What is a massage therapist contractor agreement?
Many spas, clinics and wellness centres work with massage therapists as independent contractors rather than staff. That works well when both sides know the deal: how the therapist is paid, who keeps the tips, who provides the room and the linens, what happens when a client cancels late, and what the therapist can and can't do with the client list when they leave.
This agreement records the services and the availability the therapist offers; what the spa provides and what the therapist brings; pay as a fixed fee per session or a percentage of the service price, protected against discounts the therapist didn't agree to; tips and any retail commission; the therapist's licence or registration and the insurance they must hold; professional standards on consent, draping and boundaries; client and therapist cancellations and the share of late-cancellation fees; client records and privacy; an optional, time-limited no-poaching clause; the spa's prices and premises rules; and notice to end.
- Best for
- Day spas, physiotherapy and chiropractic clinics, wellness centres, hotel spas
- Signed by
- The spa or clinic and the therapist
- Pay models
- Fixed fee per session, or a percentage of the service price
- Length
- 3 pages, initialled on every page
When to use a massage therapist contractor agreement
- A day spa engaging a therapist three days a week on a revenue split
- A chiropractic clinic adding a sports massage therapist on a per-session fee
- A hotel spa using contractors to cover peak weekends
- Formalising an existing handshake arrangement
- Setting clear rules before a therapist builds a following at your spa
What you fill in
24 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: spa or clinic, therapist.
1 The parties
- Start date*
- Spa or clinic*
- Premises address*
- Therapist's full name*
- Therapist's business name (optional)
2 Services
- Services the therapist will provide*
- Availability the therapist offers*
- Provided by the spa*
- Provided by the therapist
3 Pay
- How the therapist is paid* a fixed fee per session · a percentage of the service price
- Currency*
- Fee per session
- Therapist's share of the service price (%)
- Tips* Tips paid by clients go in full to the Therapist. · Tips paid by card go to the Therapist in full, with no card fee deducted. · The Spa does not accept tips.
- Commission on retail product sales (optional)
- Paid*
4 Licence and insurance
- Therapist's licence or registration
- Insurance the therapist must hold*
5 Bookings
- Client cancellation window (hours)*
- Therapist's share of late-cancellation fees*
- Notice the therapist gives to cancel booked shifts (hours)*
6 Ending
- No poaching clients for (months after leaving)
- Notice to end (days)*
- Governing law*
7 Who signs
- Spa or clinic signature and date, job title, initials on every page · The owner or manager of the spa, clinic or wellness centre.
- Therapist signature and date, job title, initials on every page · The massage therapist. Add their business name as their title if they trade through one.
What the massage therapist contractor agreement covers
- Services
- Pay
- Independent contractor
- Licence, insurance and standards
- Bookings and cancellations
- Client records and privacy
- Clients and no poaching
- Ending this Agreement
- Premises and prices
- General
Using the massage therapist contractor agreement, step by step
1 Name the parties
Enter the spa, its premises address, the therapist and their business name if they have one, and the start date.
2 Describe the services
List the treatments, the days the therapist offers, and what the spa and the therapist each provide.
3 Agree the pay
Choose a per-session fee or a percentage split, then set tips, any retail commission and the pay schedule.
4 Licence, insurance and bookings
Enter the therapist's licence if one applies and the insurance they must hold, the client cancellation window, the therapist's share of late fees and the notice the therapist gives to cancel shifts.
5 Leaving and signing
Set the no-poaching period, or leave it empty, the notice to end and the governing law. Send it to the therapist to sign online.
Tips before you send it
- Contractor status depends on how the work is done. If you set the therapist's hours, uniform and methods, they may be an employee in law.
- Collect a copy of the licence and insurance certificate every year, and note the expiry dates in FileIt.
- Keep any no-poaching period short. Some places limit or refuse to enforce these clauses.
- Agree in advance how promotions affect a percentage split. The template protects the therapist's share from discounts they didn't agree to.
Sign it online in minutes
- Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
- Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. FileIt builds the PDF with every signature, date and initials box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
- Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in your vault and emailed to everyone.
Massage therapist contractor agreement: frequently asked questions
Who keeps the tips?
You choose: all tips to the therapist, card tips to the therapist with no card fee deducted, or no tips accepted at the spa.
Can the therapist take clients when they leave?
Spa clients belong to the spa. If you set a no-poaching period, the therapist won't directly approach clients they treated at the spa for that time, but they can still treat anyone who finds them independently and say where they now work.
What happens when a client cancels late?
The spa may charge its late-cancellation fee, and the therapist receives the share you set from any fee the spa actually collects.
Is a licence required?
It depends on where you are. If a licence or registration applies, enter it; otherwise the therapist confirms they hold whatever the law requires.