By Paola Bassanese
Today I had a brainwave: I pay my mortgage in massages. Don’t get me wrong, there is still money changing hands so that my lovely bank can charge me some delicious transaction fees. Also, as far as I know, HRM The Queen has not agreed to turn massages into acceptable currency for goods and services in the UK. Yet.
Having said that, my business currency is massage. My business language is massage. And, indirectly, my mortgage gets paid each month because clients have booked a series of massage treatments.
It was tempting to give my bank manager a call and strike a deal to pay off my mortgage by offering him a lifetime massage membership card. The funny thing is that he still hasn’t redeemed his complimentary massage gift voucher I gave him for Christmas.
This bears two questions:
1. what is the perceived value of a gift?
2. what is the perceived value of an experience?
Sometimes, when we get something for free, we take it for granted. We don’t value it as much as we would if we had bought it. I very rarely offer free demonstration massage treatments as I put an enormous marketing value on them so the recipient is chosen extremely carefully. I also need to make a significant return on investment if I give up one hour of my precious time to invite someone to have an Energya® relaxation experience. We all know that there is no such thing as a free lunch so my complimentary sessions must produce a return like media coverage or creating a brand ambassador.
The perceived value of an Energya® massage experience, in my view, is worth so much more than its price tag. The value that I attach to each massage is not quantifiable because the effects of a massage are more far-reaching than the mere physiological response of the body to relax and let go.
An hour on the massage couch is comparable to an 8 hour good night’s sleep and some clients have even compared it to going on holiday. For some, an hour’s massage is better than chocolate.
A positive experience stays with you for the rest of your life. And that is priceless.
In my eyes, just one of my massages could pay off my mortgage. Let’s see if I can get HRM The Queen to agree that we need to introduce a double currency system in the UK: Pound Sterling and the Energya Massage Currency Unit.
To book an appointment for a life-enhancing Energya® massage: call 078093961669 or email paola@energya.co.uk
See our massage treatment menu.
Picture credits: Anthony Mayatt