Back when I was a new massage therapist, I received a phone call from someone asking if they could claim my treatments on their health insurance. Unfortunately, they couldn’t because I wasn’t yet qualified to the standard the insurance company wanted. She told me bluntly she would not book until she could claim.
I was charging $25 for a 60-minute treatment. I worked from my living room and justified the low price because I was just starting out. This was circa 2000, but even then, it was a low price. When I hung up the phone and reflected on the conversation, it seemed to confirm to me that I was still too expensive. I was disheartened. This was my introduction to how our identity can create and confirm negative thinking around pricing.
Somewhere in my training, I decided that $25 was all my massage treatment was worth. Looking back, what strikes me isn’t how little I was charging but how guilty I felt charging even that.
A few months later, I moved into a chiropractic clinic. I had about a year of experience and was paying the clinic a 30 percent commission, so I figured it was time to charge “proper” rates. I increased my fee to $65 an hour, which felt enormous to me.
For the next 13 years, I barely touched my prices. Eventually they crept up to $87.50, but every increase felt uncomfortable. I worried what clients would think, that they would leave, that I would be seen as greedy, that I was doing the wrong thing.
But pricing had to change. I was working more hours and my expenses (in clinic and personal life) had increased, but I had less to spend. I realized I was looking at pricing through the lens of how I thought it would impact client relationships, and my fragile self-worth meant I was overly concerned about upsetting anyone.
Meanwhile, my bank account didn’t care how I felt. It kept showing the numbers . . . and they were heading in the wrong direction. The breakthrough came when I realized how much of an impact my mindset was having on my finances.
I learned a lot from a business coach and studying to upskill in my business. I changed the game when I visualized what I wanted—both in business and life—and then asked myself the magic question: How can I make that happen?
In 2013, I increased my clinic fee to $120 per session. It was higher than anyone else I knew was charging in my town. I stressed about it, but
within four weeks, I had a waiting list. I was astounded. Raising prices had the opposite effect of what I imagined!
That experience challenged everything I believed about pricing. I had spent years thinking the number itself was the problem, when in reality, the biggest obstacle had been believing I could charge it.
Now, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring more than 1,000 massage and bodywork professionals and have coached in the profession for over a decade. I’ve listened to therapists from around the world talk about pricing, confidence, and the fear of charging what they’re truly worth. And I’ve noticed that most practitioners still believe pricing is a math problem, even though they often begin by talking about everyone else. They’ll say, “I don’t think people around here would pay more” or “There’s someone down the road that’s even cheaper.”
I’ve listened to therapists from around the world talk about pricing, confidence, and the fear of charging what they’re truly worth.
But it isn’t a math problem. Instead, very few massage therapists calculate what they need to charge to build a sustainable business. Instead, they usually look sideways, compare themselves to other therapists, and charge slightly less.
This is why I see it as an identity problem. We don’t want to stand out too much, and we don’t want to be judged. So looking at what others do is an easy default to stay comfortable. But comparison is a terrible pricing strategy.
Here’s an example: Therapists who previously worked on cruise ships almost never struggle with charging premium rates once they return home. On cruise ships, treatments are commonly priced between $250 and $400. When those therapists return to private practice, many charge between $120 and $160, sometimes $200 or more. Those MTs have already seen people pay higher prices. They’ve experienced those rates being accepted as normal, and their identity has expanded to believe they’re worth it. Their potential hasn’t changed, but their mindset has.
Of course, charging more doesn’t magically make someone a better therapist. But it does remind us that clients don’t simply buy time. They buy outcomes, so they often pay more for a confident therapist they can trust.
And in a surprising twist, charging more can improve treatment outcomes. Studies have shown that people who believe they are receiving a premium treatment often experience better results. Higher expectations can influence recovery by activating the brain’s chemistry, including dopamine and endogenous opioids.1 In other words, the expectation you create matters.
I don’t recommend long emails explaining why prices have increased. No good email begins with the word “Unfortunately”:
• “Unfortunately, due to rising costs . . .”
• “Unfortunately, because of the current economy . . .”
• “Unfortunately, I’m so sorry, I wish I didn’t have to . . .”
These examples immediately place the therapist in a position of apology. A raise in price isn’t bad news. In fact, it’s not news at all. It’s more like when someone names their baby, and they say, “Here is my child, Fred!” At that point, the naming is done.
In the same way, regular price increases are a part of running a healthy business. When I increased our clinic fees, I chose a different approach. Every time I raised prices, I picked a day the change would take effect, and we would update everything simultaneously. Our website, booking software, brochures, and signage all reflected the new fee. Then, when existing clients came in for their appointments, they would see the price increase had already happened (like the baby already named), and we would say, “Just letting you know, we’ve had a price increase, but today I’ll still charge you the old fee. Next time you come in, your appointment will be $140.”
No lengthy explanation, no apology, no public announcement—just clear communication. Most clients simply replied, “OK, no worries.” Many cared far less than we imagined. And new clients booked at the new rate because that’s what the appointment cost.
For the occasional client who genuinely couldn’t afford ongoing treatment, we found ways to help them. Extra cash meant we could do that without compromising the business’s sustainability. One idea we introduced was a scholarship system. Each therapist could offer one client a partially subsidized course of care for a limited period. This allowed us to remain generous without creating resentment or exhaustion.
Looking back, I don’t think the biggest transformation was from charging $25 to charging $120 (and now $250). The biggest transformation was moving from seeing myself as “just a massage therapist” to recognizing the value I brought into every treatment room.
Your next price increase doesn’t need to be justified by becoming a better therapist, because if you already get results and have returning clients, you have proof you are doing a good job. Instead, your next price increase should be about you reaching a different level of business ownership. Once our identity changes, communicating a price increase becomes much easier. By the time we feel comfortable saying the new number out loud, we’ve usually already become the person capable of charging it.
One of the biggest mindset shifts I made was realizing that I had the same authority as my mentors. Even if it wasn’t at the same level of experience, authority is granted regardless.
Authority comes from stepping into the role we already earned through our education, our professionalism, and the responsibility we carry every time someone lies on our treatment table. I sometimes imagine this as putting on a cape that comes from an internal mindset that says, “I have got this.”
As massage and bodywork practitioners, we’re in a unique position. Few health professionals spend an uninterrupted hour with a patient or client, often using nothing but skilled hands, careful listening, and presence. Every day we help regulate nervous systems, reduce pain, restore movement. We create spaces where people feel safe enough to relax. That work has enormous value. Sometimes we simply forget to see that value.
One exercise I often encourage massage therapists to do is reflect on the clients they’ve helped during the week. Who walked in unable to move freely and walked out smiling? Who felt genuinely heard? Who experienced something in your treatment room they hadn’t experienced anywhere else?
When we intentionally recognize the difference we make, our thoughts begin to shift and change. Our confidence no longer comes from comparing ourselves to other therapists but from evidence of our own effectiveness. And sometimes, the greatest investment we can make isn’t in another qualification; it’s in stepping into the authority we already earned.
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