Massage Candles
A Massage Therapy Profit Center  

Massage candles are just now starting to gain visibility in the marketplace.  Still relatively unknown by many people, a massage therapy practice is the ideal place to introduce your clients to this new type of candle. And because massage candles typically have generous mark-up potential, they can provide a lucrative, incremental stream of revenue and profits to your practice.

Demonstrating massage candles and incorporating them into your massage therapy practice is the best way to get your customers excited, buying, and adding to your bottom line.

Because of their ingredients, massage candles melt at a very low temperature, usually at just 101 to 102 degrees. At slightly above body temperature, they are warm, not hot.  However, unless  someone has actually tried a massage candle, they tend to be skeptical of the candle’s ability to burn cooler than a traditional candle and to deliver moisturizing benefits to the skin. Once a client has experienced the candle for themselves, they are far more likely to appreciate their use and the results they bring.

The best way to introduce massage candles to your clients is to use them as a massage oil alternative when actually giving a massage.  When you use them in your actual practice, massage oil candles immediately have credibility with your clients, adding to the likelihood that they will purchase them for personal use.  

Another alternative is to simply have a massage candle available for demonstration at your reception desk.  Offering each client a quick demonstration on the back of a hand can be an easy and effective way to demonstrate both how the product feels going on and how it leaves the skin feeling silky and smooth after having time to absorb into the skin within a short period of time.

Need specific ideas to stimulate sales? Here are several ideas for introducing and promoting massage candles to your clients.

Offer clients a hand or foot massage using the massage candle instead of traditional massage oil.  Some massage therapists offer this service at an up-charge to account for the retail selling price of the candle and then send the unused portion of the massage candle home with the client. Not only does this move a candle from your inventory, but it encourages personal use of the candle and increases the likelihood of a repeat sale.

Feature the massage candle during your massage session and offer your client an incentive for buying a candle for personal use.  Incentives might include a discount off the regular retail price if purchased today, or perhaps a “buy two/get one at half price” type offer.

Or, simply use the candle in your massage therapy session, promote its benefits, and let your enthusiasm for the product encourage purchase of a candle for personal use without an incentive attached.

Finally, some therapists have had great success using a massage candle as an incentive to encourage the purchase of a higher dollar value gift certificate or multi-session package.  For example, you might offer a massage candle as a gift when a gift certificate or massage package of $150 or more is purchased. This is an especially attractive offer to promote higher ticket certificates and massage packages during the holidays, for Valentine’s Day, for Mother’s Day, and similar occasions.

There are many ways to incorporate massage candles into your practice to help drive your revenue upward. Involve your staff and encourage them to suggest ideas to stimulate massage candle sales. Get excited, use your imagination, put ideas into action, and enjoy your new found profits!

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For information on how to select a high quality massage candle for your practice, you may be interested in the article Massage Candle Buying Tips. Author Karen Porter is also a speaker and entrepreneur. Her company manufactures and markets Skinny Dip Candles, one of the first massage candles on the market.

Visit her website, www.SkinnyDipCandle.com, to learn more about this line of massage candles made from shea butter, cocoa butter and other natural ingredients. Available retail and wholesale, in 24 scents. Also be sure to click the Enter to Win icon on the menu bar for a chance to win one of the Skinny Dip Pamper Packs awarded as prizes each month!

© 2007 Karen Loye Porter. All rights reserved worldwide. Reprint rights: You are welcome to reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, give author credit, and include the resource and bio information above in its entirety.