How do you set the price of a wellness session?
Many therapists set their price by looking at others, then realise after a year that they work a lot for little. The reason is nearly always the same: part of their time cannot be billed (preparing the room, laundry, admin, marketing, travel), and tax is paid on profit they had already spent.
This guide is written for self-employed practitioners in the UK. GOV.UK’s working for yourself pages explain registering as self-employed and paying tax; an accountant can confirm the share you should set aside.
Step 1: what you want to earn and what you spend
Start with two honest monthly figures: the take-home pay you need, and your business costs, which keep running even when the diary is empty.
- Room rent or your share of a clinic, utilities
- Professional and public liability insurance
- Consumables: oils, creams, couch roll, laundry, cleaning products
- Equipment to replace: couch, bolsters, towels (divide the price by its life in months)
- CPD, training, membership of a professional body
- Phone, internet, website, booking tool, bank fees, accounting software
- Travel costs if you also work in clients’ homes
- Licence fees where they apply (for example a special treatment licence in many London boroughs)
Free tool, no sign-up
Quiz: is your practice easy to find?
10 questions to check what people see when they look for a therapist near them.
Step 2: set aside money for tax
As a sole trader, your Income Tax and National Insurance are worked out on your profit, through Self Assessment. The rates and allowances change, so take them from GOV.UK each year or ask an accountant. For pricing, what matters is a simple rule: decide what share of every payment you put aside for tax, and treat the rest as yours.
In the example below we use a set-aside of 20% of takings, purely as an illustration: your own figure depends on your profit and personal situation.
Step 3: how many sessions you really fill
A 35-hour week is not 35 sessions. Between clients you air the room, change linen, write notes and rest your hands. And no diary is 100% full.
| Example | Value |
|---|---|
| Sessions possible per day | 4 |
| Treatment days per week | 4 (the 5th day for admin, marketing, laundry) |
| Weeks worked per year | 46 |
| Possible slots per month | 4 × 4 × 46 / 12 ≈ 61 |
| Target fill rate | 70% |
| Paid sessions per month | ≈ 43 |
Step 4: the full calculation, worked through
Take a made-up therapist, “Calm Room”, renting a room in a shared clinic. All amounts are examples:
| Line | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Target take-home pay | £1,700 / month | |
| Business costs | room, insurance, laundry, consumables, tools, CPD | £550 / month |
| Total to cover | 1,700 + 550 | £2,250 |
| Share kept after tax set-aside | 1 − 0.20 | 0.80 |
| Takings needed | 2,250 ÷ 0.80 | ≈ £2,813 / month |
| Paid sessions | step 3 | 43 / month |
| Floor price per session | 2,813 ÷ 43 | ≈ £65 |
If the floor is well above local prices, try three levers before cutting your price: lower costs (rent a room by the half-day), fill better (online booking for evening enquiries, reminders the day before to reduce no-shows, packages that bring clients back), or offer longer and specialist sessions that are valued more.
The VAT threshold
GOV.UK says you must register for VAT if your taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or if you expect it to go over that in the next 30 days. The example above (about £33,800 a year) is far below, but a busy practice with several therapists can get there. Check your rolling 12-month total every month and decide in advance whether your prices will absorb VAT or rise.
Step 5: compare, then position your price
Once you know your floor, look at the prices of practitioners near you for a comparable service and length. Then place yourself according to what you offer:
| If you… | Position |
|---|---|
| Are starting out with few reviews | Floor price, with a shorter discovery session rather than a discount |
| Have a sought-after specialism or long experience | Above the local average, explained on your website |
| Work in clients’ homes | Session price plus travel fees by zone |
| Offer a high-comfort setting | Priced to match the setting |
One rule: every price matches a fixed duration (“60-minute session including a 10-minute chat”). Clients compare minutes, not names.
