How to be sure your next massage therapy appointment is a 60-minute massage hour and not the “rushed” 50-minute hour!

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 at 2:00 pm

Have you ever gone to a massage establishment where they offered an awesome price for a one-hour massage. Excited at the cost (usually $39) you booked the appointment never thinking twice. You arrive several minutes early at 2:50pm for paperwork and the usual dialogue associated with type of massage and the discomfort you may be experiencing. The therapist leaves you in the room to disrobe and prepare yourself for the massage. Your massage appointment time was scheduled at 3:00pm. You notice the clock reads 3:02pm just before you lay on the table. The therapist enters at 3:05pm and the massage begins. Somewhere between  your back and feet you fall into a deep sleep. You awake to the therapist telling you to “take your time, we will see you up front” it’s now 3:50pm and your massage is complete. You pay and tip for your massage while thinking “where was the hour?”

Many massage places are known for this exact scenario. This is actually one of the ways to determine if you are in a massage studio that has your best interest in mind or theirs.  To deliver a thorough massage the therapist typically needs 60 full minutes. The 50-minute massage will go by really fast and the therapist can’t fully work the full body in that amount of time. The franchised approach to massage has made the massage experience highly accessible yet generic and non-personal and this is just one other way that they have failed the massage profession. Prior to booking a massage you should always look at the fine print. It will usually state that your session will include a 50-minute massage session. This verbiage is usually nestled right under the special offer in a font size so small it is usually lost in the ad.

Why the 50-minute hour? It’s a simple way to schedule more and do less!   Some places will even  cut your massage contact time by as much as 15 minutes and tell you that this is time for the client to undress and re-dress. When  was the last time it took you 15 minutes to take off and put back on your clothes?

The solution to this problem is to do your research. When  you are selecting a new massage studio that you know nothing about, call and ask questions. Ask everything you want to know prior to scheduling your appointment. If the studio has a website, get familiar with it and if you still can’t find all the info there, call and ask more questions. A reputable massage studio will be upfront with you on massage time, cost, and any other details you want to query. You will find their website tobe easy to understand and full of information that will make it easy for you to book your massage appointment with confidence.

For this post I only discussed the 50-minute massage, but this 10-minute deduction occurs on every massage appointment (if the studio you choose has this as a policy.) Here’s my suggestion:  If you have another massage studio to visit in your area, check with them  before scheduling with the “50-minute massage place.” A massage studio that charges you the special rate for an hour and delivers only 50-minutes of massage time is more likely to scam you in other ways (i.e. massage membership contracts with no way out, no-show fees, required tips!) Look for the massage studio that offers 60-minutes of “contact time!” When  you call and ask, say this:  “The hour massage that you are advertising for $39, does that mean 60-minutes of massage contact time?” The response you receive will help you determine if you should book that appointment or keep looking for another place.

Thanks for reading!