FEATURED THREAD: Need advice on working out of home

[help me!]

I will finally be getting my license within the next month so I have been actively looking for rental space as I want to start my own business. The problem is that everything is either way too big for what I need or they are asking too much for a small office. I don't have a client base right now and I can't justify spending $650/month right off the bat.

Now here is where I need your advice...

As you enter our house there is a front room that is originally supposed to be a formal living room, but we don't use it as that, I actually have my table in there and have used it when massaging friends and family. I was thinking of having this be my massage studio, but we don't want to close it off as it really doesn't go with the flow of the house. So my thought was that I could put in floor to ceiling drapes (heavy & thick) on a track that will completely close off that room. My husband works from home, but would be upstairs at all times when I have a client present. My 13 yr old son also knows this would be a requirement when he is home and he is fine this this. Do you think this would work? Would you feel too exposed if this were you receiving a massage?

Oh, and they would have to walk through my family room/kitchen area to use the bathroom. If I did this, I would make sure that everything was always spotless!

 

[Keyshon B]

I went to a therapist who had this same layout in her condo. I was the client.

She put up those folding doors. The living room was spotless, but I didn't ask to use the restroom as I didn't want to invade and I was really fine with that. I think most people will not use your restroom unless you offer it. So, if you don't want to encourage it, just don't offer.

The set up was nice and worked fine - from the client's point of view.

I think you can do it without worry.

 

[Young Love]

I think most people will not use your restroom unless you offer it. So, if you don't want to encourage it, just don't offer.

Wow. I don't think I have any clients who don't use the restroom at my office. When I get a massage, I need to use the restroom both before & after. Maybe my clients & I are the tiny bladder folks? :

As for the curtains floor to ceiling, one problem I can foresee is that all sounds will filter through the cloth, meaning it won't feel very private. Some clients are casual, and they won't mind at all. Others will feel too exposed and won't be back. For me, it would really depend on the therapist. It's not an ideal environment for receiving a massage, but if the therapist was awesome, I'd make an exception.

 

[darachow]

Do check the regulations in your state. Here in Florida the law is very clear on how to set up a home practice. You first need to apply for rezoning. You also need a room and access to the bathroom that are separated form your personal living area. You can’t walk to the bathroom through kitchen or any personal space. Your state regulations are most likely different or may be there are none. But check before making any decisions.
And I always use bathroom before and right after massage. Best luck!

 

[Pompal 09.]

I would say about half of my clients use the restroom before or after a session. And when I get work I use the restroom after for sure.


Jason

 

[Ambu]

As a client, I always use the restroom before (just to ensure I don't get "that urge" while I'm on the table), and usually afterward as well.

As a therapist with an office in my home (in addition to other work locations...), I'd say about half of the people use the restroom either before, after, or both (my bathroom is directly across the hall from the treatment room.). In my case, the clients have to walk thru my living room (the front door brings you directly into the LR), past an opening that looks into the dining room, and down a hall to get to the treatment room and/or bathroom (they pass my daughter's BR, but I always close her door so they don't see her mess). So I always have to have a clean LR, DR, bathroom AND treatment room. grrrrrr...

 

[Jazzie Moon]

*chuckles* Funny how this turned into a "restroom" / "comfort station" thread. And it IS important. Don't think I am not suggesting this isn't a good turn.

When I go for a massage in someones home like this, I plan ahead by using the restroom before getting there. That was sort of what I was getting at.

In my office, most people use the restroom facilities before or after as well.

Just wanted to clarify a bit.

 

[Alex (the chick version)]

So, back to the original post, what does everyone think of the drape idea as a privacy barrier?

 

[5204]

Need advice on working out of home

I will finally be getting my license within the next month so I have been actively looking for rental space as I want to start my own business. The problem is that everything is either way too big for what I need or they are asking too much for a small office. I don't have a client base right now and I can't justify spending $650/month right off the bat.

Now here is where I need your advice...

As you enter our house there is a front room that is originally supposed to be a formal living room, but we don't use it as that, I actually have my table in there and have used it when massaging friends and family. I was thinking of having this be my massage studio, but we don't want to close it off as it really doesn't go with the flow of the house. So my thought was that I could put in floor to ceiling drapes (heavy & thick) on a track that will completely close off that room. My husband works from home, but would be upstairs at all times when I have a client present. My 13 yr old son also knows this would be a requirement when he is home and he is fine this this. Do you think this would work? Would you feel too exposed if this were you receiving a massage?

Oh, and they would have to walk through my family room/kitchen area to use the bathroom. If I did this, I would make sure that everything was always spotless!

