Working in Florida

[Havocsangel]

Would anyone like to share their experiences working in Florida, in any capacity, and how you started out/marketed yourself:

Self employed

Employed in a spa

Employed by a chiropractor/pt/clinic setting

Employed by a gym

Employed by a hotel

Are certain areas more accepting (educated) of massage therapists and what settings would be a good target market to support (afford) massage therapists?

Thanks.

 

[MJ_Lover_OX]

Hi there,

I live in a small town in FL and I have worked at a spa and a salon. Both places in my opinion and the other therapists I have worked with at both places were VERY uninformed about massage therapy and how to market it.

The salon was simply too noisy, they had a pedicure room next to the massage room, so when the nail technician turned on the pedicure tub the noise was ridiculous, I even had to offer discounts to a couple of clients due to this, which I did not appreciate, wasn't my fault. Now I go to the house of one lady that had a massage with me one time, she was so annoyed at the noise she asked me if I could go to her house and she has been my client ever since. I spoke with the owner and she understood the issue but it never stopped. Needless to say, she has a LOT of therapists coming in, working for a month or so and quitting. I tried to work out a brochure and placing an ad in some of the nearby communities but it never happened, I saw no interest from the therapist nor from the owner or the manager. After a while I gave up and quit (a week after the other therapist quit). :roll: Also, I forgot to mention, they expected the other therapist and myself to be there for at least 4 hours a day and to greet their customers and provide them with free 10 minute demos? I think word of mouth is a great marketing tool, but to be honest, I did not get more than 2 massages a day, and I simply HATED it when the owner would give the client that I ALREADY massaged a $ 10.00 off coupon! What the bleep??? :evil:

At the spa I worked, the pay rate was good, but when I interviewed there with the owner, they did not even ask me for a demo. Why wouldn't they ask me for one? I don't know but it sure still shocks me! Same thing happened to me at the salon, the lady just hired me without even asking me to give her or at least the manager or somebody else a massage. :shock:

I am starting soon at another spa and so far, the scenario seems to be the same (they have asked for demos from other therapists but I was recommended to work there by the owners of the previous spa and some of my clients so they did not ask me for one). The owners are lost and it seems that they want to offer a lot of services but they do not know the logistics to accomplish all these services they want to provide their clients with. This spa wanted to pay me $ 3.00 an hour (no, this is not a typo and they were dead serious about this hourly rate) and 25% commission which I simply can not do. Where I live massages run around $ 70.00 an hour. To make a long story short, I will now be making 45% commission and no hourly fee after a few conversations we had and after explaining to them (in a nice way ) that I did not want to waste neither their time nor mine (better for me since I do not want to be sitting there for hours during a slow day and it simply fits my schedule much better).

I also placed an ad in a community nearby of 3,500+ it is a 55+ community that is just minutes from my house to see if I can start my own private practice. The ad will run in April, May and June so check back with me then to see how it goes.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Thanks, healer_guide. I'm sorry you're having such a tough time getting yourself established and into a flow ... I hope the ad you've placed will result in a good number of new clients to come your way.

Spas are notorius for all that you said. It's great when you find one that actually respects the work you do and realizes you need a space away from the noise and smells of other services.

I think that new MTs go to spas right out of school because they need the experience, and that would explain the lack of knowledge that you've seen. I have seen (and experienced) it myself at spas where I live. I was not impressed with the quality of the massage I received at a nearby upscale spa, and when I spoke with the therapist after, she told me she had just graduated. If I am paying top dollar at a nice, upscale spa, I want a quality massage, but I have learned that you will likely get a better treatment from the owner of any establishment because it's their reputation on the line. Live and learn.

Anyone else?

 

[elo2joe]

Thanks healer611,

In my particular case, these were supposed to be experience therapists but I do believe that some MT's even out of school show outstanding talent. I have a friend of mine who is new to the spa environment, but she has given me the best massage I have ever received, I strongly believe it is the passion she has for the profession, the compassion she has for others and the fact that she is always more than willing to learn more and more.

But back to our previos discussion, where I live, I know of a few MT's struggling right now to get a job pretty much anywhere. They do not exactly have the means to start with a private practice and they are giving up on massage therapy and onto working on something else

I wonder why this is happening, I love what I do, with all my heart and to me, just the thought of giving up on this profession is simply not in my mind but I do feel for my friends who are now looking at other job opportunities because they have to be able to survive. The spa where I worked at closed a couple of weeks ago, and where I live, there are not many places for MT to work at. I sure felt the pressure building up on me of "I have to get a job" but maybe this is a way for me to start my own practice. Got the table ready, anyone want a massage????

 

[Hedwig Loves Pigwidgeon]

Healer_guide,
what area of Fl are you in? I was thinking of moving there in the next year. maybe.

