The Four Signs of a Healthy Massage Business

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How to Tell If You Have a Healthy Massage Business

A conversation with Gael Wood and Philip from SpaMarketing.com

Hi, I’m Gael from MassageAndSpaSuccess.com, and today I’m chatting with Philip from SpaMarketing.com about how to tell if you actually have a healthy massage business.

When clients come in for a massage, we always start with a consultation. We try to determine what’s going on and, hopefully, help them feel better or find some relief. Philip noted that there are key things to look at in your business, too — and I completely agree — that can help you assess whether your business is healthy and where the issues might be if it’s not.

Looking at Your Business Like an ER Visit

Philip:
That’s right. We get calls all the time from people saying, “I need clients. I need them now.” Their business is in crisis, or at least it feels that way to them.

I always think about this like a patient going into the emergency room. In the ER, the first thing they do is check your vital signs—heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. You might also have a sore stomach or a headache, but if your heart rate is off, that’s not what they’re going to focus on first.

In a massage business, we look at four main “vital signs”:

1. New client acquisition

2. Rebooking and retention

3. Cash flow and cash flow management

4. Staff retention (for larger clinics)

I’ll start with new client acquisition and rebooking, and then Gael can talk about the other two.

New Clients Aren’t Always the Real Problem

New client acquisition is important — we all know that — but it’s not the be-all and end-all of business.

A lot of times people tell me, “I need more new clients.” I’m a marketing company, so you’d think I’d love hearing that — and sometimes it’s true. But other times, as we talk, I realize new clients aren’t actually the core problem.

They might need new clients because their rebooking rate is low, so they’re constantly on the treadmill of finding new people. Or they might need new clients because they have poor staff retention and there’s no continuity for their clients. Therapists come and go, and the business never builds a solid base of regulars.

So sometimes we tell people, “New client acquisition isn’t your biggest issue. It’s what’s happening after clients come in.”

We look at how many new clients are coming in—and how they’re being tracked. Do you even know who your new clients are? Are you using intake forms, booking software, coupon codes, or some way to measure that?

Then we go a layer deeper and ask: How are people finding you?

The easiest thing to do is usually more of what’s already working. If you’re getting clients from vacation rental brochures, maybe you place more of them. If something brings in ten clients, it may be able to bring in twenty.

Gael:
I’d also add — are the clients you’re attracting actually ideal clients? If you’re bringing in people who are a good match for your work and the problems you solve, your retention rate will usually improve automatically.

Many therapists do “spray and pray” marketing—putting content everywhere and hoping the right people show up. It’s much easier when you know who your ideal clients are and where they already are.

For example, if your ideal clients work at a hospital, how can you network there? Or if they’re in a certain income bracket, how can you tailor your marketing to reach them specifically?

General marketing has its place, but targeted marketing brings in better-fit clients who are more likely to rebook — especially if you have a rebooking process in place.

The Importance of Rebooking

Philip:
Let’s talk about rebooking.

Gael:
Rebooking is really about having a system. Instead of saying, “Thanks so much, call me when you need another massage,” we need to invite clients back with a reason.

That might sound like:
“It was great to see you today. I noticed a lot of tension in your shoulders, and I think a massage every two to four weeks would really help. Would you like to go ahead and reschedule now?”

We tend to place significant emotional weight on that question. If a client says no, it can feel personal. But we don’t actually know why they didn’t rebook — and as long as we invited them back, we did our job.

If we don’t ask clients to rebook, we’re not fully doing our job as massage therapists. Part of our role is educating people about how massage works and why consistency matters.

When I first started asking clients to rebook, I was awkward and nervous. I’d replay conversations in my head at night. But after about six months of focusing on it, it became natural. And I realized I might have had to close my business if I hadn’t figured this out.

Philip:
One thing we say a lot is: the first sale is the hardest, the second is the second hardest. But by the time someone’s come five times, they’re in the habit of seeing you.

Gael:
Exactly. At that point it becomes, “Next week or the week after?” instead of “Do you want to come back?” That’s where long-term clients come from — the ones you see for years.

Cash Flow and Managing the Money

Philip:
When I see a cash flow issue, the first thing I look at is expenses. Where is the money going? Is there anything unnecessary that could be cut or redirected toward reserves?

Every business has slow weeks. That doesn’t mean you did something wrong. Even big companies have them.

It’s also critical to stay on top of your books. I personally hate bookkeeping, so I have a bookkeeper. Every month, I can see my income and expenses and provide clear numbers to my accountant.

Knowing what’s coming up helps avoid surprises. Sometimes getting cash flow back on track means short-term sacrifices — even taking home a little less for a while — but that stability matters.

Another mistake I see is mixing personal and business finances. Business money isn’t all yours. The business must be paid first.

Staff Retention and Hiring Carefully

Gael:
With staff retention, I think one of the biggest mistakes is hiring too quickly. It’s better to have a room empty than filled with the wrong person.

A bad hire can lead to unhappy clients and bad reviews, and those don’t leave when the therapist does. They stay with your business.

I strongly believe in hiring slowly and letting people go quickly if they're not the right fit. There aren’t bad massage jobs — just mismatches. Some therapists thrive in franchise settings. Others don’t. It’s about alignment.

I also trust intuition. If someone shows up late to an interview, that’s a red flag for me. As massage therapists, we’re empathetic and understanding, but as business owners, we sometimes need to step into leadership and make tough decisions.

Philip:
Exactly. Continuity matters. Clients want to build relationships, and constant turnover makes that impossible.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, these four areas- new clients, rebooking, cash flow, and staff retention — are the vital signs of a massage business.

If something feels off, it’s worth slowing down, assessing what’s really happening, and fixing the right thing first.