Would your son be entering through that door when he comes home or another way that isn't 'right there'. I think I would tense up if I heard someone come into the room, but if you as my therapist didn't tense up and kept working with all confidence that you wouldn't be interrupted, then I would relax again. And I would definately book friends or family first, to get all the kinks worked out before officially starting with new clients. Good luck!

 

[spartanburgreat]

You guys had me cracking up at how this evolved into a bathroom discussion!

This is going to be a very temporary arrangement as I do plan on having a space soon, I just have to find that perfect fit (more like price!).

As to several points that were brought up:

- I need to verify this, but I haven't found anything in my rules & regulations that says I can't do massage in my home.

- Noise issue. I am going to do everything I can to block out any noise issues (music, fountain, etc) and my husband has been threatened with bodily harm if he makes any noise! During the day my neighborhood is very quiet

-I won't be scheduling anyone during the time frame when my son comes home from school. He needs some down time after school and I need to be sure he doesn't come barreling through the front door yelling "Hi Mama!" like he normally does.

 

[LYNBOP mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm]

Sorry to have contributed to the "bathroom derailing"!! :

To answer the real question ... I think the drapes would be a great interim solution. Perhaps you could get some kind of large potted plant (with unobtrusive wheels underneath, ya know those plant tray thingys?) to roll in front of the curtain before a client comes, to give the appearance/feeling that the curtain is a permanent fixture; one might even think that a wall could be behind it??

As far as the noise issue ... I don't think people necessarily expect complete silence ... at least I do not.

At the wellness center I work at, we are near a train going past a large road, so the horn blows as it goes by. I would never have chosen this location if it were my own business, however, it was a thriving business when I joined 6 months ago, and doesn't seem to be a problem. If people willingly come back to a place that has train horns blowing outside the window, what's a few minor house noises as someone (your husband) goes about his business?

 

[craftongurl]

The curtains seem like a good way to work things out in the interim. I work out of my home so I will speak to the noise issue. My massage room is a bedroom that the front door opens into (it's a weird condo, and I love it!) and the bathroom is attached as it is the master bedroom, so I have no issue with people needing to walk through my house and I am infinitely grateful for that. However, the house is not very soundproof, even with the door shut and having carpeting. You can hear my husband opening the fridge, closing cabinets, and his spoon clinking in his cereal bowl. He is not a loud person, not slamming doors or anything, but you can hear him go about his daily business. Most of my clients don't seem to notice, but one client said it sounded like he was right on the other side of the door (he was on the other side of the house) and was about to burst in and say "Time for lunch, honey!" This client is particularly imaginative and talkative, so I wonder what my other clients are thinking that they don't say. We are getting ready now to put some egg crates on the door to hopefully dampen the sounds.

Also, I know that some therapists have their clients walk through the house to get to the treatment room/bathroom, but I find that to be unprofessional, no matter how clean you keep the house. If I were a client I wouldn't like it, and I wouldn't want a client walking through my house. I know it works for some, just my opinion!

Good luck finding a place in your price range!

Shiva

 

[Vega]

Maybe I just have my "sensitive" skin on today, but I don't feel that the service I provide my clients is any less professional because my clients have to walk through my LR to get to my treatment room. I make it no secret that they're coming to my home, when I get a new client, and I have numerous regulars and referrals.

When I've built up a steady enough business to warrant it, I'm going to talk to my husband (a carpenter) about creating a treatment room/bathroom that you walk directly into from the side door of our garage (you'd walk directly into the treatment waiting room, NOT thru the garage!! : ), but until then, we just can't justify my renting space when we have the room available in our home.

 

[Pompal 09.]

I'm glad there is diversity and that there are lots of people doing different things. I don't condemn that people have clients walk through their living space, I just find it is not the image I want to give off. Not that it's a "bad" image, but just not mine. I feel we already walk a fine line with boundaries since the act of massage is so intimate already, that bringing the person into my living room would make it even more difficult. I'm sure there are some people that wouldn't even consider having an office in their home, even if it had it's own door and private bathroom (which is how mine is).

I was not trying to say that anyone's "service" is unprofessional. Just as many therpists think it is "unprofessional" to wear casual clothes (shorts and a t-shirt) but wouldn't call the actual massage service provided unprofessional.

Also, I think "unprofessional" is going to be a very subjective term.

FOR ME, client in my living room = unprofessional. Boundary becomes blurred, are they my friend or my client? That is just one boundary for me. If they are my client, they don't pass the threshold of the massage room.

Sorry for hijack!

