Charging What Your Hands Are Worth

How do I price my session?....

How My Pricing Evolved Over 19 Years as a Massage Therapist

When I first started in 2013, I charged one dollar per minute $60 to $90 per session. Back then, raising my rates wasn’t even a thought. It wasn’t about maximizing income; it was about building clientele, gaining experience, and getting my hands on as many bodies as possible.

I worked with what I had clients my age, people who didn’t have a lot of disposable income, and an apartment office that allowed me to start my practice without the pressure of overhead.

As my clientele grew, my pricing had to evolve with my life and my career. When I opened my first office, I suddenly had to consider overhead: rent, utilities, insurance, supplies, linens, laundering, admin time, and taxes. And with each passing year, I realized something most massage therapists learn the hard way our income isn’t just based on the hour we spend with a client. It’s based on everything we do behind the scenes to make that hour possible.

Investing in Myself Became Part of My Pricing

I’ve always invested heavily in my craft. Every two years, I recertify or take advanced trainings to stay at the top of my field. My pricing began to reflect not only my skill, but my commitment to growth.

I also had to consider something more personal:

How many days do I want to work? Especially now that I have a toddler?

There was a time when I could literally live in my office. But that is no longer my life, nor my priority. Now, my pricing reflects:

• my availability,

• my physical longevity,

• the number of clients I can sustainably see per month and

• the energy I need to show up fully present for every person on my table.

I praise my longevity by raising my rates when needed, and I honor my body by giving myself the self-care required to continue doing this work for decades more.

But Here’s the Hard Truth: Raising Rates Comes with Imposter Syndrome

This industry is emotionally layered. We touch people every day, we hold space for them, and we spend years building trust and relationships. So when it came time to raise my rates, I was hit with:

• “Am I worth this?”

• “Will clients leave?”

• “Do I really deserve to charge more?”

Even with years of experience, imposter syndrome shows up right at the moment you begin valuing yourself more.

And let me be honest: pricing isn’t just logistics it’s mindset.

It forces you to confront your own beliefs about your worth.

What helped me move through that fear was this:

• Clients come to me because they feel a difference.

• They return because the work speaks for itself.

• My education, experience, and results justify the increase.

And yes, sometimes raising rates means losing clients.

Sometimes it means keeping them.

But the ones who stay are the ones who genuinely believe in your worth.

And that is priceless.

Milestones That Shaped My Pricing

• Year 10: Opened my own practice

• Year 12: Certified in cupping

• Year 18: Expanded into performance stretching

• Year 19: Added scraping, taping, and Thai stretching

Each milestone elevated the treatment I provide. I am always learning, always refining, always evolving and that is what sets me apart.

A Limited Resource: Me

There is only one me. I can max out at four clients per day not because I’m lazy, but because I choose to show up fully, strong, and present for each person on my table. Massage therapy is different from chiropractic care or physical therapy; we spend a full hour in the treatment room with our clients, providing hands-on care, assessing, adjusting, and responding in real time. Unlike PTs or chiropractors, who may only have 5–15 minutes to deliver focused interventions, my work demands sustained energy, focus, and presence to deliver results.

• My strength,

• My focus,

• My body,

• And the quality of my work

are all limited, finite resources.

Protecting my back, my mental health, and the longevity of my career is non-negotiable.

Why My Pricing Is What It Is

I wish I could help everybody and keep my pricing accessible for all, but the reality is:

• We all have bills to pay.

• We all have families to support.

• And as massage therapists, we only have so much time and energy in a day.

Unless I hire a team, the only way to provide the level of care I demand of myself is to price my services at a sustainable rate.

My rates reflect:

• My education,

• My experience,

• My results,

• My boundaries,

• Work- life balance

• And the standard of excellence I bring to every session.

It took me years to understand this, but now I stand firmly in it:

I charge what I charge because I’m worth it and my clients agree.

If there’s one takeaway I want other therapists, mothers, students, or anyone in a service-based career to hear, it’s this:

Because longevity in this industry doesn’t come from keeping your rates low.

It comes from valuing yourself enough to build a career you can live with and live well.

And trust that the clients who are meant for you will always stay.