Ways to cut costs when buying massage tables and supplies
The sheer number of options can get overwhelming! Browsing online for massage supplies and tables can easily become a headache, and it can be very difficult to make a final decision, especially for budget-conscious practitioners. Here is a short list of aspects to consider when looking to save money on massage supplies and tables – and it isn’t limited to clicking “Sort by: Least expensive” on product lists. Ultimately, we recommend looking for good value items, instead of simply looking to spend the least amount of money, since in the long run, poor quality items can just cost you more. That being said, it’s also easy to become wrapped up in the avalanche of additional features available for massage tables, and we’ve identified ways to ensure that they don’t become too distracting.
Don’t go straight for the cheapest option
It may seem counterintuitive, but with working equipment like massage tables and supplies, it’s often better not to look for the cheapest possible products. Ideally, they should last you quite a few years, and often the cheapest possible items are cheap for a reason: they’re poorly built, defective, or just downright bad. Simply having to frequently replace these items will make you lose some money long term, even if you’re not a serious practitioner, but if you’re a professional, they might actually cost you some business.
A poorly constructed massage table can also be a huge liability: they can collapse under the weight of your clients! Even just plain uncomfortable ones might make it that much harder for clients to relax, and make your treatments seem that much less effective. You can lose your competitive edge in this profession due to poor equipment. Finally, the cheapest tables and supplies won’t be covered under warranties, drastically reducing their life expectancy.
As a rule of thumb, you should always consider why products are less expensive before you purchase them. For example, Lierre’s least expensive massage tables, the Lierre Eco, don’t come with table sheets, headrests or armrests, reducing their price, but the tables themselves are reliable, sturdy, and good quality. A massage table that costs less than 150$ and that includes all of these items is fishy: it’s simply impossible to lower prices to this extent, as a business, without severely compromising the quality of the items. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is!
Warranty policies are also an important consideration that many people fail to consider. As is often the case, a good warranty is much less common for cheaper tables – when they’re the most likely to be needed – while they’re more common with higher end tables. Great brands offer lifetime warranties, such as Earthlite, which makes them much more cost-effective in the long run, both time and money wise.
Though, as a conclusion, it’s better not to always opt for the absolutely least expensive option, the reverse can also be true!
Don’t assume that more expensive is always better
Though there is an obvious relationship between quality and price, there is a point at which massage tables cease to increase in appreciable quality. They may have additional features, but usually these extras won’t make a difference that either you or your clients will notice. For example, any foam that’s more than 3.5” thick won’t really make a difference for a customer lying on a table. Another example is weight: it is so difficult to make a table that weighs less than 24 lbs that the tables that are less heavy tend to only be maybe a pound or two lighter, which isn’t enough of a difference to truly be easier to carry. Working weight is another: some massage tables boast more than 3000 lbs static weight capacity, a claim that will almost certainly never be put to the test.
Of course, it’s as important to ignore these aspects as it is to pay closer attention to the ones that will make a difference during your treatments.
Look for the aspects that really matter
When looking at massage tables, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the diversity of choices. It’s hard to shop for them online, sometimes, because the language can be so unclear: what does memory foam even mean anymore, when it can vary so much from store to store, brand to brand, and model to model? On top of these difficulties, there’s the fact that descriptions of massage tables and supplies can become downright obscure: Reiki endplates, piano-hinge construction…?
To ensure that you make the right choice, then, it’s important that you don’t get distracted by all of these secondary aspects, and take careful notes of the aspects that will enrich your clients’ experiences, and make work easier for you. These factors will vary from practice to practice. While comfort tends to be one of the top concerns, for example, it can mean very different things: for example, physiotherapy patients might need more back support, making a table that can be lifted ideal, such as the Lierre Tilt. Tables with firmer foam and/or multi-layered foam, such as the Springlite model, also provide more back support, and they are more appropriate than ones with very soft foam. On the other hand, a massage bed or table with very soft foam is better suited for a spa, but the table’s ability to be lifted up is less important, making a massage table like the Earthlite Spirit an excellent choice.
Once you’ve zeroed in on the specific type of table you’re looking for, it’s time to compare different stores, which brings us to our next topic…
Read the shipping policy
It’s happened to everyone: you put an item in a cart that seems like it clearly qualifies for free shipping under store policy, just to find out that there’s a huge hidden cost – often more expensive than the item itself! This is doubly true with massage tables. Since they tend to be quite large and heavy, very few business will absorb the cost of shipping, and the ones that do tend to ramp up the prices of their tables. If you truly want to save money, it might be better to visit a store in person; but more often than not, the best deals on the ideal tables aren’t available close to home.
Shipping costs should absolutely be a factor when considering tables and products: while a series of individual stores might have better deals on certain items, purchasing accessories, tables and supplies from different locations might mean that you end up spending the bulk of your money on shipping, perhaps compromising on quality on each of these items. It’s therefore usually better to only buy products from one or two stores, and in bulk, especially if they offer free shipping for larger orders. A great way to save money is to combine orders with other local practitioners.
Lierre’s shipping policy on portable massage tables and other massage supplies is available on our website at all times, and easy to cross-reference. While shipping portable massage tables isn’t free, it’s reasonable, totaling at 35.99$ for a single table, or 29.99$ each for multiple ones. Most of our products are included in our free shipping deal, which applies to all orders over 69$. Products that are exempt from this deal are listed on our policy.
Apart from a professional massage accessories supplier in Canada, we are also supplying the best quality acupuncture needles, massage tables, cupping set, massage accessories, personal care products and more at great prices. You can find out more great products at Lierre.ca
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