Why Choose a
Private Practice
MassageTherapist 
Over a Day Spa

Price

Typically, you pay more at a day spa than with a massage therapist in business for themselves. At the day spa, you're paying for their large advertising budget and their large staff (administrative and appointment staff, laundry and housecleaning staff, management and human resources, etc.), as well as the significant cost of facilities, insurance, and supplies. You're also paying for all the other services you may or may not use such as showers, steam room, complimentary fruit and beverages, robes and slippers, etc.

Skill Level

While there are many good massage therapists who work at day spas (and I've known several), there are many more who are fresh out of school and who have worked on very few people, as well as many for whom massage is just a job to pay the bills. Also, there's a lack of incentive for massage therapists to improve their skills beyond a certain level because they are fairly guaranteed a revolving door of clients through the day spa. On the other hand, any massage therapist able to start a private practice from scratch and build a thriving business has a meaningful investment in their livelihood and a commitment to their craft. Their success is only as good as their skills and your satisfaction.

Time on the Table

In my experience with day spas, massage therapists are flipping clients in and out of their room every hour on the hour, which means that the client is really only getting 45 to 50 minutes on the table. A private practice massage therapist, like myself, has the choice to book extra time between clients - or as in my case, to offer a longer session.