3 Approaches to Upselling Massage Therapy

What is a client truly saying when they ask, “What’s the difference between a 60-minute massage and a 90-minute massage?” The obvious answer is the time difference, but that’s not necessarily the answer they are looking for.

In this case, the client is indirectly asking about the difference in terms of experience, result or benefit. Spa and wellness pros need a good strategy for communicating the answer, which will also allow them to drive sales.

Informative Sales

My favorite analogy to use when teaching an informative sales framework is choosing your drink size at your local coffee shop. Coffee shop drink sizes are usually variations of small, medium and large. If you ask the barista what the difference is, they can simply tell you how many ounces each size contains.

That response can be received as a blunt and matter-of-fact style of customer service, which may be desirable in some industries; in the spa, we want customer service that is warm, compassionate, empathetic, solutions-oriented and, most importantly, welcoming. In addition, the coffee size answer is not upselling or driving anything.

Let’s try the question again with those values in mind. We will ask the barista again, “What is the difference between the drink sizes?” And the barista cheerfully replies, “I get a small iced coffee when I don’t have much to do and I slept very well the night before. I get a medium when I need a little more energy and the small coffee just goes too quickly. I get a large macchiato when it’s going to be a long day and I need to focus on a lot of projects.”

This approach is not necessarily based on sales, upselling or driving any particular size. However, it feels much more informative, provides a better customer service experience and is creating a more memorable connection and interaction between the consumer, barista and the brand.

This informative sales framework is ideal for the spa and wellness industry.

Three Approaches

When it comes to communicating about spa services, we can expand on the informative sales framework with three different approaches: client experience, communication of the mutual benefit in treatment and communication of desired treatment result.

1. Client Experience

Explaining the difference between a 60-minute and a 90-minute massage from a client experience perspective should be about that pivotal moment in the massage session that many of us know very well: that moment when the client thinks, “Oh no, it’s over. I wish I had more time.” The 90-minute massage solves that problem.

So, when guests ask about the difference between a 60-minute and a 90-minute massage, share that it allows time for deeper relaxation and even a gentle doze before the session is over. Doesn’t that sound dreamy?

2. Mutual Benefit

The next approach focuses on the fact that a longer massage session provides a mutual benefit to the client and therapist. This requires understanding the client’s needs and their goals. Tailor your verbiage of the mutual benefit and the difference between the session length based on the intake, initial questions and the guest’s needs.

For example, a script for the most commonly requested deep tissue or deep pressure massage can be: “A 90-minute massage allows me to work slower, giving the muscles time to warm up, relax and accept the deeper pressure. With a 60-minute massage, I’m still focused on applying deep pressure, but there may be times where the muscle tension is not able to relax and really melt away. It is much more effective to go slower and allow more time for the areas that really need it. Plus, you’re able to relax more because the session may be less painful.”

You are expressing the mutual benefit of working slower and the ability to spend more time on areas that need it. Bonus points if you reconfirm the areas they highlighted for extra work during their intake. The client will feel heard, taken care of and that you are focusing on solving their literal pain points.

3. Desired Results

The last approach is communicating desired treatment results. This is especially useful for results-focused, clinical and treatment-based massage therapists. Communicating the desired results requires that you have a treatment plan and are able to explain that plan effectively.

For this example, let’s say that the client asks, “What’s the difference between a 60-minute massage and 90-minute massage, and would it benefit my treatment plan?” If they are a returning client, you can reconfirm the desired result of the treatment plan and check in about how the 60-minute massage sessions have been going, how they have felt for you during their sessions and what you have felt during their treatments.

If they are a new client, you can share the desired results and areas of focus, and explain how a longer session would be beneficial because you are able to bilaterally palpate, compare, test and reassess. Remind them that you will also be able to spend more time on a focus area without rushing to move on to the next, or hurrying to do a full body massage.

The same informative sales framework can be applied to other add-ons or upsells. Focusing on the client experience, communication of the mutual benefit in treatment, and communication of desired treatment result is a great way to approach many different spa offerings.

It will also feel much more in alignment for massage therapists and other service providers who may hesitate when it comes to “salesy” conversations, as they’re simply sharing information that will allow the client to make an informed decision. Further, it gives spa professionals a starting point for communication that will provide better customer service, rather than simply saying, “It’s just 30 more minutes.”

Jamerie Michalek is a massage and spa business coach with a passion for helping others. She has more than a decade of experience as a massage therapist and spa manager, and now helps other spa professionals run their businesses with confidence and strategy.