From $105 to $165 a Session: How Ellie Rebuilt Her Practice on Her Own Terms

When Ellie moved home to Dubbo, a regional country town in New South Wales, she started her massage business from scratch, using all of her savings to make it happen. In that first year she took whatever came her way, said yes to everyone, worked weird and wonderful hours to fit them all in, and charged just $105 a session.

Three years on, her business looks completely different.

She's more than doubled it. She now charges $165 a session for returning clients, and carefully screens new clients at $220 for an initial consultation, so she can focus on the specialised work she loves most: lymphatics and scar therapy. Her books are full, so full she's recently closed them and had another price rise.

And here's the part that really stands out. Ellie now works just four days a week, which means three full days off, every single week.

That didn't happen by accident. She didn't just wake up one day and decide to stop working Saturdays. It came from around six months of steady work on her boundaries, her pricing, and her mindset, including unpicking why she'd been a self-described recovering people pleaser who struggled with rejection. Once she could be genuinely okay with not being for everybody, she could close her books, choose who she saw, and design a week that actually supports her energy.

She even spent three weeks in Peru earlier this year, a trip she'd wanted to take for ten years. Three years ago she'd never have gone, certain her clients needed her and it would all fall apart. This time she trusted what she'd built, and her business carried on just fine while she was away.

When we asked Ellie for her biggest takeaways, she didn't lead with the money. She talked about clarity, confidence, and connection, with her coaches, her community, and herself. The pricing and the four-day week are real and measurable, but they grew out of something deeper: getting clear on her vision, doing the mindset work, and having the right people beside her the whole way.

Watch Ellie's full story here:

Ellie's story isn't unusual. Almost every therapist who walks this path starts out exactly where she did: unsure, undercharging, and doing it all alone. The difference is having a map to follow and people in your corner who genuinely want to see you succeed.

Health Leader Mastery is our business mentoring program for massage and bodywork professionals who want to build a profitable, sustainable practice without burning out.

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Find Ellie here:

https://www.elementarybody.com.au/

https://www.instagram.com/elementary_body_therapy/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091276497136