 

[convana]

Hi Bright_Hands

I live in North Central FL

 

[walksideways]

I finished school in 2006 and got licensed in early 2007.

My first job was working at a chiropractor's office for $15/hr. I learned alot from the other MT (she has great hands!) and I was able to get my hands on alot of clients who suffered from acute/chronic pain. I worked there for about 6 months but left because I needed to earn more money and the chiropractor had cut back on her hours (which cut back my earning hours).

My second job lasted about a week. Another chiro office but for $25/hr. I asked during the interview if they were a licensed massage establishment and was assured that they were. Then I found out that they weren't so I stopped working there immediately and told them to call me when they got licensed.

My third (and current) job is my favorite so far. I work at a massage clinic with three treatment rooms. I've averaged about 20 clients a week. I have a great bunch of regulars and really enjoy the environment, my coworkers, my boss and my clients. For the first 90 days I was earning 40% commission and now that I've passed the 90 day mark I'm earning 50%. I love that!

With the first chiropractor I was hired as an employee so she deducted taxes from my check (but only paid me per massage which was not our original agreement!) With the second and third jobs I'm working as an independant contractor so I put aside tax money from every check so that I can prepay my quarterly taxes.

I feel very fortunate to work at this massage clinic as it has been around for over 10 years and already has a loyal following.

I live in the Orlando area and attended the Florida College of Natural Health in Maitland, FL. Dana Weaver and Tedy Narvaez were my favorite instructors at FCNH and I am eternally grateful to them for their great influence in my massage education.

P.S. I grew up in Framingham. Go Red Sox!!!

 

[Just beat it]

Hey Florida Karen!

Nice to hear from you, a former Bostonian! How long have you been living in Florida? Do you miss our Red Sox?!

Thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds like you have done well in a short time. Good for you.

I have contacted Daytona College who said they would be willing to put together the classes I need in order to get my Florida license. They are a year round school so I could do this during the summer months.

I want to get certified in lymphatic drainage and have been looking into that, also. Since I want to move to the Daytona area, I have looked for other therapists who may practice this modality and have not found any in this area (Jacksonville and South Florida seem to be what I've seen).
I need to do more research and also look into any area hospitals or clinics that may employ therapists trained in this modality. I guess chiropractors may be an option also, too.

 

[jessica deanna saucedo]

Healer611, thanks for starting this thread! I want to move to Daytona too, maybe we'll meet up there!

floridakaren, can I come work with you?

healer_guide, I am sure things will get better for you soon, I think in the end you'll be happy things have worked out this way.

 

[Melissa S]

Brighid's Hands -

You're welcome! I think we should all get together and brainstorm! And that's another thing ...

Is there such a place? A place where massage therapists can get together and share ideas, struggles, marketing ideas, etc. (I mean in a physical location - we all are doing this now on MassagePlanetL!). I know our local branches of the professional organizations we belong to are that, but often they are not very close to home. It's something I would welcome.

It has been my experience that unless you are in a group practice, single practitioners are not receptive, and, in fact, hostile to some extent. I think they feel threatened and are so competitive that they don't want to share. At least that's what I see in my area now.

 

[Twilighter09]

healer611, I would love to get together and brainstorm! that would be awesome!
currently I'm trying to save up money for this move (it's a long way!!) but I was thinking about possibly heading out to Daytona for a weekend in mid-August. maybe then?

and did that school you contacted have just anatomy courses? because, I have plenty of total hours school, however I need more hours of anatomy to get licensed there. I don't mind taking more anatomy, it's just the whole fact that you have to wait to get licensed!

 

[Curt J]

Hi Florida Karen,

I also attended school at FCNH, I was living in South FL then and I really loved attending school there

One of their former instructors is still my mentor.

Update on the spa I am working at... The owners are very nice and they are learning, I am glad that they are very open to any ideas the other therapist ( love her too!! ) and I are giving them. They had a pre-opening today and I already gave 3 massages, YAY!!!

 

[lil_dj_max]

healer_guide - that's great that things are working out for you at the spa. It's nice to feel appreciated and respected.

brighids_hands - my next trip to that area is going to be in July. As far as getting more anatomy hours, just contact the school. Any school will want you to send them your school transcript to determine exactly what you need in order to get your FL license. I just need the Florida-specific classes, FL law/medical errors, HIV/Aids and I also need 15 hours of hydrotherapy, which I never had, so you probably also need to take those classes.

Daytona College seemed very accommodating; the other school in Daytona, Daytona Beach Community College, told me that I would have to be "enrolled in the massage program" to get the additional, hummm, maybe 25-30 hours I would need to get my FL license. I guess that's their way of saying "no."

You can take these classes at any Florida approved school (see link below).

