage therapy market.
This is the not the only acquisition made by this Silicon-valley based startup – they also acquired Y Combinator-backed startup UnWind Me back in 2015.
With this knowledge, you can rest assured that you’re working with an industry leader.
If you’ve passed the rigorous qualification process and been granted access to the platform as a massage therapist, you’re part of the chosen few.
According to Soothe, over 30% of applicants are rejected. They only work with massage therapists that are licensed and independently insured.
So now that you’ve become a part of the Soothe network of professionals, how do you make the most of it?
HOW TO WIN WITH SOOTHE
There are several practices that 5-star rated massage therapists always perform when operating on the platform.
Top massage therapists will bring a table, fresh sheets, and an assortment of lotions with them to the job.
Secondly, if you’re ever worked at a retail establishment or at a coffee shop, you know how rigorously they train and emphasize delivering service with a smile.
Being warm and friendly will also go a long way as this is a service industry and thus having great customer service skills is critical.
This inviting attitude will serve you well and may even lead to more tips and a higher dollar-per-hour pay in your pocket.
Soothe offers some guidance for therapists on their website.
PERFORM A THOROUGH INTAKE
Confirm the type of massage, duration and areas that require extra attention or should be avoided.
STOP WHEN NECESSARY
If you feel uncomfortable, leave – no explanation necessary.
COMMUNICATION
Use the app to communicate with your clients.
STAY CONNECTED
Use the app to check-in and check-out of appointments.
SECURE PAYMENT THROUGH SOOTHE
Use the app for payments.
Soothe then provides you with contact info in case you have any questions, and purports to have 24/7 support for their therapists through phone, text, and email.
The website also mentions some common ‘scams’ of ‘fraud’ attempted by Soothe clients that they warn you about:
Underpayment Scam
Client will try to pay you directly. Refuse.
Tipping Scam
Soothe says that if someone offers to tip in cash, this can be considered Tax Fraud because it can’t be tracked by the IRS. Soothe urges clients to tip within the app.
Appointment Extension Scam
Make sure you see Tip #1 above – Perform a Thorough Intake. Soothe will not compensate you if you go over your allotted time.
Overall, it seems like a win-win for both clients and massage therapists.
A client can book a massage at their convenience and have a massage therapist at their home within 24 hours.
Massage therapists can create and manage their own schedule and work on Soothe as their part-time side hustle or they can build their client base and work full-time using the app.
However, several massage therapists working with the company have claimed that Soothe has lowered their pay, plays favorites, and taken away clients from them.
In order to ensure this type of work culture doesn’t cut into your income as a massage therapist, it’s important to build your own list of clientele as well.
This is where PocketSuite comes in to save the day!
HOW TO WIN AS AN INDEPENDENT MASSAGE THERAPIST
It can be financially as well as professionally rewarding to truly work for yourself by launching your own massage therapy business.
However, if you’re seeking income independence, there are some key things to keep in mind.
GET AN ONLINE PRESENCE
Most, if not all, new clients will most likely find you online. It’s the reason companies like Soothe are doing so well – they’re taking advantage of client’s inherent bias towards searching online when looking for a new service provider of any kind.
Be visible online. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Yelp
- Online Directories
Of course, without a way for clients to book you, you’re throwing money down the drain because folks will find your business listing, not see an actionable way to book you, and simply move on to a provider that does have online booking.
A simple solution for this would be to install your PocketSuite online booking widget everywhere you’re showing up online, giving your customers an easy way to book your services as soon as they see your listing
FOLLOW UP AGGRESSIVELY
If you get a lead, give them a call and send them a text message with your booking link as soon as possible!
PocketSuite makes this easy with the business messaging feature – it converts your business messages to text messages and sends them directly to your leads.
Smart Campaigns is another feature that allows you to automatically, proactively follow up with your massage therapy leads to ensure they book with you and not someone else.
MANAGE YOUR BUSINESS WITH POCKETSUITE
Speaking of managing your business, PocketSuite has a full-fledged suite of business tools to help you run your entire massage therapy business from a single app.
Give the Premium plan a shot – you won’t be disappointed, and you’ll be able to finally spend more time building your small business into the behemoth it’s destined to be!
If you’re already using PocketSuite, here’s how to set it up for your massage therapy practice.
Like this article? Check out our article on why massage therapists should become licensed, and how to get licensed.
You’ll also love our guide on how to generate leads for service businesses in 2022, and of course our Frustrations with Square article!
