Basics:
Zeel is a health and wellness company that enlists freelance massage therapists for out-of-office appointments
Expected pay: $70 – $85 per hour
Husl$core: $$$$
Commissions & fees: about 30%
Where: Most states outside Montana and North Dakota
Requirements: Appropriate experience, certifications and insurance
If you’re a trained massage therapist, Zeel may be able to help you earn extra income.
What is Zeel?
Zeel is an on-demand wellness marketplace that contracts with employers, health plans, spas and hotels to provide an array of wellness services, including medical massage, Covid tests, yoga and some physical therapy services. Services are provided through a network of freelance providers, who receive a portion of the fees, plus 100% of the tips paid by clients.
However, massage therapy appears to be the primary service for which Zeel seeks freelance help.
How it works
If you want to sign up as a provider, you’ll fill out an application, providing your professional experience, certifications and proof of insurance. You must have at least a $3 million liability policy, with up to $1 million in coverage for each “occurrence.”
The site will review your information and, if you’re accepted, contact you with information about how to start getting work. You’ll fill out a calendar, showing when you’re available and Zeel will send you notifications when someone in your area requests services that fit your skills, region and availability.
Each notification will specify what the job involves; where it’s located and what it pays — both to Zeel and you. The site generally adds an 18% tip onto client bills that also goes directly to the service provider.
Zeel review (for freelancers)
Zeel promises some of the best massage therapist pay in the industry. And it certainly pays better than most store-front massage outlets such as Massage Envy. However, massage therapists also have more expenses when working for Zeel.
That’s because they must travel to the client, rather than the client coming to them. And, they’ve got to bring whatever equipment is required. Zeel’s insurance requirement also adds costs. And, because you’re freelance, you may also have a higher tax obligation.
Pay
That said, the pay difference can be startling. Where Massage Envy pays about $20 – $25 per hour, Zeel typically pays between $70 and $85 per hour. Freelance therapists get paid once weekly by direct deposit.
Zeel Spa payments are based on two factors, with providers receiving the higher of the two. One method is based on a rate per minute of hands-on time, plus tip. The other formula is a guaranteed minimum payment, plus tips.
The guaranteed minimum is a safeguard in case a spa books a provider for a block of time but doesn’t fill all appointment slots. Even if no massages are performed, the provider would still receive the guaranteed minimum payment. Therapists see both calculations in the appointment details before accepting gigs.
Working conditions
Aside from the better-than-average hourly pay, Zeel therapists have complete control over their time. You are in charge of your personal calendar, which states when you are and are not available. Zeel will only offer you gigs that fit your availability.
However, it’s important to pay close attention to where the gig is located, since you will be spending your own time and gas getting there. One of the main complaints we see about this site is that you can spend as much — or more — time traveling to and from gigs as you do working. That significantly impacts your real hourly rate.
Client cancellations
If a client cancels within 4 hours of your appointment time, Zeel will provide you with partial payment. The amount you get will depend on when the client cancels. If it’s 2-4 hours prior to the appointment, the therapist gets $20. If it’s between 1 and 2 hours before the apointment, you get $40. If it’s less than an hour before the appointment, or if the client no-shows, you get $50.
Inappropriate behavior
Unfortunately, massage therapists — particularly those working in homes and hotels — frequently report that clients “misunderstand” the service being provided and act inappropriately or ask for inappropriate services.
Zeel takes complaints about clients seriously. Not only are clients “rated” in the app, you have the ability to leave an appointment at any time, if you feel threatened. If you do, however, make sure to report the problem to the site’s Trust & Safety team.
No guarantees
Although Zeel operates in most states nationwide, the site offers no guarantee about how much work it will send you. In some cities, business is brisk. In others, it’s nearly non-existent.
That said, you don’t need to guarantee them any specific amount of time, either. So, this can work well as a side gig to generate occasional added income.
Recommendations
Since you’re not committed to spending any specific amount of time working with Zeel clients, there’s little downside to signing up here. (You can sign up with Zeel here.)
You may also want to check out Priv, which books clients for cosmetologists, massage therapists and other wellness services.
What their therapists say (from Indeed):
It’s all based on you accepting clients or not or when you want them. They remind you of your insurance is going to expire or your license they are very supportive and care about the safety of their massage therapist
Great mobile massage company. Always busy and pay is above average. Been with them for over 5 years and will keep going even if I decide on a spa massage job
Decent opportunity for therapists seeking the most autonomy and independence in their work, but depending on the location, may not be reliable for full-time income. Support team is always helpful.
Costs vs. pay
The pay is competitive only if compared to an average or low paying spa. The difference however is that unlike a spa, Zeel commissions do not accurately factor in commuting time, commuting expense, supply costs. Actually, spas also don’t do that, but spas are less expensive for employees and independent contracts for the detail of not sitting in traffic between clients, having to do or pay for laundered massage table bedding.
It’s a lot of work being an owner operator but working as a contractor gave me a ton of flexibility working around my school schedule. Dollar for Dollar I always made more per hour which is why I never went back to spa employment afterwards. What I made in 2hrs at a spa I could always make in 1 with Zeel ( or any of the other app based massage sites for that matter)