Packages, gift vouchers, travel and cancellations
| Example (made-up amounts) | Price | Per session |
|---|---|---|
| 60-minute session | £65 | £65 |
| Package of 5 (valid 6 months) | £300 | £60 |
| 90-minute session | £90 | - |
- Packages build loyalty and smooth your income. Keep the discount moderate and write down the validity period.
- Travel: a zone-based fee (“free within 3 miles, £8 from 3 to 10 miles”) is easy to understand and covers your time on the road.
- Cancellations: a late cancellation is rarely refilled. A clear policy shown at booking (“free up to 24 hours before, full price after”) protects your income. See our guide on booking cancellation policies.
- Price rises: redo the calculation every January; tell clients a month ahead (see how to announce a price increase).
Seven mistakes that keep therapists’ prices too low
- Pricing on a full diary. If your price only works when every slot is booked, it does not work. Use a realistic fill rate, especially in your first year.
- Forgetting unpaid time. Laundry, cleaning, admin, social media, CPD and travel are part of the job. They have to be paid for by the sessions you do sell.
- Forgetting the tax bill. Self Assessment arrives months after you have earned the money. If you have not set money aside from each payment, your real hourly rate is lower than you think.
- Discounting to win clients. A permanent discount attracts people who come for the discount. A shorter, clearly priced discovery session lets new clients try you without lowering the value of your full session.
- Vague durations. “Full body massage, £50” invites comparison with a 30-minute session elsewhere. Always say how long, and what is included.
- Free extras that become expected. An extra 15 minutes “because it’s you” every time is 25% more work for the same price. Price the 75 or 90-minute option instead.
- Never reviewing prices. Rent, insurance and supplies go up every year. A small, explained increase each January is easier for clients than a big jump after three years.
Discovery sessions and gift vouchers
A discovery session works best when it is a real, shorter format at a fair price (for example 45 minutes instead of 60), not the full session sold at a loss. Gift vouchers should be sold at full price, with the expiry date printed on them: they often bring in clients who would never have booked for themselves, and many come back on their own afterwards.
Mobile or in a room?
Working in clients’ homes saves rent but costs travel time, fuel and carrying equipment. Count the minutes on the road as working time when you set your travel fee: two home visits with 40 minutes of driving each can cost you the equivalent of a whole session.
A price list template
[Practice name] — Prices from [date]
Discovery session (45 min, including a short chat): £[XX]
[Treatment name] (60 min): £[XX]
Long session (90 min): £[XX]
Package of 5 x 60 min, valid [6] months: £[XXX]
Gift vouchers: any amount, valid [12] monthsHome visits: free within [3] miles, £[X] from [3] to [10] miles.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your session.
My sessions are for relaxation and wellbeing and do not replace medical advice or treatment.
When a client asks for a discount
It will happen, often from a regular client you like. Having a ready answer avoids giving away your margin on the spot. Offer something that keeps your session price intact: a package, a shorter format, or an off-peak slot.
Thank you for asking, and I’m really glad you enjoy your sessions. I keep the same price for everyone so it stays fair, but there are two options that cost less per visit: the package of 5 sessions (£[XX] each instead of £[XX]), or a 45-minute session at £[XX] if you mainly want to focus on [area]. Would one of those suit you?
If the request comes from financial difficulty, you can choose to help in your own way, but do it as a one-off decision rather than a public discount that every client will then expect.
Checklist before you publish your prices
- Floor price calculated with your real figures
- A fixed duration for every service
- The same prices on your website, Google profile, booking tool and price list
- Travel fees and cancellation terms written down
- Rolling 12-month turnover checked against the VAT threshold
- Calculation redone every January
The steps at a glance
A five-step formula to set a session price that covers your pay, costs and tax.
- Set income and costs. Write down your target monthly take-home pay and all monthly business costs.
- Allow for tax. Divide the total by the share you keep after your tax set-aside.
- Count real sessions. Sessions per day × days worked × a realistic fill rate.
- Find your floor price. Divide the takings needed by the number of paid sessions.
- Position and publish. Compare with local prices, fix a duration per service and publish clear prices.
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Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 28, 2026.