Chair Massage
A Massage chair can be a tool for building your table massage practice or you can use it to build a full chair massage or seated massage business.
David Palmer was one of the first to create the massage chair itself but Cary Cruea of Seattle was one of the first to really make something of chair massage as far as I know. Her Massage Bar concept is now spreading quickly to airports and others are copying her concept.
Cary Cruea’s Multi Million Dollar massage Bar
Massage Magazine Massage Bar Evolves
Chair Massage is a big draw for people because it is easy and convenient, less time consuming and cheaper than regular massages. It allows people a safe environment to try out massage when they may not want to sign up for a full table massage for whatever reasons.
I have used chair massage at various times to promote my table massage business using it for open houses. I have gathered some pointers for using a chair to build your practice at
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The goal of this event is to sell gift certificates and get new clients. Set an intention of signing up xx # of new clients or a general intention of converting every recipient into a client.
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Plan a month ahead of time to work out all the details and maximize the potential of the event. Each person that comes to the event is a potential client!
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Provide snacks, drinks appropriate for each holiday.
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Send out flyers announcing event 2 weeks before. Send to current clients, neighbors, businesses of interest.
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Post flyers a week before the event.
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Call clients or surrounding businesses to personally invite them.
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Provide free 15 minute chair massage.
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Have client intake form (word .doc) to collect personal
information (to be used later for following up)
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Practice client interactions- How do you talk about what you do? Ask people about themselves - What do they do? What stress do they have? Have they had massages before? Get them to talk about themselves. People are just dying to be asked.
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Have a flyer, business cards or newsletter available for people to take with them. Have a sign up list for your newsletter.
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Give tours of the office.
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Have gift certificates available for sale. You can also just give them gift certificates and devise a system for them to call in or go online and pay to activate the gift certificate.
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Have your appointment book right there. Ask them when they want to come in? Book their appointment right there. Get their phone number so you can call to confirm the appointment the day before.
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Building a practice using chair massage events will take time. Everyone is a potential client. If you don’t get them to book after the first time seeing them, don’t give up. Offering the event regularly is often necessary. Just because the first one didn’t bring you as many clients as you thought, doesn’t mean that it wasn’t effective. One of the attributes of a successful marketing program is to learn with each event or contact and improve each time.
Could it be a big business for you?
From what I have seen, working in these chair massge places the pay is low and the work can be grueling in a busy location. I wish there was a way that massage therapists could be paid more…maybe they are. If you are someone who is working for a chair massage place or are a chair massage business owner, please let me know differently.
Resources on Chair Massage:
Marketing Chair Massage
NNegotiating An Agreement
by David Palmer
A Brief History of Chair Massage
By David Palmer
Massage for the Masses :David Palmer, Chair Massage, and Zubio By Karrie Osborn Massage and Bodywork Magazine
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