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/massage/lst_ma-school.pdf

 

[Uncle Sim]

I need the FL specific stuff, which you can get online and 24 hours anatomy. I had hydrotherapy, I really liked that class too.

I went to UCMT Nevada branch, which is now owned by Steiner who also owns schools in Fl. I will have to contact the schools over there to make sure exactly how many hours I need, and where I can take them. Career services at my school said that I could take the anatomy at college (UNLV or community) here and it would count. I would like to make sure of that before I do it, but if it would that would help a lot.

thanks for the link, and the info, I think I will contact Daytona College and see what they tell me.

 

[Tambel]

Brighids -

I would check with the Florida Dept. of Health first before taking anything you need on line. My understanding is that you have to take the courses you need, physically, at one of their approved schools. For renewal purposes, I believe you can then take them on line.

 

[Nico]

thanks, I most definitely will check.

 

[Amarie Marquez]

I have a friend that just moved there I will have to tell her about this thread.

 

[Life Is Good :O)]

Bump*

I just wanted to see how everyone has been doing ... what changes have you gone through since your last posting?

I received all my classes and training last July, but I am going to wait to apply for a license until after the end of August. Renewal is every two years, on the odd year, so if I applied now, I would have to "renew" again in August (I don't think so). I may have to get an updated HIV class, though, since it's required yearly, but that can be done on line (the original training has to be done in a Florida approved school).

 

[??p??pl? p??????]

original question:


Would anyone like to share their experiences working in Florida, in any capacity, and how you started out/marketed yourself:

Self employed

Employed in a spa

Employed by a chiropractor/pt/clinic setting

Employed by a gym

Employed by a hotel

Are certain areas more accepting (educated) of massage therapists and what settings would be a good target market to support (afford) massage therapists?

Thanks.


Thanks for asking this as it also raises some other questions that I have been working through.
I've been working in Florida for 10 years now. I started in a chiropractic office and although I appreciated the experience and knowledge that I received, I didn't like the fact that most did not appreciate me and all I had to do. Such as, keeping track of all the therapy I did on every patient on my own -at home- I was not allowed to keep a progress report of my own work. Most of the time the Dr. himself had no idea what my work actually did for the patient and how it changes as the patient progresses. He did not know the difference between myofascial and regular massage. But he sure knew the difference in price. He ordered me to do myofascial on a new patient out of a car accident with neck injuries. I refused. In fact I refused all massage as the patient could not move and was in a serious acute condition. He was already having blackouts on a daily basis.
To make a long story shorter, After I left, the Dr used my massage license number to claim insurance money for two years after. I just didn't know. I let my license lapse in order to get a different number so that he couldn't use me any longer. So do take care in that area if you are inclined to work with some of them. I have always believed in chiropractic medicine and do know there are a many good Doctor out there but be wary of the others by checking the state board of health to see if any actions are being filed against them.
I have yet to work in other spas or salons in my area as I can attest to some of the experiences related by the others here; noise, smells and lack of proper pay. Which brings me to my addition to your post.
With the spas now opening such as "massage envy" and "La vida" it is becoming difficult to gauge a price. and now with the economic hardships facing many in the public, it is even harder. I put my regular massage at 50$ and even this is becoming questionable. the cheap spa down in Clearwater Fl are advertising at 39$ this is hurting our status and there doesn't seem to be a way to combat it marketably.
Does anyone have any suggestion or thought on this. I see some are working for 70$ but I don't see how this is possible or how they are making any clients. Perhaps the very wealthy but not for the average middle income in our economy today.
Thanks
Catherine

 

[SMILE!]

Catherine,

Thank you for your post. I'm sorry you have gone such a difficult ordeal.

Did you approach the chiropractor regarding his fradulent behaviors? What about the Dept. of Health? Because you let your license lapse, does that mean you have not been working?

The chiropractor, as you said, didn't know what your work was about, so how could he dictate to you how to treat a client and not allow you to keep records in the office? For me that would have been all I needed to walk.

Yes, the economy is terrible now, but in my practice here in MA, I have found it to be brisk BECAUSE of the economy. People are so stressed that they need help, so they are looking for massage. I have new people calling regularly. Some regular clients have dropped off temporarily, they say, until they can find a new job, or others rebook further down the line, but for the most part business is good.

My plans to move to Florida have been affected by the economy so I will not be doing so for at least 2 years, maybe more. In the meantime, I visit at least twice a year, and when I am there I am checking out the area, visiting places, etc., to get a feel for how things are done and what the demographics are.

I appreciate your words of caution when looking for a job. What you describe can be found everywhere, I believe, and it is up to us to try to gather as much information before deciding where to work. Unfortunately you had a bad experience, but I am sure you will find the right place in time.

Donna