How to Open a Massage business in UK

Since so many readers wrote to me asking about how to open a massage establishment in UK and the cost of starting this business, I decided start a series articles on the topic of ‘Start your massage business’. I worked in the field of massage therapy for over 20 years in UK and I have opened over 5 massage companies with lots of branches all over UK including both regular massage business and Adult erotic massage business. Here I can give you some advice on this topic.

6 Important Steps To Opening and Running A Legitimate Massage Therapy Business in the UK

If you’ve ever heard of the term massage therapy, you may have wondered what it is. It’s actually the manipulation of your body’s soft tissues to ensure the tissues go back to its normal, healthy form. There are an array of methods used to put pressure/hold/cause the movements of certain soft tissues and joints.

It’s one of the reasons people look forward to getting a massage therapy treatment. Another reason it’s so beneficial is that it helps in many other ways:

• Improvement in the circulation of blood
• Improvement in the flow of the lymphatic system
• Decreases tension in the muscles
• Has a positive effect on the nervous system to better healing

It can take as long as two years to become certified as a massage therapist. While many massage therapists will opt to do business in their homes or even go to others’ residences and hotels, some are employed at gyms, spas or some type of massage company.

6 Steps To Become A Certified Massage Therapist In The U.K.

Step 1 – Open Your Business

Upon graduation of a certified massage therapy training course and becoming a licensed massage therapist, you’ll need to do some research of the area’s massage industry. Do you want to own a small business? Would you rather open a franchise massage establishment?

When it comes to opening a small business, you need to come up with a business plan. You need to know how to legally opening a massage business and how it’s to work in your area – services offered and the prices allowed. A good place to check out is your local Chamber of Commerce. You can also do a little research via the Internet to get this information.

Step 2 – Financing Your Business

Once you decide you want to open your business, you need to know how you’re going to finance it. Start-up expenses are generally not that much for a massage establishment, you will still need to have some capital if you’re going to keep your doors open for the first several months. You probably don’t have a lot money saved up, which is why you need to talk with your local bank or a venture capitalist to determine if you’re qualified for a line of credit or business loan.

Step 3 – Location, Location, Location

When it comes to opening a business, you need to find the best location possible for it.  Rent is one important consideration but traffic should be your main concern. Businesses that are located in the downtown districts or in a central entertainment location can do extremely well in bringing in the traffic through their doors.  It’s also a good idea to offer on-site showers for clients who work in the location your business is in and come in during their lunch hours.

Step 4 – Get Certification From Your City

It’s imperative, before the doors to your business open, to attain certification from your city or locality. You want to make sure that your company’s name is not the same as another company in the area.

Step 5 – Attain Sales Tax Permit

Your locality will assign you a sales tax permit and retail business operations license so that you can legally operate in the area. While you may not charge for all your massage therapy services,  you may offer products that do require that you charge sales tax on them – aromatherapy, massage oils, etc.

Step 6 – Hold A Grand Opening Campaign 

You want to market yourself to the area so that people know that you’re open for business. It doesn’t matter how big or little your budget is – put together a website and Facebook page and market yourself that way! Consider giving out discounts for the first 100 people or do first-time half-price discounts. You could even offer free 15-minute massage to boost your presence in the market.  You want to make sure all terms are clear so no one misunderstands what you’re offering.