Massage increases circulation, helps excrete toxins and has been proven to relax. It does a ton of other interesting things, too, such as improving skin elasticity and reducing scar tissue.

Why not get a massage? Your body will love you for it. I have times available this coming week!

Yes, I did a Groupon feature. I was the first massage therapists in Cincinnati to be featured, and just the 3rd business in town. I didn't know the ramifications of big, big discounts, but 2 years later that has changed.

I did the Groupon massage on a whim. I worked for 25% of what I normally do, which is what most businesses do when they do Groupon. You offer 50% off, they take 50%, and WHAM! You're making a few bucks an hour.

Yes, I do have a few loyal customers. I can tell you that almost all of my clients were wowed by their session-they told me so. I treated everyone as if they were a potentially new full paying client.

One of my regulars stopped coming to me since his wife "just keeps buying me massages on Groupon!" One acquaintance of mine, an LMT, has been featured several times on both Groupon and Living Social. Why? Because the clients don't come back if they're not getting an inexpensive massage.

It's sad, really sad. Having analyzed my own spending habits, and realizing that I would buy a Groupon with no intention of returning to said business, I refuse to buy them. Because businesses are featured so that they can obtain new clients, not break even on the service they perform.

Why is massage so expensive? If you're not self employed, it's hard to understand why someone can appear to earn such a high hourly rate. Here are some reasons for the price for many massage therapists:

~If we don't work, we don't get paid. There's no such thing as a paid vacation, sick day or holiday.
~Being self employed, there are no 401K plans, dental, vision or health insurance included.
~Rent, utilities, phone, website, internet access, online booking, gift certificates, business cards and brochures are regular expenses that come out of our wages.
~An electric massage table costs about $1500 or more, a good quality portable is at least $400 (my original massage table purchased in 1997 was over $600).
~For me, every 3 clients = 1 load of laundry, which requires detergent, water, electricity and of course a washer and dryer.
~ An inexpensive gallon of massage cream currently runs $48. Oil is often more. Don't forget the cost of sheets, towels, paper goods, CD/ipod player and music.
~Any responsible LMT will have liability insurance, which costs several hundred dollars per year.
~Continuing education is required--many professional memberships or licensing boards require 48 hours every 4 years, most of which is very pricey. (Not to mention that we often have travel expenses included).
~Licensing fees are paid to licensing boards, typically every 2 years.
~Any advertising done is paid out of pocket by the massage therapist.
~Full time for a massage therapist is considered 20+ hour of hands on due to paperwork, laundry, time in between clients, etc. So although we may have 20 hours of clients, it's more like 35-40 with all the other stuff involved. (Unless you work for someone else, then you get paid less but work less too).
~And then there are taxes...

I'm sure I've not remembered everything, but there's a good start. As you can see, this ends up being not a very high hourly rate after all!

And as a tangent, Groupon takes 50% of your 50% off deal, giving you 25% of your original price minus 3% for credit card fees. Living Social is slightly better, taking only 40% or so. If you use one of those deals for massage, tip your therapist and return to him or her. That's the whole point of a vendor doing a big deal.

Still have some space available in my February Ashiatsu barefoot basics class where you learn all the strokes on the posterior (back) side of the body. Register online and learn how to save your massage career!

*OFFICE RATES: Prices changing on February 1 for the first time since 2008. New prices are listed.

• $42 per 30 minutes
• $72 per 60 minutes
• $85 per 75 minutes
• $97 per 90 minutes
• $125 per 120 minutes
• Deluxe Massage with foot scrub:
  $110 for approximately 90 minutes

Because of the rising costs of running my business, I need to raise my prices for the first time since 2008. If you would like to receive the older prices, I'd recommend buying a gift certificate for yourself! Prices go up on February 1, 2012.