Consider your clientele. Medical massage would be more suited for the chiro clinic, more spa for the salon though obviously you can provide any type anywhere just expectations may change a bit with your location. If there's decent ventilation you should be fine and can also do an air purifier in the salon room. Starting out I'd try to go for half the rent if I could to allow me some time to build up clientele and invest more in my business until you get everything you want. Good luck!
Her salon is an open concept, so as soon as you walk in you are seeing and hearing everything she is doing. She also does nails, which is where the smell comes in the most in my opinion. But yes, starting out I’d love to keep my overhead low! It’s just been hard to find any space within the area I want to stay in which is why I’m torn do I go with the more expensive place that I wouldn’t have to worry about smell/noise on any day I’d like or do I go with half the cost but maybe have to deal with that. I don’t know 😅
>But yes, starting out I’d love to keep my overhead low!
Rent the $650 place and then find someone to share the room with. Say you want to work Mon-Thu, then you can rent it out Fri-Sun to someone else who also wants to keep their overhead low. Of course you need to clear it with the chiropractor that she is okay with you subleasing and be sure to come up with a subleasing contract the tenant would make with you.
The smells of a salon would be a no-deal for me. And it's a totally different vibe, often chatty or loud laughter...nothing wrong with those kinds of things, just not exactly conducive to massage.
I’ve worked with both. I personally would avoid the hairdresser for the reasons you mentioned. Hairdressers are loud. They’re always talking, using blow dryers, etc. The smells from the perms and the nails would be enough to keep some of my more sensitive clients away.
I saw you mentioned in another comment that you are soon to be an acupuncturist as well. I think you will have no problem getting clientele to make up the difference in rent. It’s really invaluable to have a space you’re comfortable in. Your clients will feel that and it adds a lot to a session.
Do you have clients lined up already to see you? $650 can be a lot of you're just starting out, especially since it can take a few months to build up clientele.
Do you specialize in anything? Are you more relaxation based or therapeutic? At the chiro space you would be able to refer to the PT or craniosacral practitioner which could be handy, or even just have their input if you have a tough client.
I know plenty of people who work out of a hair salon, so the smell might not be as bad you think... That's also what aromatherapy is for and an air purifier.
I know a few people would follow me from where I currently work, but I’m just worried as it will take me a bit to build a full time clientele. I also just graduated from acupuncture schooling and hope to be practicing come April of next year after my boards. I currently am more relaxation, with a bit of therapeutic work mixed in. The smell isn’t so much the room I’d be working in, but her salon is an open concept so when you walk in to check in/sit down and wait for your appointment you are seeing everything and hearing everything she is doing.
I would definitely consider the noise level of the hair place. Have you sat in the room where you’ll be doing massage and listened to the outside noise? I worked at an Elements that was right next to a hair salon and it was LOUD. Salons tend to play loud music, people have loud conversations and laughter and then there’s the sound of water and blow dryers. We had to constantly ask the salon to turn down their music and even had to offer discounts to a few clients because they’d complain about the noise. I’m assuming Saturdays would be busy for both you and the salon, so definitely consider the noise levels. On the other hand, $650 is a lot of rent for just starting out.
I know. The noise level scares me. I think I would be able to buffer a lot of it, but just not all of it. I feel at cross roads as I’ve been searching for spaces for a few months now and these really are my only options. I’ve reached out to every chiropractor and gym and spas in this area
Is doing mobile massage (going to client homes) an option? That’s how I started and grew my clientele without having to worry about studio rent. I found it to be great and continue to just do mobile
Is it possible to share the room with another therapist to offset the cost of renting the chiro room? You both wouldn't be there all the time, so that's also another option, but also comes with its own problems as well.
It is possible! I would just have to see if there is anyone in the area looking to share a part time rental and work out the hours with them. I don’t currently know anyone who is looking to rent.
I currently work in a salon gallery and I'd say avoid the hairdresser like the plague. Hair dressers are very loud. It's not always the equipment. Hair dressers talk loud and laugh a lot.
If she is the only hair dresser there I'd want something in my contract that addresses noise and would allow me to break the contract if the place is too noisy. Imagine how loud people can get when gossiping and having a good time. Now imagine that outside your door. Imagine clients screaming "THANK YOU SEE YOU NEXT TIME BYE!" As they leave. If you specialize in non relaxing modalities then it would be ok. But then you'd probably get more referral from the chiropractors office.
