Just starting.......

[Its hard living off rice]

What is wrong with some people???I found out about a salon owner that wanted a massage therapist.  I called the owner, we talked, decided to join them.  The owner wants $110 per week with me furnishing everything.  Later I find I'm going to share the room with a person who does facials.  Then they want me to do massages on facial table.....that's like 10 years old and soooo hard.  The owner doesn't want a massage table and the facial table in the same room.  Then the massage room is in the middle of the salon........off the waiting area and between the hair stations and the nail room.  Then there is stereo with speakers throughout the salon.  I asked.....is this room going to be quiet enough?   So I was to talk with the girl doing the facials and she says, Why can't you do massages on the facial table?  I said , why can't you do facials on a massage table.  So going to call the owner up and decline working their.  I don't think it's a very quiet environment and don't want the hassle of dealing with people that won't even talk about the problems I address.  Me being the newbie on the block doesn't help matters.  I don't have much clientele.  But feel if I rented office space for $250 a month......it would be much cheaper.  Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[pinhed_1976]

Been there...... :Out of school, I looked for a salon/spa job, and all I could find were salon owners that didn't care... they weren't interested in advertising or promoting massage, they just wanted to turn a profit.  One scheduled an interview with me, was in the salon at the time, and several people told him I was there waiting to see him, but he never came out, and after waiting an hour and 15 minutes, I finally asked one last time, and he told the receptionist (not me) that he had an appointment coming soon and now he didn't have time... so why did he want me to come see him in the first place??!! One owner didn't even pay me for the massage I did in his salon, that HE CALLED AND BEGGED ME TO DO!  He ducked around the corner whenever I came around, and was "never there" when I called.  After trying for two months to shake my $30 out of him, I finally gave up.Another owner had the same situation you described, and wanted me to do massages on his facial table... or, I was welcome to bring my own, but I would have to move the facial table out myself and set it back up before I left... a feat that really required two people, as it was very heavy. $110 per week is just too high for rent, especially for someone just starting out.  Does he want a % as well?  Or were you free to keep everything you made?  Was he going to advertise for you?  Or would you have to do it yourself?  To better illustrate things for you, I pay $360 a month to rent a 360 square foot office which I share with no one, utilities paid, with a cleaning staff that comes in and vacuums the floors, takes out the trash, and cleans the surfaces!   $440 a month is a ripoff, especially if you are going to have to put up with all these headaches.  I would have drawn the line in the sand when he told me I was going to share the room... "Excuse me, but for $440 per month, I deserve my own damn quiet room and not to be thrown into some "space" between the nail station and the waiting area."  If you can find a space for $250 a month with paid utilities, spend the balance of the money you would have spent on the salon "space" rental advertising yourself instead, and spare yourself the headaches.

 

[Contard H. Moshiach]

Yeah, Ladyja, I have to agree with art_of_zen... I've been there and done that too.The more concessions you make for a salon owner like that in the beginning... the more trouble you are going to have. I paid a perceneforum.xxxe (in the end 40 percent) and I furnished the oils, the linens, the music, and did all my own laundry, etc. (They provided the massage table, a stereo, and a space (no real interior walls) which I had to share with the girls who did facials, other massage therapists or a reflexologist... with only a curtain between us.) In th end it was the noise from their salon downstairs and their uncaring attitude that made me quit.  After putting up with it for 4 and 1/2 years.I'd never really sat down to see how much money she was actually making off of me. And when I sat down to prepare my taxes last year, we figured that she'd received an average of $430 per month.  (Since I'm in a tourist area, and the work is very seasonal, I just assumed the perceneforum.xxxe was financially better for me...) Anyway, my teacher has a very nice office in the capitol of our state which he pays $250 per month for.  However in the city where I live, I couldn't get anything that cheap... maybe double that... plus utilities.  Anyway, my point is Ladyja, you don't want to start off with salon owners who aren't absolutely delighted to have you join their establishment... and who aren't willing to truly work with you to make your area in the salon easy to do your finest work from.  After all, you'll be a credit to their establishment! And by the way, what's wrong with some people... is that they have no empathy... and can't put themselves in the place of the guest, a.k.a. "your client."Our work is hard enough without having to deal with headaches from salon owners like that.      :'(

 

[M P]

Just starting.......

I feel pretty lucky.  I am part of a team at a salon that is slowly trying to transition to a day spa.  I have only been with them since last September, but have found them over all very accomadating.  I have only been a MT for about 2 years and previously worked at a destination spa part time and received commission.  In September I started here and have gone full time.  The owner and I have an agreement that for the first year he'll get 40% of services or $150.00 a week, which ever works to my advaneforum.xxxe.  This gives me a chance to build up my clientele, but not be stuck in the commission based income when I get built up.  Included with either situation...  linens, laundry, utilities, a receptionist, advertising/marketing, and has even purchased or contributed to the purchase of oil, and other spa treatment products.  Right now we are researching some retail to bring in that would appeal to my clientele, and he will be paying for it, and giving me a very decent commission on sales.Don't get me wrong, there are still some down sides I fight...  noise, for some reason I think "salons" just tend to be loud.  I do have actual walls for my room and the owner and I are researching sound proofing solutions.  Hope you have better luck finding yourself a place!Nanette

 

[Welcome to the end]

Thanks for all the comments.  Yes, I'm realizing most salon owners want you there to help themselves out and take no consideration into the calmness and stress relief we hope to give to our clients.  I was going to furnish everything myself.  She was going to do a little advertising.  By that I mean a "grand opening" ad.  She seemed happy to have me on board.  Said the facial person sometimes only gave one facial a week.  But why should I pay the $110 per week and share the room.  My hairdresser offered me a room for $400 per month in her salon.  But was going to school at the time and couldn't afford it.  Didn't feel comfortable telling her to hold it for me.  It's nice.  Quiet, in the back of her salon and away from the noise.  But she has someone else now.  I'm going to go hunting for a office space.  It's very competitive in our little town.  You have to do something to stand out above the rest.  I'm working on that too.  Learning the facelift massage.  Think that will bring in alot of clientele.  Then there is another office place that rents for $400 per month and the rooms are large with a waiting area.  So that is a option I'm looking into also.  I think this owner cared somewhat.  But don't think she has a clue about massage therapy.  She started talking about massages in place of rent.  But went to see the place again this weekend and it was sooooo noisy.  I felt bad telling her I wasn't interested any more.  But better to get it over with now, instead of feeling stuck there and hating to leave.  And I know she wouldn't allow me to take any of my clientele if I did leave.  Thanks again. 8)

 

[EPIC FAIL]

I have my own horror story :} My first job was at a little salon out in the country. The owner was willing to pay a decent %, BUT. she had no business! That wouldnt be a problem, except...she wanted me to come in an sit behind the counter, answer phones, make appointments, go and hand out her brochures....she wanted me to SIT there, and not PAY me! She said the business was not making enough money to pay me for sitting there doing nothing! That's not the best part. She would ask me to come in and do all this so she could go and take a nap on her massage table!! I told her she couldnt expect me to work for free...she said I had to pay my dues like every other massage therapist had, and that I should be grateful she even hired me. HIRED ME? I told her she had to PAY me b4 she could say I was an employee!!  GRRR  Thank God, I now have my own shop. She still calls, wanting me to come do massages now and then. Yeah, I do believe she IS insane...