I have stated before that this is a fickle business. We are currently in the middle of a Heat Wave and that translates to a really bad week for me. Apparently men don’t think about getting a massage when the temperature is over 90. There are other things that effect my business as well.
The phases of the moon, the week before and the week after the full moon are normally busy times for me, unless there is a heat wave. The time around the new moon is very slow. Of course when there is a snow storm I will be sitting alone all day. If rain is in the forecast I will be busy, especially if it is not too hot out and thunderstorms are a possibility. Must be the electricity in the air. Spring is busier than Autumn. Winter and summer are about the same. Though in the summer, I am busier on Fridays and Mondays than in the winter when it is weekend and week day evening work.
I try to end my work day around 6 or 7. The later you work the less people want massage and the more they want to have intercourse. A lot of you would say what’s wrong with that? Well, for one thing, I should charge Hooker prices then. Not that there is anything wrong in my mind with being a prostitute, I just hate being thought of as a cheap hooker.
I often have to laugh to myself when someone says “I have been trying to get a hold of you for weeks, you must be swamped!” Well first off, they never leave a message. If I am busy with a client, I cannot answer the phone. When a day looks like it might be a wash, I may go to the movies, or do the laundry, or go to museum; all bad places for phone reception. Long and short of that is, please leave a message. The second thing that happens is that the call is wanting an appointment in the next half hour, well again, I may not be home, I may have another appointment, or a half dozen other reasons why coming in thirty minutes is just impossible. Another reason why I seem busier than I am, everyone seems to want the same times. Noon (or some time close to noon, which ties up about 2 hours) is popular for people who like to take a long lunch, 4PM is popular for those who want to leave work early, Mondays and Fridays are popular for the many who take three day weekends. So those 4 spots seem to fill pretty regularly and I often have to turn down several people who can only come at those times but have waited too long to call.
Most of us are not rich either. This is not a get rich quick lifestyle. In truth according to the stats of AMTA the average massage therapist makes around $30,000 a year before taxes. Most work a second full time job to make ends meet. Most therapists leave the profession in less than 5 years. There are those I know who make a much better living than this. They are also single and work from 8AM to 12 midnight or later.
So why am I doing this? Well, currently it is because I enjoy it. I haven’t felt the need to be rich lately. I really haven’t felt up to facing the corporate world again. I am bringing home almost the same in cash that my take home pay used to be. I will be screwed come tax time. I do miss the benefits of working in the corporate world, insurance is expensive.
Anyway, back to the heat. I do think it is fascinating that mankind’s internal clock hasn’t changed much since the beginning of time, still controlled by the phases of the moon and the seasons of the year and the weather. Despite being domesticated for centuries, there are still primordial urges locked away deep in our brains just waiting for the right time to surface for the survival of the species. Even when reproducing is not the goal, our senses our heightened and we feel the need to touch, to be touched, to share, and to connect. - Jack
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