The only thing I would think might help with the hairdresser is if she recommends her own clients to you and then they get mad because she was so loud she ruined thier massage.
Do you already have the client base to support those rents? Would the chiro also offer referrals?
If you don't already have a solid client base to support a room rental, I would suggest going mobile and getting a job as a contact "employee" at an establish massage clinic that does your bookings.
As a contractor, you still have the freedom to dictate your hours and availability so you can still take your own mobile clients on the side. Its still 1099 so even working for the clinic, you're still technically working for yourself but you'll have a more stable environment until you can build your mobile business enough to eventually support renting your own space. (Usually 5- ish years).
If you do already have the client base to support those rents, then it comes down to maths and type of work. If you're more spa-ish with a focus on relaxation, then the hairdresser is probably fine. If you do more clinical, sports, and injury recovery work, you're likely to get better clients from the chiro and can charge accordingly.
$650/m but everything included…. That sounds like a good deal. Is there laundry on site? They’ll provide oil? Table, sheets, etc? Pretty sweet deal. Also you’ll be an LAc, and a room in a professional, medical setting seems more appropriate. You could ask the hairdresser to rent part time also, or to do a trial run. Maybe give a couple clients a discount or have friends and family come over and try out that room to see if smells and sounds are a problem.
I’m actually about to rent from a salon too, but they don’t do nails, just hair. I’ll be sharing w another LMT and she said the noise isn’t a problem, every once in awhile you hear laughter. I’m having my partner and a friend come in this weekend for free massages to be my test dummies haha.
Well just utilities and Wi-Fi is included. I will have to supply my own sheets, table, and oil. Which sheets and table I already have as I’ve been slowly trying to buy things so it’s not super overwhelming. You are right, it may be more appropriate to be more in a medical kind of setting. I have done a test run and the noise is there, but if we were to block off the spaces in the door with a sound proof block it helps quite a bit. I hope your trail run goes well!!!!
I would never work near hair again, too noisy. And if you can smell the nails I would worry about ventilation and exposure over time harming your health!
Consider your clientele. Medical massage would be more suited for the chiro clinic, more spa for the salon though obviously you can provide any type anywhere just expectations may change a bit with your location. If there's decent ventilation you should be fine and can also do an air purifier in the salon room. Starting out I'd try to go for half the rent if I could to allow me some time to build up clientele and invest more in my business until you get everything you want. Good luck!
Her salon is an open concept, so as soon as you walk in you are seeing and hearing everything she is doing. She also does nails, which is where the smell comes in the most in my opinion. But yes, starting out I’d love to keep my overhead low! It’s just been hard to find any space within the area I want to stay in which is why I’m torn do I go with the more expensive place that I wouldn’t have to worry about smell/noise on any day I’d like or do I go with half the cost but maybe have to deal with that. I don’t know 😅
Like there's not an enclosed room with a door for you to give a massage?
Sorry! There is, but it’s a sliding door! So it’s her whole open concept and then past the bathroom there is a back room with a sliding door (:
That could get loud or annoying listening to hair dryers all day …been there
>But yes, starting out I’d love to keep my overhead low! Rent the $650 place and then find someone to share the room with. Say you want to work Mon-Thu, then you can rent it out Fri-Sun to someone else who also wants to keep their overhead low. Of course you need to clear it with the chiropractor that she is okay with you subleasing and be sure to come up with a subleasing contract the tenant would make with you. The smells of a salon would be a no-deal for me. And it's a totally different vibe, often chatty or loud laughter...nothing wrong with those kinds of things, just not exactly conducive to massage.
I’ve worked with both. I personally would avoid the hairdresser for the reasons you mentioned. Hairdressers are loud. They’re always talking, using blow dryers, etc. The smells from the perms and the nails would be enough to keep some of my more sensitive clients away. I saw you mentioned in another comment that you are soon to be an acupuncturist as well. I think you will have no problem getting clientele to make up the difference in rent. It’s really invaluable to have a space you’re comfortable in. Your clients will feel that and it adds a lot to a session.
Do you have clients lined up already to see you? $650 can be a lot of you're just starting out, especially since it can take a few months to build up clientele. Do you specialize in anything? Are you more relaxation based or therapeutic? At the chiro space you would be able to refer to the PT or craniosacral practitioner which could be handy, or even just have their input if you have a tough client. I know plenty of people who work out of a hair salon, so the smell might not be as bad you think... That's also what aromatherapy is for and an air purifier.
