Room Rental Fees

[Kate B]

Good Morning all...     I was wondering what your opinion is of a fair room rental fee.       A tanning salon is desiring to have a full-time LMT come into her (nice) facility.  She said that we could do commission, or by room rental.  The room rental fee would be $500 per month.  This is new to me, but is this rate seem a little high to anyone else?       Rental would be the way to go, for as the client base grows, your income would grow and your money out would stay the same as opposed to paying that commission thing.       The tanning salon has a good client base, but I would be more or less building from the ground up.  I may propose just working on a part time basis for about 6 months till I can see how much I can grow a client base and then make a decision from there.      There are some other things to consider also..... the salon is up for sale.  Just another thing. Maybe starting out in my home would be the more logical way to go at first.  I have a couple of clients and there is other interest  being expressed as the word gets passed around.     Thanks for letting me bounce this off ya...Thoughts from you appreciated.      Drema      dream touch

 

[shabba]

Room Rental Fees

The rental rate could really vary depending on your location. That seems high to me, but it is probably not out of line for a good location in a large metro area. I am sure others will have much more input on that. I would be more concerned about the salon being for sale. What happens to you when it sells? You could be there for one month or one year; there is no way to tell unless that is worked out in a lease/rental agreement. And even then, that may not give you any security depending on your locality.One thing that many people have mentioned in other posts is paying a per use fee (comission) up to a certian dollar amount. For instance, you would pay x amount of dollars per hours you use the room up to $500. Anything over that you would keep.I am sure others with more experience can give you some better info, but hopefully this will give you some things to consider. Best of luck

 

[zookiee22]

It's funny the timing on this post, I am wrestling with the same type of issue.  Perhaps you could arrange to pay a % for a certain amount of time and then go to rental.  As far as the rent being fair.....I guess it depends on how you feel about it.  Is the room the size you want?  Do you feel that the tanning salon will generate regular business for you?  Is it quiet enough?I am at a salon, right now paying a %.  When I asked what the rent would be....$50 a day like the stylists pay... ...When I heard that I suddenly realized how small the room was, how loud the salon is, and how the salon's customers are NOT turning into regular business for me, however massage gift certificates are generating alot of income for the salon - I just don't see that money until they are redeemed.Good luck with your decision.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Thanks for the input.  A little more details.  We are NOT in a large metro are.  This is in the mountains of West Virginia and it is generally rural, however, there are very affuent folks moving here (the world famous Greenbrier resort is here) and so there is plenty of potential revenue.   The salon is a more quiet atmosphere that a hair salon.  The current owner does not desire to put hair or nail services in there because of the chemical smells.    There is a girl interested in buying the salon and it just happens to be someone that I am aquainted with and I know that I would not desire to work there if she is the owner.... personality clash.  I can get along with most anyone, but someone that has an overly high opinion of themselves........ well, you know.    If the current owner will deside to keep the salon (this is a matter of being able to obtain  health insurance coverage on her part) I think we would get along spendidly and she would make every effort to help me succeed that she could.  I believe that she is just that type of person.  She has had other services in her salon in the past and has been "burnt" by the people that she has tried to help and so for quite a while, she shyed away from that.  She is having people ask for massage though, and she thought she would give it a try again.   I appreciate all of your thoughts.. ...they mean a lot, for most of you have more experience in this area than me.   Drema   dreamtouch

 

[Ugly]

I am a new therapist and struggled with the thought of what I was going to do once I was done with school.  Being I was taught "medical" massage I didn't think I could in a spa/salon setting being I didn't learn any theraputic massage.  Plus there wasn't many around my town.  I looked & looked for a place to rent that was cheap for me to start out with since I was starting from 0 !!  Most places were around $500 and this was for my own office space.  I found a place that was $275 a month and the landlord was awsome knowing I couldn't afford much being I'm just starting out and said rent would only be $150 for the first 3 months!!  It is just 1 room, so I have my table, shelves for linens, and my desk and all in the same room.  But it works great for me right now.  In the hallway of the building there's a lil cove that I am putting 2 chairs and a lil table for a waiting area.  No I do not have the public going thru like it would be at a tanning place or salon but it's mine!!  There is a foot dr in the building, state police motor carriers office, and now a cellphone call center is going in.  So for me the price seems quite high!!  I guess I would rather have my own place in a nice building and work a little harder marketing than to pay $500 in someone elses business (of course unless it's a very upscale place and I know I would still profit way above what I paid in rent)  Well thats my 2 cents worth but then again I'm a newbie!!  ;D

 

[Mayomysoync]

Hey Mena, I'm a newbie too .... thats why I'm asking these questions.  Sometimes, you just got to ask the questions to those who've been down this road before.And akb, $50 a day seems totally high to me too.  Wow, those stylists must bring down the $$$ to pay that.  Or at least they need to make big bucks to justify that rental fee. The room at the tanning salon is quite a nice size and I am sure she would allow me to decorate  and set it up anyway I choose.   Still waitin however, to hear if this other gal has come up with the means to buy the salon.  She is supposed to know TODAY.  I will take it from there.     Thanks to all who have given me imput here. It is so much appreciated.    Drema    dreamtouch

 

[Memphis]

Room Rental Fees

   I believe that she is just that type of person.  She has had other services in her salon in the past and has been "burnt" by the people that she has tried to help and so for quite a while, she shyed away from that.  She is having people ask for massage though, and she thought she would give it a try again.

