The next 30 days: the clients with FSA and HSA money left to spend
Many clients have pre-tax health money that runs out at year end. How a massage or spa business can help them use it properly between now and mid-November.
Every fall, some of your regulars are sitting on money they will lose if they do not spend it. Many flexible spending accounts are use-it-or-lose-it at the end of the plan year, and most people only remember that in the middle of December, when your book is already full of gift card redemptions.
The next 30 days are when you can help them plan, fill the weekday gaps that show up before the holiday rush, and do it without discounting a thing.
First, know the rules before you say a word
Massage is not automatically an eligible expense for an FSA or HSA. In most cases it qualifies only when it treats a specific medical condition, and the plan administrator will usually want a letter of medical necessity from the client's doctor. Relaxation massage, facials and most spa services do not qualify. Rules vary by plan, and some plans offer a grace period or a small carryover instead of a hard cutoff.
So you are not selling "use your FSA on a massage." You are telling clients who already see you for back pain, a sports injury or a medical referral that this may be an option, and that they should check with their plan. That keeps you honest and keeps you out of trouble. IRS Publication 502 is the primary source on what counts as a medical expense, and it is worth reading once.
Week one: find the right clients
Go through your booking software and pull three lists.
- Clients who booked therapeutic, medical or injury-focused sessions this year.
- Clients who have ever asked for a receipt with your license number or a superbill.
- Clients who came in on a doctor's referral.
For most practices this is a short list, maybe a few dozen names. That is fine. These are high-intent clients, and they are the ones most likely to book a series rather than a single visit.
Make sure your receipts can carry what an administrator usually asks for: your business name, license number, date of service, service type and amount. If your booking software cannot print that, build a simple template now, not in December.
Week two: send one plain message
Text or email the list once. Keep it short.
"Hi Dana, a quick note before the year ends. If you have FSA or HSA money left and your massage is for a medical reason, your plan may cover it with a doctor's letter. Worth checking with your plan. We have weekday openings through mid-November if you want to use it on a few sessions. Reply here and we will find times."
No discount. No urgency language. The deadline is real and belongs to their plan, not to you. If someone asks what to tell their doctor, send them a short explanation of what a letter of medical necessity usually includes and let them handle it.
Week three: fill the weekday gaps first
The reason to do this in October is your calendar. Late November and December evenings and weekends fill on their own. The weekdays in late October and early November usually do not. Steer these bookings into those slots.
If a client wants three or four sessions, book them all now, a week or two apart. A pre-booked series is the single best thing for your winter, and the pricing and packages guide covers how to present one without it feeling like a hard sell.
Watch your phone during this push. A text campaign creates calls, and calls that go to voicemail are the most common leak in this business. The missed calls and online booking guide shows how to set up a text-back so nobody waits until tomorrow.
Week four: one line on your profile and site
Add a single, careful sentence to your website's FAQ or pricing page: "Some clients use FSA or HSA funds for massage with a letter of medical necessity. Check with your plan administrator." You can post the same idea as a Google Business Profile update.
Do not put "FSA accepted" in your business name, your ads or your profile description. It overpromises, and it pulls in people who will be denied and blame you.
Where this fits with the rest of your numbers
Across the 70,932 massage and spa listings in our data, the median has 22 reviews and a 4.8 average rating. The clients on your medical list are often your most loyal, which also makes them your best review asks once the series is done. If you are below the median, ask each of them after their last session. The full spread is on the benchmarks page.
This is a small, quiet campaign. It will not double your month. What it does is fill the weekday holes before the rush, turn single visits into a series, and give regulars a reason to thank you for the reminder.
If you would rather someone handled the text campaign or any other one service for you, the free 14-day trial needs no card. See the free trial page or text or call (385) 386-3176.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, massage therapists and spas among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor