Why is that $150 is typical rate regardless of cities for masseurs?

[imma]

Shouldn't cost of living factor more so? For example, Los Angeles vs Dallas.

[Dallas Jayson]

Shouldn't cost of living factor more so? For example, Los Angeles vs Dallas.

I have no technical or scientific research to back this up, but I think a couple factors come to mind.

1] social media allows them to see what everyone else is doing

2] guys on sites like this often get nervous when "the fee is too low"

..you can always ask about the price being negotiable

[Monarchy79]

Supply and Demand...

If people are willing to collectively pay that fee, providers are inclined to charge it.

 

Compare it to rents in New York.

The rates kept going up, because people were willing to pay it. Now that cities are enduring a mass exodus, rents are dropping. Significantly.

[Penn7]

Also, some have travel and hotel costs to be in cities other than their own.

[Jarrod_Uncut]

Shouldn't cost of living factor more so? For example, Los Angeles vs Dallas.

 

Are you implying that because Dallas is more affordable than Los Angeles, the prices should be less? Maybe in theory...But rent is rent whether it’s $900 or $1,900. Hotel is hotel whether it’s $90 or $190.

 

Think of it as a bottle of cologne. A bottle of Dolce or Tom Ford costs the same in Wichita, Kansas, as it does in NewYork City. Only difference is the taxes.

 

I know for me, I don’t do hardly any appointments for under $150 anymore, most of the times not even under $250. It’s not about greed or about what others are charging, it’s just my overheads and me being able to operate, won’t get handled if I charged, say $100. I’m not booking clients round the clock. My only appointment last week was 1 $400 client earlier in the week.

[jeezifonly]

The OP posted this in Spa and referred to masseurs. There is another market-related comparison that hasn’t been mentioned.

 

When I really need a good massage, I compare fees between private advertisers, and also compare it to a full visit to a local day spa for the same length massage.

 

If I have a gift card for a spa visit (friends know I love a good massage), that usually decides for me.

 

When I visit my favorite spa I really like using the sauna and steam (not so much the jacuzzi). It’s a given there will be no happy ending to the treatment, but I find the calming ambiance, amenities, and dependably skilled service to be worth more in this instance. So, masseurs have competition in other private masseurs AND in fully licensed businesses performing similar services, with different pluses as trade offs.

 

Most spas max out at 75m massage (a few do 90m, which is the length session I’ll book for a private, but that added 15m will include working the bits that the spa won’t.) With tips figured in, the total cost to me is pretty close!

 

Federal income tax deduction for at-home business is based on sq footage used, at a fixed $5/sqft, rather than a % of rent paid. That may partially explain why there is less variation of hourly fee: less variation in work-related deductions.

[dutchal]

Two comments:

 

1. The typical prices in NYC is now more in the $160-180 range. Very few are below $160 any more.

2. The big city prices are lower than you might expect based on COL most likely because of more competition in those cities.

[Shawn Monroe]

Another perspective. For those of us who travel, the big sites don’t allow you to show one set of prices to one city and one to another. And very few clients read profiles.

 

when I lived in Oklahoma I tried to charge a hometown rate for a while since I wouldn’t have to factor in overhead, but it doesn’t work in practice.

 

Some guys will charge a different rate based on the city, and some even say in their profile “posted rates are for the city im in”. But imagine the taste that leaves in your mouth when you realize you’re being charged more than a guy in a smaller city.

 

I’ve found it’s just easiest to charge around the median, as it works for most cities.

[marylander1940]

Shouldn't cost of living factor more so? For example, Los Angeles vs Dallas.

 

Supply and Demand...

If people are willing to collectively pay that fee, providers are inclined to charge it.

 

Compare it to rents in New York.

The rates kept going up, because people were willing to pay it. Now that cities are enduring a mass exodus, rents are dropping. Significantly.

 

Agreed!

 

Bigger cities are more expensive yet they're also more competitive because they have more escorts/masseurs and clients available. Some escorts (and masseurs) occasionally travel to small markets and have profitable trips but one thing is visiting and other is living in a small market with less clients.