It is great that you feel comfortable with this person, however, to make things flow easier for both of you (since you say she has been burned by others) get all the terms of your agreement IN WRITING.

As you read through these forums, you will find that a number of misunderstandings between two reasonable people have happened simply because of a lack of clarity about each others obligations and responsibilities.

Again, best of luck with your decision.

 

[Taylor]

Hi Dreamtouch,I'm also a newbie but $500 sounds like a lot of money to pay up front.  How many clients a month would you have to see just to make the rent, let alone pay your own bills and taxes?I would have thought the salon owner would view a MT as an asset to their business, i.e. would help bring in the clientele to benefit the overall operation.Therefore to suck $500 out of you suggests they do not believe you are going to help their business but instead think you are just a way to get an extra $500 a month revenue stream going.I think I would look for someone who is more interested in a partnership than in a tenant-landlord relationship.  Having an in-house MT has to be of benefit to someone.  

 

[Walking by faith]

You know, I thought $500 sounded EXTREMELY high, especially since i have to build MY client bases from scratch.  Just because she has a client list in the tanning salon of 900+, that doesn't mean they are all going to be lined up for a massage.  She is wanting a MT there because she is wanting to have additional services for her clients, and some have requested this service.She also told me that if you have a massage before a tanning session, you tan better????   I was unaware of this fact ??   Has anyone else heard of this?Anyway, there are several things pending on this "deal"  and when the time comes, if it comes, this rental fee thing will be the first topic of discussion before ANY agreements are made (yes, in writing).Thanks you all for giving me NEEDED guidance in this area.  All you input and thoughts have been appreciated VERY much.Dremadreamtouch

 

[-Karma-]

Room Rental Fees

She is wanting a MT there because she is wanting to have additional services for her clients, and some have requested this service.

She also told me that if you have a massage before a tanning session, you tan better????  Drema

dreamtouch

Well, this sounds like she should be paying YOU to come work there

Her clients want MT AND it increases her tan success rate!!! hehehe

 

[Ice Cream Man]

Don't worry about how much money someone else is making - someone will always be making more than you!.Focus on making the money that will make YOU happy and feel valued.And that should be a whole number, not a %. 100% may make you happy, but 100% of 0 is still 0.Figure out what you think would make you happy, and if what you think you can generate minus  $500 a month, then go for it. If not, look elsewhere.

 

[sheloves_dablues]

I always think of it like this:  for $500 a month rent, I'd have to do X amt of massages per week to make my rent. If I took the same number of massages & only got 50 or 60%, which situation is ideal? I always opted for rent, because even when I was starting over or a new, I expected to be doing far more than 2.5 massages a week. Wherever you work or rent from, you are ideally & ultimately responsible for your success & happiness. Even if someone promises to refer to you or advertise for you, those appointments are not guaranteed until somebody shows up & gets on your table. You have to get them there yourself. If others refer to you, be generous to them, however that makes sense to you, but you can only count on yourself. Don't get over-involved in the business of the salon owner or other workers & renters there, unless you want to drive yourself crazy. ha. Hair dressers can afford a higher daily rent fee BTW, because they can dovetail appts (double-book). The very nature of massage prevents you from doing that. Even if you booked yourself for 6 a day, you can only work those people one at a time. Not every massage therapist can realistically do 6 people a day. I can't at this point. Right now I do 3-4 a day. A hair dresser can take the same amount of working hours & do almost twice as many because they can start a weave, cut or perm while someone is processing. In our neighborhood $30 a day is about max for a massage room rental, but then again, somebody could definitely convince me to pay more for certain fringe benefits/perks. My two cents.Jill/sagetherapist

 

[NoBodyyy]

Room Rental Fees

She also told me that if you have a massage before a tanning session, you tan better????   I was unaware of this fact ??   Has anyone else heard of this?

Gee, she must be thinking in terms of oil on the skin working like suntan oil.  It would mean you shouldn't be using jojoba before a tanning session - jojoba has an SPF 8, so would reduce the tan results. Using coconut oil would certainly help the tanning process.

 

[ablex]

Hey Melb,Actually, it is because of the blood circulation.  Not the oils that are used.  Usually, the folks in the tanning beds are using tanning accelerators and stuff like that anyway.  I was actually wondering about the oils that should be used before a tanning session .... funny that you brought that up.  ThanksDrema dreamtouch