How To Get Relaxation Clients to Rebook (Why It Matters And How To Do It!)

Rebooking is such an important part of running a successful massage business. It’s something I talk about all the time in my mentoring programme. 
And that goes down well with therapists who work with injuries or chronic pain. But what if your work is mainly focused on relaxation?

If a client isn’t limping in with a bad back or asking for help with their shoulder pain, therapists often have no idea how to suggest they come back.

I’ve lost count of how many therapists have said to me, “My clients haven’t got any issues – they just come for relaxation – so they won’t need to rebook”.

So not true!

Here’s what I’ve come to realise - and what I remind my mentoring clients all the time…

Needing to relax IS an issue.

People don’t book a massage for no reason. If they say they want to relax, it usually means stress. Or overwhelm. Or rubbish sleep. Or anxiety. Or a mind whirring with thoughts that won’t slow down.

These are issues. And they can be addressed through regular massage just as well as physical pain and injury.

If you don’t think you can suggest they come back because they’re not in physical pain, we need to reframe how you are thinking about your work.

Then, once you’re clear on the value of what you offer, I’ll walk you through how to actually have the rebooking conversation, without it feeling awkward or pushy.

Let’s start with the mindset shift. There are 4 parts to it:

Shift Your Mindset

1. Have Confidence in your Work 

There’s this sneaky belief floating around that massage for relaxation is somehow less valuable than massage for pain or injury. That if you're not doing sports massage or fixing something, your work is ‘just’ a treat.

That’s simply not true.

Massage that helps someone deeply relax is important. In fact, most of the time, when great results happen in a treatment, it’s because the client has been allowed to stop, breathe, and relax into their body.

You must know this: Relaxation is not a luxury. It’s a necessity. And if you don’t believe that yet, your clients won’t either.

If you’ve internalised the idea that only sports massage or injury work is “proper massage,” you’ll downplay the real value of what you do.

2. Stress Accumulates

Stress is often caused by something happening in life. That could be work pressure, looking after elderly parents, going through a breakup, money worries, health scares, etc.

Just because they’ve had a nice massage doesn’t stop life from happening… so these issues don’t magically disappear after one treatment either.

Just as one treatment doesn’t (usually) fix a painful shoulder, one relaxing treatment doesn’t fix months (or years) of accumulated stress. And yet so many therapists only feel comfortable suggesting a treatment plan if someone’s in physical pain.

It’s perfectly valid to suggest a treatment plan for stress too.

3. Relaxation is vital for good health

Relaxation is a great way to help the nervous system reset.

It calms that constant state of fight-or-flight most people live in, and allows the body to shift into parasympathetic mode – the one where proper rest, repair, and healing can happen.

But that reset doesn’t happen in one massage. Just like you don’t go to the gym once and expect to build muscle straight away, it takes time!

4. The Body Needs To Learn To Relax

Most people don’t actually know what real relaxation feels like. 
They’ve been living in a low-level state of stress for so long, their body doesn’t know how to let go. If the nervous system is always on high alert, it takes time and repetition, to teach it something different.

The more they experience that deep state of calm, the easier it becomes to access it. And the longer they can stay there.

That means that regular treatments can help the body learn a new pattern. So that when stress happens, it doesn’t automatically tense up and go into panic mode.

And if they can start to experience it regularly, change starts to happen. First inside and then externally. They start sleeping better and feeling clearer. They’re less snappy and irritable, they throw off infections quicker etc.

5. Not Every Client Will Rebook

Let’s be honest, some people just aren’t your people.

Some are booked in for a birthday massage or using a gift voucher and not planning on coming back. That’s fine. You can give them a beautiful massage and still let them go, knowing they’re not the ones you’re trying to build your practice around.

How Do You Get Them to Rebook?

You’ve started to see just how powerful relaxation work really is, now, how do you start having those rebooking conversations without feeling awkward? Here are five practical steps that make the conversation easier:

1. Do a Proper Consultation

If a client tells you they’re stressed, or they just need to relax, that’s your message to ask a few deeper follow-up questions. You’re not trying to be a therapist here. You’re just aiming for a deeper understanding of how they’re feeling.

You could ask how stress is affecting them physically, how they’re sleeping, or if they’ve noticed it affecting their mood, their digestion, their energy levels… whatever feels relevant.

Talking it through like this helps them make the connection between what’s happening in their life and how it’s affecting how they feel in their body. And all of that helps you understand what they might need from you.

2. Get Them to “Tune In” Afterwards

At the end of the session, it can be tempting to go straight back into practical mode getting out the diary, chatting about what they’re doing next. But before any of that, just give them a minute.

Encourage them to notice how they’re feeling. You could ask something like, “How do you feel now?”or “What’s changed since you first came in?”

Sometimes clients will shrug and say, “I don’t know, just… better.” But if you hold that space a little longer, they’ll usually start to describe it. Maybe they feel floaty or lighter, like they can breathe better or like they’ve slowed down inside.

Taking a moment to reflect like this, helps anchor the change. And it reminds them that how they feel now is the result of the massage. It plants the seed that this kind of change is possible again.

3. Be the Authority

Do a bit of research to get really clear on the actual benefits of your treatments. Take a short course on the nervous system if that helps your confidence.

The more clearly you understand it, the more naturally and confidently you’ll talk about it. You’ll stop second-guessing yourself. You won’t feel like you’re trying to “justify” what you do.

That kind of confidence helps your clients trust you. And it makes the conversation about rebooking feel really natural.

4. Ask Them to Rebook (Confidently)

This is the bit many therapists find hard:

You’ve probably said, “If you want to come back, just let me know…” and then cringed later, wishing you’d said something more helpful.

But if your client’s told you they’re struggling with stress, then offering to support them with that through regular treatments is being kind, not pushy!

You can say something simple, like:
“You mentioned your sleep’s been awful, I’d love to help with that. Shall we book something in for two weeks so we can keep the momentum going?”

5. Keep Attracting the Right Clients

Your messaging matters.

If your marketing talks about pampering or birthday treats, you’ll attract one-off clients who see massage as a luxury.

But if you want clients who return regularly, you’ve got to speak to the ones who are already looking for help.

So instead of using fluffy, generic phrases like “treat yourself” or “relax and unwind,”try talking about what regular massage actually helps with. Mention nervous system regulation, long term stress and the cumulative effects of regular sessions.

You don’t have to persuade them. You just have to speak their language and the ones who get it will come.

Final Thoughts

It can feel awkward asking if someone wants to come back, especially when they’re not in physical pain. But when you really understand the impact that relaxation work can have (and when you believe in it yourself !) those conversations start to feel very different.

Because what you offer isn’t “just a nice massage.” It’s so much more than that!

About the Author

Business mentor for massage therapists, Nikki Wolf has over 20 years in the industry; including teaching, owning a massage school, and managing spas. Nikki is on a mission to demystify marketing for therapists and empower them to build their own thriving businesses. When she isn't massaging or mentoring, she’ll be walking on the beach with her dog, Storm. Find out more about mentoring at Orchid Massage Academy.