RMT Work-Life Balance: How Many Clients Should You Really See Each Week?
The other day, my 12-year-old daughter said to me in a light-hearted tone,
“I was looking at the books on your nightstand. Are you depressed??”
The books in question were:
Lightly: How to Live a Simple, Serene, and Stress-Free Life
Frugal Living: Save Money, Plan Ahead, Pay off Debt & Live Well
We had a good laugh.
But then I thought about it… am I working too much? Or maybe not enough?
It’s a question I think a lot of RMTs struggle with. When you’re self-employed, the flexibility of choosing your hours is both a blessing and a curse. It’s like owning a truck — on one hand, you can haul anything you want. On the other, you always get those random calls from obscure friends asking for a “small favor.”
Not that I’d know. I’m a basic vanilla mom with a Honda Odyssey.
Two Key Questions:
How many massage clients a week is considered full-time?
Do you even want to work full-time?
Let’s start with the first one.
Full-time work is generally considered around 40 hours a week, but even that’s not carved in stone. For simplicity’s sake, let’s go with 40.
Now, let’s look at a few different work setups:
Clinic Contractor
You show up, do your massages, chart, and go home. These fortunate punks have linen service, reception, and someone else to clean the floors.Clinic Contractor + Added Responsibilities
You pull your weight a little more (insert tears here). You do laundry, play receptionist, maybe even bust out the hoover now and then.Home or Leased Practice
You do all of the above plus social media, emails, bookkeeping, and more.Mobile Practice
You run all that jazz and navigate traffic while listening to true crime podcasts between clients.
So, as you can see, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for how many hands-on hours are “normal.” It depends entirely on your setup.
Let’s Try to Quantify That 40-Hour Week:
Again, your mileage may vary! Maybe you’re super efficient with admin work and can fit in more treatments. These are just rough estimates.
If you want real data, track your non-massaging tasks for a week. Start a timer on your phone when you begin something like folding laundry or posting on Instagram, and pause it when you stop. You’ll quickly get a picture of how much time those “little things” add up to.
Now, Question Two: Do You Want to Work Full-Time?
This depends entirely on your life circumstances and goals.
Ask yourself:
Do you have kids? How old are they?
What are your goals or aspirations right now?
Do you have a partner contributing to household income?
Does your household income cover your expenses?
Can you increase your rates so you can work less?
The “right” number of massages per week is deeply personal.
Creating a Schedule That Fits You
Each year I choose a word to focus on, and this past year’s word was CREATE.
I wanted to do more creative projects (our Backyard Cardboard City for the neighborhood kids was a highlight!) — but I also wanted to create a life that brings me joy. That meant re-evaluating how many massages I do in a week and designing a schedule that fits my family.
Cardboard City!
After working Saturdays my entire career, I recently cut them out — and it’s been magical.
So this is your sign to take a step back and re-evaluate your work-life balance.
Create a schedule that aligns with your values, your goals, and your joy.
Keep building the dream! 💪✨
