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Bartering Massage and Ethics

Yesterday I asked some fellow massage therapists, "How many use massage as a bartering tool? What cool experiences will you share with us?"

In less than a day there were over sixty replies, most of which were simple explanations of what therapists bartered for.

There were a couple who don't barter for one reason or another.

What interested me were the personal messages from therapists who were a bit leary of 'going against the flow,' and making a public statement against the grain in regards to bartering and ethics, as the majority agreed that bartering one's professional massage services was a-ok.

Ethics: A system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture.

Is there mention of bartering in the National exams or is this a state by state, school by school 'ethics' discussion? (It's been so long ago that I took the National test and studied for it, I can't recall.)

How do your, "Moral principles or culture" relate to mine? Is there a standard that all massage therapists should observe?

Is this a personal issue from therapist to therapist, between them and their clients?

Personally, I don't have an issue with bartering, although I've done very little of it.

Thoughts?

Kris

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Comment by Summer J Robinson on July 2, 2010 at 7:46am: I'm a bartering fool!!! If it's a service you are needing and they want a massage why not just ask!! Ive bartered for carpet cleaning, dental work, hair cuts, tires for my car, my vet, merry maids and my latest bucket list venture...Braces!!

Comment by Susan G. Salvo on June 25, 2010 at 12:09pm: I took both the MBLEx and the NCETMB this past year. Each exam included questions on bartering.

The question I had referred to what percentage of barter income should be reported as taxable income.

The best answer from the possible answers given was 100%.

Comment by Penne Phifer on June 25, 2010 at 11:16am: Barter or not to Barter...........Hmmmm let me see. You can barter to the point of having no cash flow. Advise from a fellow LMT: Hire out or barter the things that you're not good at (bookkeeping, house keeping, etc.) and save your time and energy for Massage and Marketing.

Comment by Billie Garrett on April 16, 2010 at 2:38pm: I have bartered for several services including laundry, personal training and vehicle work. I feel that as long as it's a completely professional transaction, properly documented, it's ideal! Why would anyone want to take their paycheck, deposit it, wait for it to clear, take money out or create another transaction to spend the money then rinse and repeat for every other need. How is it any different than say... a farmers market? I have grain fed beef, you have vegetables; she has pasta... let's make a deal... or in this case a meal!

Comment by Darcy Neibaur on March 3, 2010 at 6:22pm: Rick we were taught the same information in school about Bartering. Also the same is true for receiving Gifts. They also have to be claimed as income. I am probably the only LMT in this world who pays taxes on her complete income including cash tips.

Comment by Toni Roberts on March 3, 2010 at 4:37pm: Coincidentally, I just finished watching a PBS documentary called Satan's Doctor in which a renowned and gutsy Finnish "therapeutic masseur" treated Himmler for crippling stomach pains beginning just before World War II and eventually stopped charging him and began bartering for the lives of prisoners. In addition to the other prisoners he saved, the Jewish World Congress accredited him with saving 60,000 Jews.

Comment by Toni Roberts on March 2, 2010 at 4:43pm: Thanks for inviting me Kris. This seems to be a nice forum. Funny that AMTA members have to go to an ABMP site to network among themselves. LOL Now that I think about it, AMTA did have a forum on their site a few years ago, but just a few people posted. Maybe it was before it's time.

Comment by Toni Roberts on March 2, 2010 at 4:41pm: In reading the barter list, I have to say I turned green, absolutely green with envy at the person who barters for their laundry services. I once worked a short while with a chiropractor whose massage therapist bartered for their professional laundry with the owner of the cleaners in the shopping center. I did a few rounds, but left the practice after a couple of months. The laundry near my office doesn't have an interest in trading, so I take my laundry home and wash and fold, wash and fold, wash and fold, and cart it to work. Gosh, I could be scrubbing floors instead.

Comment by Las Vegas Massage In Summerlin on March 2, 2010 at 3:58pm: Hey Toni!

Great to see you here!

I compiled a list of products and services bartered from all the comments I received on Facebook.

They are here:

What do you barter for with massage?

Some other great comments by Lee Kalpin on the bottom of this page in regards to the risks of bartering:

Risks of Bartering

Kris

Comment by Toni Roberts on March 2, 2010 at 3:47pm: I think of any transaction as an energy exchange, be it cash, goods, or services. The exchange would have to have value to both parties.