Getting a massage is a great way to practice self-care, but they certainly aren’t cheap! Depending on where you go, you can expect to pay $70 to $200 for a single massage – ouch! But did you know you can actually get paid to get a massage? Yes, it is possible. Here’s how.
Book With a Cash Back Site
The first thing to do is to sign up for a cash-back site, like Rakuten. It’s free to sign up, and it’s a super-easy way to earn cashback on all online purchases.
Currently, you can purchase a SpaFinder gift card for 4.0% cashback. So, say you book a massage for $100. You get $4 back in cash. While that might not seem like much, when you use it in conjunction with the rest of these methods, it adds up drastically.
Find a Coupon
In addition to using cashback, you can try to find a coupon code to apply when checking out online. Not sure where to look for coupons? Try looking up RetailMeNot to search for coupons for your spa location.
Use Insurance
The next step is to review what your insurance will cover. Many people don’t know that insurance often covers massages! If yours doesn’t, ask your insurance company if they do if you have a doctor’s note.
Now, while many insurance companies do cover the cost of massages, they often cap the amount. They may only allow you a few hundred dollars per plan year in massages. That might only be enough to cover two or three massages in a year! So, you’ll want to combine all of the steps in this article to get the most bang for your buck.
Wait for Specials
Occasionally, spas will run deals and packages, especially around the holidays. Usually, such specials will require you to purchase a few massages, and you can get one or two for free. That might require an up-front payment, but the price per massage can go down drastically.
For example, say a spa offers to buy one, get one free massage during the holidays. For easy math, let’s just say each massage is $100. So, you spent $100 and got another $100 worth for free. If you were able to buy two of these specials, you spent $200 for $400 worth of massages. We’ll go over this more below, but getting deals like this is key for making money to get a massage.
How to Get Paid to Get a Massage
Now, the secret sauce is when you use all of these methods together. That’s how you can get paid to get a massage.
Purchase a gift card, ideally with coupons, and getting cash back in the process. Use the gift card to pay for a promotional special (such as buy one, get one free). Then, file through your insurance company to get reimbursed for your massage. Remember, the insurance company will reimburse you the allotted amount in your plan. So, say your insurance company will reimburse you for up to $400 in massages. Each massage in the example above bills insurance $100, and you get reimbursed the full amount. But, let’s go back to where we said you bought two of the buy-one, get-one-free specials. You spent $200 to get four massages, valued at $100 each. The spa can bill your insurance for the full amount of the massage, so you recoup $400 but only spent $200. So, you made $200!
It’s tricky but totally possible to make money this way. Just be sure to look over all the fine details in your health insurance plan to know if it is possible for you and to make sure you aren’t breaking any rules in doing so.
Photo credit: Nick Webb.
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Rachel Slifka is a freelance writer and human resources professional. She is passionate about helping fellow millennials find success with their finances and careers. Read more by checking out her website at RachelSlifka.com.