Shiva

 

[Athar I]

What about those folding doors that you install into a track? I think that would be better. I can imagine fabric panels going either way depending on other circumstances... I don't think there's a single answer.

I sometimes trade with a therapist who works out of his apartment, and the layout is such that you go through the kitchen and by the open living room, past a bedroom which has sometimes had the door open (maybe lax because I'm a colleague/trade?), into the treatment room. There's only one bathroom, so when using it, as clean as it is, one knows that one is in a bathroom that gets daily use.

It all feels a little weird to me even still, but if I were a paying client it wouldn't stop me from seeing this therapist when I need his style of work. He is successful, working his private practice full time.

It's not just massage... I've worked with other types of professionals who worked in their homes, and it always seems a bit strange to me to be doing business in a personal environment. No, not strange; intimate. That's the word for it. And I'm not used to that level of intimacy with professional relationships.

I suppose this could be an asset if treated as one. After all, in private practice we're selling a relationship as much as anything else. I wonder what things we can do to help folks feel at ease in our spaces?

 

[+Evie+]

Hello fellow MTs!

I, for one, would like to encourage MTs (especially those who live in smaller towns) to give the home clinic a try. I have done so since I graduated and am thrilled with the results!

I live 30 minutes from Penn State University where there is a multitude of massage therapists! I boldly decided to "bloom where I was planted" and establish a home massage therapy business. It "took off" almost immediately. So many people were so relieved to find someone in their own "neck of the woods" instead of driving into town and fighting campus/football game traffic.

My clients love the homey environment (yes, we do intakes and afterward chats in my living room) and I am able to schedule so that clients rarely see other clients. I do have a lovely massage room and a client bathroom right across the hall which were simple to set up. (Other bedroom doors are closed.)

I have never had a complaint -- in fact, they often say they prefer the more private environment vs a waiting room and note that I never seem rushed. There is also a large population of Amish in my area (who are enthusastic advocates for massage!) and they really appreciate the fact that it is close to home, private, and that they can tie up their horses (and buggies!) to a hitching post.

Word quickly gets around in a small community -- and neighbors can easily stroll up for their sessions and enjoy nature on the way back (versus fighting traffic.) I would not trade it for anything!

I am working full-time in this situation, pay no rent, set my own schedule and simply stroll from my home office to my living room to receive clients as they come. I have never had any pushing of professional boundaries -- and, believe me, they all consider me a professional!

I will say that I went into this with a very confident attitude and determination! And I did everything possible to promote my services. It worked! Just to encourage others in similar situations . . .

Just my :2cents: from a different viewpoint!

Have a great week!

Sherry

 

[misa]

Many of the best massage sessions I have ever had have come from being worked on out of the therapist's "home" office. In fact I usually seek out people like this as I have discovered that many of the most skilled MT's work for themselves this way. What I have found out is that these MT's usually "live the life" of a massage therapist and treat it like it's more than just a "job" and therefore their homes have a whole wonderful ambiance that is well suited to taking care of their clients. In fact in my experience they seem to go the extra mile in making it a wonderful and unique healing session. Let's not forget that for many years this was pretty much how it was done and in many places in the world it is still done this way. It's a fine tradition and really shouldn't be stigmatized in any negative way. Lots of "professional" spas and clinics I have gone to have not met up with the standards of the best "home" clinics in terms of service or atmosphere.

 

[savannah_rms]

I like the last two posts encouragement of home work... reminds me that one of my teachers used to have two offices as well as working out of her home, and eventually she pared it down to one location... she asked her clients which they preferred, and they vastly preferred coming to her home, and now that's her only location.

 

[Violet Schuyler]

I was a client of massage for about 5 or 6 years before I attended school. I had gone to MT's who worked in spas, clinics, offices, and homebased. Overall I enjoyed & preferred the home based massage experience. It just felt more "homey" and comfy to me. I was able to let my guard down a bit more.

Now that I am a MT I bring the massage to my clients home. I like the idea of doing massage out of my home, but my hubby isn't comfortable with the idea of having so many people into his home. So, doing mobile massage seems to work just fine for now.

 

[the_super_pessimist]

I have worked out of my home (and a few locations like salons) for 5 years now. My office is immediately to the right of my front door, with a bathroom to the left side of the foyer. I have French doors leading to my room and no one has to enter the main part of my house. I have several clients who love coming here, but over the years I have lost some new ones who, after asking where my office is, say, "Oh, it's in your house?" and don't schedule. I am finding that the clients referred by the 2 chiropractors who refer are more put off by the lack of an office. So, I am currently looking for office space. I just had another one from the chiro who came and told the chiro he is uncomfortable coming to someone's house. :