When it comes to de-stressing, there is nothing more relaxing than getting a massage! Whether it’s a foot, back, legs, arms, head or even a hand massage. Reasons as to why there are various massage places wherever you go.
Running a massage place is a great business to start with since this attracts all sorts of customers wherever you’re at. Plus it’s a business that’s easy to build up, run and grow. So if you’re looking for a business idea, consider opening a massage place!
To help you out, or simply give you an idea of how to start a massage business, check out everything you need to know down below!
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1. A Venue to Host Customers!
Of course, for you to be able to serve out massages, you need a place. As a starting massage place, you can consider getting something small to medium-sized, enough to cater to at least 2-3 clients at a time.
And when your business becomes stable, by then you can decide if you want a bigger space or not. But as of now, an efficient option would be starting off small. And when you’re looking for a place, consider measuring and analyzing the space, if it can fit a massage area, a rinsing area and a waiting area.
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2. Get the Materials and Equipment Needed
Once you find a venue to set up your business, now you can start to stock up and get some materials and equipment! For a massage business, there are specific things needed, to help you out, down below is a checklist you can use:
Materials needed:
- Massage oils (Lavender, Eucalyptus, Sunflower, Sweet Almond, Apricot…etc.)
- Lotions and creams.
- Towels (Both full-body and face towels)
- Slippers in various sizes.
- Sanitizers and cleaning agents.
- Bed sheets.
- Massage tools (Massage rollers, stones and so on.)
- Cups for tea.
- Soap and basins for rinsing.
Equipment needed:
- Massage table.
- Sound system set-up to play relaxing music.
- Ceiling fans or wall fans.
- A front desk.
- Chairs and stools.
- Curtains to act as dividers.
- Benches and side tables for the waiting area.
- Light fixtures.
- Organizers (Shelves, containers, labels and so on.)
- A computer for booking reservations.
- Signages (Open & close signs)
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3. Hire Your Staff!
Now you have a place and everything needed, the next step is to hire some employees. Since you’re just starting out and the size of your business is small, consider hiring a max of 5 employees. (If you only offer massage services)
The 5 employees will include the masseuses, the front of the house and the janitor. As a starting business, it’s essential to only get what’s needed. But if you have more beds and offer more services, you can choose to expand your employee count.
And when hiring staff, always consider setting up requirements and qualifications needed. This is to ensure quality in your services and also make sure you’re hiring good people. So during job interviews, consider asking about:
- Work experience.
- Educational background.
- Special skills they might have.
- Government IDs they have.
When choosing, consider one that’s closer to your venue, someone with more skills relevant to your business’s nature, someone who can understand instructions quickly and easily and so on.
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4. Get Insurance!
Before opening any sort of business, it’s always a must to get insurance. This is one of the most efficient ways to protect your business in various aspects like property, inventory, customer, staff, auto and so much more.
And as a starting business, your first few months and years are crucial! Any sort of setback can either affect your overall income or become the demise of your entire business. So greatly consider getting business insurance before opening.
Business insurance doesn’t only cover physical damage it also covers bodily injury, cyber damage and more. If you want to get coverage but don’t know how to, consider working with an insurance broker. They’ll be able to help you look for policies and providers that’ll best suit your business.
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5. Create Your Business’s Personality
Now you have everything you need to start a massage business, your last task is its personality! There are tons of different kinds of massage places and what greatly sets them apart is their personality which covers, the kind of massages they give, the types of oils used, the design of their shop and so on.
To give you an idea, there are 7 main types of massage categories; Swedish massage, Thai massage, Reflexology, Deep tissue massage, Sports massage, Lymphatic drainage massage and Shiatsu massage. Now you can incorporate all 7 but that means hiring more employees, adding more beds and needing more space.
Once you decide on the kinds of massages to offer, it’s now time to think of a concept. For concepts, an example would be an Asian massage place. An Asian massage place will usually have decoration and furniture made out of bamboo, light wood and even painted red.