Mobile Apps: Leading Industries – Where Does It Leave Massage ?

Massage mobile apps continue to grow rapidly across the globe, and Australia is not without it’s share

The business model first mega-popularized by Uber, the ride-on-demand app, has flourished due to people’s increasing desire for nearly-instant goods and services at the touch of a smartphone icon, as well as their rising interest in natural health and wellness.  A number of companies have launched in the massage-apps space, capitalizing on consumers’ desire to schedule a massage without much advance notice, as well as to provide clients with therapists who have been vetted and approved in some way prior to booking.

“People need to find a creative way to take care of themselves, with high levels of stress, and a limited amount of time, and the demands of modern life,” said Julie Wald, co-founder of Namaste New York, a massage-app company that offers additional wellness services such as yoga, Pilates, personal training, nutritional coaching and meditation.

For the professional massage therapist, the rise of these services represents an opportunity for flexible working arrangements and the chance to make some extra money, but providing massage through these channels carries with it some unique challenges as well.

How Massage Mobile Apps Work In Australia

Most massage-app companies operate in the same basic way:  Potential clients use a website, app, or messaging to specify an appointment date and time and other details about the massage they would like, and the app matches them up with a massage therapist who is available and qualified to provide that service.

The therapist travels to the client’s location, bringing along a massage table, linens, lubricants and any other tools needed.  Typically, a massage-app service will use some type of screening on both the client’s and massage therapist’s side to ensure that their identities are verified; some also ask therapists to check in and out of appointments and follow other security protocols to ensure personal safety.  Payment is handled through the website or app, and the company usually receives a cut of the session fee, either a flat rate or a percentage. These business practices vary depending on which massage-apps company you are dealing with.

Australia’s ZenNow indicate that their therapists earn 75% of the appointment charge without the headache of managing the administration.

BLYS is another large national massage app operator, recruiting qualified therapist across Australia. BLYS considers every therapist a business operator in their own right – but without the usual headaches of client booking management.  BLYS state they offer therapists at least $95.00 for a standard massage call out.

The Big Question: How Much Money Will I Make Working with a Massage-App Company?

Naturally, before jumping into working on demand via a massage-app company, you’re probably wondering how much of each session fee you get to keep, especially if you’re currently self-employed and used to keeping 100 percent of fees,  for yourself; or if you work as an employee and are used to receiving only a portion of the fee.  Keep in mind that when using an on-demand service, the administrative tasks you might have to do as an independent therapist may be handled for you; not having to do these tasks may be worth whatever portion of the fee the company keeps.

For example, you won’t have to handle marketing (other than maintaining a profile page if the company offers that); apart from accepting or rejecting appointments, you won’t have to go back and forth with the client to work out a date and time; and if there is a payment issue with a client, the company generally deals with it.

How much time you might otherwise spend dealing with these tasks can help you figure out if the on-demand business model works for you financially.

If you are used to working as an employee, transitioning to massage-app work may also mean you need to invest in necessary equipment, such as a portable massage table, and adjust to living with a more irregular income.  Massage-app payment structure varies widely depending on which company you work with, but most of the companies claim they allow therapists to collect a larger portion of the fee than they would if they were working as employees of a business. (If the company sets the session fee, it will vary depending on your geographical location.)

Australia’s  ZenNow, state  there’s no fees, sign up costs or commitments involved at all. Masage Therapists can simply work when you want, where you want and earn more than industry standard rates.   “We take all the hassle, admin and risk out of traditional massage offerings, allowing you to focus your time on what you love. Work shouldn’t be a burden, we want to give you your own Zen moment.”

Will I Have a Flexible Schedule?

Flexibility is a huge reason for the success of massage mobile apps as a business model — clients love being able to fit massage in whenever their schedule allows, without much advance notice, and therapists enjoy the ability to fill in gaps in their schedule with paid work.
If you’re a massage therapist looking to excel in this market, you must be flexible, especially if you aim to make a significant portion of your income via on-demand work.  Working on demand can allow you to schedule massage appointments around your other obligations, including taking a break for a while if you need it.