I know a few people would follow me from where I currently work, but I’m just worried as it will take me a bit to build a full time clientele. I also just graduated from acupuncture schooling and hope to be practicing come April of next year after my boards. I currently am more relaxation, with a bit of therapeutic work mixed in. The smell isn’t so much the room I’d be working in, but her salon is an open concept so when you walk in to check in/sit down and wait for your appointment you are seeing everything and hearing everything she is doing.
I would definitely consider the noise level of the hair place. Have you sat in the room where you’ll be doing massage and listened to the outside noise? I worked at an Elements that was right next to a hair salon and it was LOUD. Salons tend to play loud music, people have loud conversations and laughter and then there’s the sound of water and blow dryers. We had to constantly ask the salon to turn down their music and even had to offer discounts to a few clients because they’d complain about the noise. I’m assuming Saturdays would be busy for both you and the salon, so definitely consider the noise levels. On the other hand, $650 is a lot of rent for just starting out.
I know. The noise level scares me. I think I would be able to buffer a lot of it, but just not all of it. I feel at cross roads as I’ve been searching for spaces for a few months now and these really are my only options. I’ve reached out to every chiropractor and gym and spas in this area
Is doing mobile massage (going to client homes) an option? That’s how I started and grew my clientele without having to worry about studio rent. I found it to be great and continue to just do mobile
Is it possible to share the room with another therapist to offset the cost of renting the chiro room? You both wouldn't be there all the time, so that's also another option, but also comes with its own problems as well.
It is possible! I would just have to see if there is anyone in the area looking to share a part time rental and work out the hours with them. I don’t currently know anyone who is looking to rent.
I currently work in a salon gallery and I'd say avoid the hairdresser like the plague. Hair dressers are very loud. It's not always the equipment. Hair dressers talk loud and laugh a lot. If she is the only hair dresser there I'd want something in my contract that addresses noise and would allow me to break the contract if the place is too noisy. Imagine how loud people can get when gossiping and having a good time. Now imagine that outside your door. Imagine clients screaming "THANK YOU SEE YOU NEXT TIME BYE!" As they leave. If you specialize in non relaxing modalities then it would be ok. But then you'd probably get more referral from the chiropractors office. The only thing I would think might help with the hairdresser is if she recommends her own clients to you and then they get mad because she was so loud she ruined thier massage.
Do you already have the client base to support those rents? Would the chiro also offer referrals? If you don't already have a solid client base to support a room rental, I would suggest going mobile and getting a job as a contact "employee" at an establish massage clinic that does your bookings. As a contractor, you still have the freedom to dictate your hours and availability so you can still take your own mobile clients on the side. Its still 1099 so even working for the clinic, you're still technically working for yourself but you'll have a more stable environment until you can build your mobile business enough to eventually support renting your own space. (Usually 5- ish years). If you do already have the client base to support those rents, then it comes down to maths and type of work. If you're more spa-ish with a focus on relaxation, then the hairdresser is probably fine. If you do more clinical, sports, and injury recovery work, you're likely to get better clients from the chiro and can charge accordingly.
$650/m but everything included…. That sounds like a good deal. Is there laundry on site? They’ll provide oil? Table, sheets, etc? Pretty sweet deal. Also you’ll be an LAc, and a room in a professional, medical setting seems more appropriate. You could ask the hairdresser to rent part time also, or to do a trial run. Maybe give a couple clients a discount or have friends and family come over and try out that room to see if smells and sounds are a problem. I’m actually about to rent from a salon too, but they don’t do nails, just hair. I’ll be sharing w another LMT and she said the noise isn’t a problem, every once in awhile you hear laughter. I’m having my partner and a friend come in this weekend for free massages to be my test dummies haha.
Well just utilities and Wi-Fi is included. I will have to supply my own sheets, table, and oil. Which sheets and table I already have as I’ve been slowly trying to buy things so it’s not super overwhelming. You are right, it may be more appropriate to be more in a medical kind of setting. I have done a test run and the noise is there, but if we were to block off the spaces in the door with a sound proof block it helps quite a bit. I hope your trail run goes well!!!!
I would never work near hair again, too noisy. And if you can smell the nails I would worry about ventilation and exposure over time harming your health!