3 Ways To Protect Your Massage Studio Against Winter Weather Woes
Come rain, sleet or snow…do your clients show up as reliably as the mailman?
Welcome back to another Monday with the Mavens. We created the Massage Mavens blog to connect with and educate self-employed massage therapists working to grow as business owners.
It can be lonely working for yourself – and we’re here to remind you that while you’re in business for yourself, you don’t have to be in business by yourself.
While we cater our content to independent MTs, all massage therapists are welcome here; whether you run your own independent massage therapy studio, you contract in a clinic, work in spa, or you are still in school.
Navigating No-Shows During Winter Weather
While you may live in Florida, where hurricanes and gators a bigger problem than snow – many of us are headed in to snow season. Looking back on previous years, has your studio fared well when inclement weather rolls in? Or does your revenue take a hit when the flakes start falling?
There are ways to set yourself up for success this winter.
1. Create clear policies around weather expectations.
Consider having a policy that clearly covers both of these scenarios:
a. There is weather but the studio remains open.
- Do you expect clients to come to their sessions?
- Reschedule in advance of the storm?
- Pay a late cancel fee for last minute cancellations?
We all have that one client who so assumes that we are closed, and it doesn’t occur to them to check or to call and cancel. Nip those bad habits in the bud by making in clear in your policies that your studio is Open unless you specifically reach out to inform them otherwise.
b. There is weather and the studio closes.
How will you communicate those closures to clients?
How will you approach rescheduling those clients?
2. Communicate your policies clearly & frequently.
a. Consider sending a newsletter every fall before the first snow that reminds clients of your policies
b. Consider having clients sign a yearly re-intake that clearly states your weather protocols (This is also a great opportunity to collect updated health and contact information from everyone)
It is always easier to enforce a rule when you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the rule was known and understood. If you’ve had a client for 5 years, and the last time they saw your snow policy was 5 years ago, you can’t blame them for being fuzzy on the details. Be kind: Re-Mind.
3. Establish a wait-list of clients comfortable driving in the snow who want to know about cancellations.
a. If you know your 75 year old, Prius-driving client doesn’t feel comfortable driving in winter conditions, but your 35 year old snowboarder is fine with it; your life just got that much easier. Instead of having to hunt for someone day-of, you’ll already know who to call.
Now that you’ve organized your expectations and communicated them with your clients, go enjoy the winter weather for me!
Thanks for stopping by.
As always, we’d love to hear how our content has helped you improve either your studio, your mindset, or your revenue as a self-employed massage therapist.
Rachel Martin, LMT, is an independent massage therapist living in Denver Colorado. Having built her solo massage studio to capacity, she now spends her free time helping other massage therapists do the same. Check out Six Figure Studios, Queen Street Marketplace, and The Techy MT to learn more.
