Outcall Services

[Violet_Purple_Pink]

I used to do strictly outcalls. It got old, my poor back! i do them now, but not as often, and I charge an outcall fee. Anywhere from 10-15 more, depending on where theyre located. I do let them know upfront about the added fee, so there wont be any suprises. You also have to be careful . Pick and choose your clients carefully. And always let someone know where you are, leave an address and phone number to where you will be at. I have even called my  husband when I got there, and said, in front of the client "hi,  I  just got here, I will call you in 1.5 hours when Im done" this lets the client know that SOMEONE knows where you are, and that they expect you to call soon. I used to mapquest every outcall address, and leave it with my hubby lol Good luck!

 

[Bridget]

I have done some outcall at a dentist office.  The owner's wife was already a client of mine.  I did carpal tunnel symptom relief and prevention work.  Normally 2-3 days a week for an during their typical lunch break.  Did only 30 minute sessions on each and rotated through the staff as needed.  Used my table in a larger break room area.  No privacy, but really wasn't needed with this type of work.  Did this for about 2 months.  Provided me with some new clients when I was done there too.

 

[Claire Bear!]

Another thing you can do, especially if you don't have someone at home to leave a map with is, when you arrive at the address call your own voice mail and leave the address, a description of the vehicle & license plate # and expected time you will be leaving.  Worked great for me when my husband was out of town!

 

[LilMissLi]

Keep your cellphone on you (physically) as well as your car keys.  If you find  yourself in a bad situation... leave your table and other gear, and get out and call 911 about your experience and to get your belongings back. It's more important that you be safe. No, I haven't had this kind of situation. I read it in a copy of AMBP's Massage & Bodywork magazine a few years back.  I found it an excellent resource for those who do outcall work.  Sorry I can't tell you exactly which back issue it was in. If I find out I will post again and let you know. I don't do a lot of outcall work, but it's still good to know what you need to do... to be safe!

 

[Reiki Chick]

I do only outcall and have been doing it for a couple years now and the advice you have got is awesome advice!  Being Male I worry just as much as a female would but I do screen my call's pretty well.  Before I go to someones house I require their Full Name, Address, Phone #.  If the call says private on it I call them back to verify.  I leave a copy of were I'm going with my wife if she's around and if not I print a copy and leave it on the printer.  I always carry my cell phone with me and I also carry in my pocket Mace/OC pepper spray with Dye. I really like the idea of the calling home or calling to a voice mail.  The client never knows if someone is there or not so I guess it's how you word it.  I can tell you in 3 years I've never had anything bad happen (Knock on wood) But I do go with my Gut feeling on if I should take the call or not.

 

[Barbie]

Outcall Services

Steve, you bring up a good point. Trust your gut about taking the outcall at all... or if you get there and your gut is telling you something is wrong.... make an excuse, and get out. Become suddenly ill for instance...

 

[JDroo]

Hi there,   Just wanted to add a few things here:1) I used to do mostly outcalls, but a therapist friend of mine was attacked in a hotel room in Austin, TX several years ago.  And a few others have told me some grizzly stories. I no longer do outcalls at all. 2) When I did do them, I had a friend arrive with me and help set up the area, and then wait until I was finished and came back to the room. That way the client knew absolutely that someone was aware of my outing.  Of course, I paid the friend a few bucks to go to the job.3) GET BUSINESS CARDS MADE...you can hand them out everywhere. They are cheap at vistaprint.com4) At the nicer hotels, you can leave your business cards at the desk and the they will put you on the massage list. It is a good idea to tip them when you get through to ensure they call you back. Also, they were aware of my presence as I checked in, and told them I would check by on my way out. There is a built in witness of your whereabouts, and they can call the room after an hour to check on you, if you want. After awhile I got to know the employees, and did not have to bring a friend along.5) Do keep the cell phone, and call someone to tell them the room number and name of the hotel, or address where you are.  Legit clients do not have a problem with this.6) If you can do credit cards, this is an excellent method of both tracking, and client name verification, as you can ask for their driver's license. (I always did that anyway)7) Prior advice: LISTEN TO YOUR GUT REACTIONSHope this helps! Good Luck!~Arlette

 

[Morgan Galligan]

Outcall Services

Hello. Out calls are an interesting way to practice.I perform hotel outcalls (for about 4 years now) and can povide you with some information there.The only way I work with a hotel is through the concierge.  Tipping is pretty much expected, or a "yummie" if they can't take a tip..... like donuts or cookies. (*grins* - that's a real nice tip coming from someone who should be healthy!)  What I did was ask them what the standard tip was for the hotel I was at.  They didn't mind letting me know. {Usually it is about 20% of the fee.}  Keep in mind, they will call back, if the therapist does a good job, and the guest may even ask to book again on a future return.  Also, they (the concierge) should then know where the therapist is going, probably already knows the guest pretty well, knows when the therapist is expected to return back to the front desk, and of course the guest knows the concierge has this information, because.... voila! the concierge booked the appointment.  I have found good hotels make it easy for a therapist and not so good hotels make it a real pain.  So, five star hotels are the best way to go if a therapist is looking for work, in my own opinion.KEEP IN MIND SAFETY AT ALL TIMES.  IF THAT MEANS YOU ARE MORE COMFORTABLE BRINGING A FRIEND TO SIT AT THE HOTEL OR OUTSIDE THE ROOM WITH YOU, THEN SO BE IT.  YOU CAN NEVER BE ASSURED SAFETY IN THIS DAY AND AGE.  USE CAUTION AND DISCRETION AT ALL COSTS.  IF YOU FEEL UNSAFE, YOU PROBABLY ARE.*jumps off my small box*As for house calls.  I now go by the concept that if someone wants me to work on them in their home,  they canurchase a table and linens.  (This keeps me from lugging my stuff all over the place.)-Book regular appointments.-Cancel appointments just as if they were coming to an office.You'd be amazed how much more serious folks get when they have to put more effort into receiving their house calls. Hope this helps.

 

[Olivia D]

I only do outcalls, but right now, it's referral only, just so I can protect myself.  I worked for a company that did outcalls to hotels, and it was pretty nice.  The hotels were great about taking care of us, they would call up to the room and announce us and we would call the office when we were finished to check out, and if they didn't hear from us, they would call us (but a couple of times I forgot to call and they didn't call until the next day!) but if we ever had an incident where our safety was threatened, we just had to walk out and security would come up to the room and collect our things.

 

[Amanda C]

I would like to point out something financially important to consider when doing out calls.Say you charge $65 dollars for an hour massage (out call).  Figure 15-20 minutes drive time to get there, 10-20 minutes to set up and get the client on the table, chit chat after the massage while rebooking ("look at my new couch", "here's my grandson's new school picture", "let me show you how I painted the bathroom")Loading up the car, and 15-20 minute drive home.  In essence you made $65 for 2 +  hours of your time.  Don't forget to factor in how much gas has risen.I believe in the logic of "$65 is better than nothing!" when you are just getting started, or are going through lean times.  (Been there, done that)  However, when you start to get busy, do not loose sight of the fact your are trying to make a living.  If you ind. contract with someone or rent space , you stay in one spot doing the massages, making your time much more productive.  You maintain your freedom and in almost all cases, your safety.When I made the transistion, I assured my clients it would benefit them tremendously to leave the stress of their home (phones ringing, kids knocking on the door, dog barking) and go to a neutral place created for the sole intention of providing them peace and quiet.  After the first treatment, they all agreed.Just another angle to consider.