Summer can be a quiet time for massage therapists—with kids out of school and families going on vacation, your usual clients may not be in town to schedule sessions with you. As a small business, these lower-revenue periods may bring some anxiety and stress as you worry about the sustainability of your practice.

Don’t despair—although you may experience a dip in bookings during summer, there are still plenty of ways to generate revenue. Let’s look at five ways to boost business when times are tough.

1. Establish a Membership Program

By its very nature, a membership program encourages regulars to visit your practice constantly, whether once a month or once a week. Usually, the program will incentivize these visits by offering a discount on services or other perks. For example, your membership might include five services that are usually $100 each, but when purchased through the membership, the total cost is $450.

Main takeaway: Membership programs provide a reliable revenue stream that encourages repeat visits and loyalty by rewarding clients for regular appointments.

2. Teach a Virtual Class or Workshop

What can you do when your clients are out of town? Connect with them while they’re on the go with virtual massage classes and workshops. Since summer is a travel-heavy season, we particularly recommend teaching muscle-relaxing techniques for when individuals are traveling on planes, trains, and cars. Another great idea is to teach people how to give their partners more effective massages! Don’t worry; nothing will replace your expertise—but this is a skill many people are interested in learning, and you are uniquely qualified to teach.

You can accept digital payments for your workshops and have people sign up using a free webinar tool like Zoom to reduce costs for your business.

Main takeaway: When your customers are out of town, take your services to them. Virtual classes and workshops allow you to generate revenue and stay connected with your customers while they’re vacationing.

3. Content Creation

Have you got the gift of gab? Monetize your marketing experience by creating content for brands you believe in. This is called user-generated content (UGC), and many brands pay professionals and amateurs alike to review their products.

Start by reaching out to brands that sell products you use regularly in your practice. This could be manufacturers of pillows, linens, essential oils, or even massage tables. Explain the size of your digital audience, such as how many Instagram followers you have, to demonstrate the extent of your influence. This will make brands more likely to partner with you.

Main takeaway: Partner with brands that sell items to massage therapists to review their products and get paid for your honest feedback.

4. Offer or Increase Referral Rewards

Your best asset is your happy client base. For the summer months, offer an incentive for them to share your practice with their friends and family—this is called a referral program. Usually, the reward will be a discount or free item, such as a candle or essential oils. To sweeten the deal, you offer a discount for the referred individual and the individual who made the referral.

Main takeaway: Create a referral program that encourages your happy clients to share and recommend your services to their friends and family.

5. Plan for a Busier Future

Use your downtime efficiently and set yourself up to make more in the future. This includes:

• Researching new products to sell
• Getting certified in new modalities or techniques
• Purchasing massage therapy software to help you organize and streamline everything, including bookings, scheduling, SOAP notes, and more

Stay on the lookout for new strategies and trends you can adopt at your massage practice to see greater success after summer.

Main takeaway: The summer lull is an incredible opportunity to upskill and make changes that will help you generate more revenue in the future.

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Although summertime may cause you to worry about the sustainability of your massage business, we hope these strategies will help you make the most of your downtime and even generate additional revenue. Don’t be afraid to branch out and experiment with new strategies during this time—you might find a new approach that dramatically boosts bookings and profitability!