Australia’s ZenNow is not only delivering a moment of Zen straight to doorsteps of thousands of people across the country, they say they are also helping to empower massage therapists to take back control of their own work.

BLYS says their company gives Massage Therapists a chance to “be their own boss”   “With Blys, you make your own schedule. Work when you want to, no obligations. Enjoy an independent lifestyle.”  BLYS believe they make this an easy choice for therapists.

For therapists who look for more routine working hours, some on-demand companies also offer therapists the chance to work in corporate environments providing massage for employees,  taking on workplace contracts through Corporate Wellness Program. In addition to on-demand services and corporate contracts, some App Companies  also partners with spas to fill empty therapist positions or augment their permanent staff.   This works well for spas that might otherwise have to turn away clients during busy times.

How Will a Company Ensure My Safety as a Massage Therapist?

Therapist safety is a top priority for massage-app companies, though each handles the details a bit differently as far as client screening and therapist security during appointments.   Most appear to start on the customer end, vetting new massage clients fairly extensively. Some even use a special software program to assess the “risk” of a client when an appointment is requested.  For example, if a client asks for an appointment at a different address from the address on his or her credit card, a customer service representative would call the client for further information.    Companies claim they do a lot on the front end to make sure that the customer is as high quality as possible. 

This level of security is not uncommon among Massage App companies.   Therapists are asked to check in and out of appointments via mobile device and tracked via GPS during appointments.  With some companies a failed attempt to reach a therapist on completion of a massage booking, will result in a call out to local police if they cannot verify the therapist’s safety.

How Will Clients Know I’m Legit and Trustworthy?

Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous massage therapists — or those posing as massage therapists — out there who offer illegal services that hurt the reputation of legitimate, professional therapists.  This can leave some potential clients leery of requesting massage from someone they have never met, especially when they are inviting that person into their home.

To ensure clients can be confident in the therapists they welcome into their lives, companies such as BLYS and ZenNow have an extensive screening of every massage therapist they add to their network, others also include an annual background check each year a therapist remains in their network,   That yearly checkup includes verifying that, credentials and liability insurance are up-to-date.

What Qualities and Skills Do I Need to Succeed as a Mobile App Massage Therapist?

Obviously, to succeed as a massage therapist in any type of work environment, you need excellent massage skills.  To do well in the on-demand arena, you’ll also need skills that may not come into play as much when you work in a spa or private studio.

In addition to tip-top massage skills, many companies seeks therapists who have “social skills and business acumen to be able to ensure  great feedback and,  especially to our new customers who may have never had any at-home service  — either they’re a little nervous, they don’t know what to expect, they’ve maybe never had a massage — it’s really important that a therapist can make that person feel at ease and explain the process clearly.

More  typically Companies will look for seasoned therapists who want to add to their income. “We seek to work with really well-trained, experienced [people], [with] professional presentation, [who are] passionate about the work, and really committed to the industry,”  “Generally, it’s someone that already has worked for some time, and this is an opportunity for them to supplement other things that they have going on.”

But at the end of the day, these App Companies agree   “It’s all about the massage therapist ” 

So Massage Apps might be the answer to “on demand’ massage requests across Australia.  But their success is still in the hands of the therapists they contract.   Only after this does the GAIN become factored against the liability of client management, marketing, business management and all the risks associated with the operation – something therapists do not need to worry their heads about. 

One BLYS therapist sums this up “I love Blys for the reasons being it’s a platform for therapists to do what they love doing without having to do the things they don’t like doing such as marketing and advertising.”

Am I Ready to Work for a Massage-App Company?

The on-demand economy, which includes such businesses as massage and other health services, taxi-like driving, grocery delivery and many others, has more than 22.4 million users spending almost $58 billion annually, according to Harvard Business Reports, and growth in this business sector is expected to grow.

As technology continues to evolve, on-demand sessions will continue to represent an opportunity for massage therapists whose skills and characteristics are suited to working for massage app companies