Wellness & recovery services
Books and taxes for independent massage therapists.
Session packages sold months before they are used, cash and Venmo tips, room rent paid to a spa or split with a landlord. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
February came in at $4,350. Three people bought new five-session packages, so I kept that as owed sessions, not February income.
- Vagaro payoutSession payments
- Package sale, 5 sessionsPackages sold
- Venmo tipsTips
- Room rent, Willow StudioRoom rent
- Massage oil restockSupplies
Why your books are different
An independent massage therapist's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist bookkeeper sees deposits and a rent bill. Your business is packages sold ahead of time, tips that land three different ways, and a room you may not even own. When the books do not know that, the monthly number lies to you.
-
1
Package sales are not February's income
A client pays $500 for five sessions in one visit. Booked as income that day, February looks huge and the four months you actually work off the package look empty, even though nothing changed about your workload.
What we doTracks how many sessions are still owed on open packages and counts each one as income only when the client comes in for it. -
2
Cash and Venmo tips go missing
A client hands you $20 cash after a great session, or Venmos it that night. If it never gets written down anywhere, it is income that never got counted, and that catches up with you.
What we doAsks for tips to be logged the same day in any form, so they count as income once and get taxed right. -
3
Room rent looks like your only cost
Paying a studio owner $600 a month for a room feels like the whole story, but oils, linens, a table, and liability insurance add up fast and often get missed until tax time.
What we doKeeps every recurring cost, not just rent, in its own line so you see what a session actually costs you to deliver. -
4
A slow month looks like a bad month
One client on vacation and one reschedule can cut a solo practitioner's month in half. Without package balances to explain it, a slow month looks like the business is failing.
What we doShows the deferred session balance alongside the month so a quiet week reads as timing, not trouble.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a massage therapist.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Session paymentsSingle sessions paid through Vagaro, Square, or your booking app.
- Packages soldMulti-session packages, tracked as owed sessions until used.
- TipsCash and Venmo tips, logged so they count as income.
- Gift cardsSold ahead of time and redeemed later, kept separate from session income.
Money out
- Room rentWhat you pay a studio or spa owner for the space.
- Massage oils and linensOil, lotion, sheets, and table covers you restock regularly.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for the sessions you perform.
- Booking softwareVagaro, Square Appointments, or a similar scheduling tool.
- Continuing educationCourses that keep your license current.
What we watch for you
- Owed sessions
How many sessions are still unused on open packages, so a quiet week makes sense.
- Tip income
What is coming in as tips, so nothing gets left uncounted.
- Cost per session
Rent, oils, and insurance divided across sessions, so pricing makes sense.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things massage therapists ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Because those sessions have not happened yet. I count each one as income when the client actually comes in, so the month reflects real work.
Yes. Log them however you get them and I will fold them into income, so nothing goes uncounted.
Often, yes, in the year you buy it. I flag equipment purchases and the accountant makes the call with your full year in view.
The tax side
The tax side of an independent massage practice.
Most of what trips up a solo therapist is timing and small missed costs, not anything complicated. Package income counted too early, tips left off, a table filed the wrong way.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Self-employment taxWorking for yourself means paying both halves of Social Security and Medicare, 15.3 percent total, on top of income tax. The set-aside is built to cover it.
- Quarterly estimated paymentsWith no employer withholding anything, most independent therapists pay estimated tax four times a year, on April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
- The pass-through deductionMost solo practitioners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
- Equipment write-offsA massage table, hot stone warmer, or other equipment can usually be written off the year you buy it, depending on the year you are having.
Deductions independent massage therapists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Massage oils and lotions
- Table linens and covers
- Room rent
- Liability insurance
- Continuing education courses
- License renewal fees
- Booking software
- Massage table and bolsters
- Uniforms and scrubs
- Mileage to client homes
- Business cards and website
- Hand sanitizer and supplies
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A massage therapist's year, kept every month.
Clients book around holidays, injuries, and stress, not a calendar. Your taxes come on a schedule either way. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled, even with January's slow post-holiday weeks.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer's schedule changes shifted the number.
- October
Before gift card season
Holiday gift cards bring a rush of prepaid sessions. Before it hits, Gus looks at what equipment is worth buying before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for independent massage therapists. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions massage therapists ask first.
I rent a room at a spa. Does that change how my books work?
No. Room rent is just another cost, kept in its own line so you can see it against what your sessions bring in. You still get one clear number each month.
How does Gus handle package sales?
He tracks how many sessions are still owed on a package and counts each one as income only when the client uses it, so your months reflect the work you actually did.
I use Vagaro for booking. Do I need new software?
No. Keep booking the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
My tips come in cash, Venmo, and sometimes added to a card tip. Is that a problem?
No. However tips arrive, log them and Gus folds them into income so they are counted once and taxed correctly.
I have been doing this a year with no real bookkeeping. Where do I start?
Send your bank statements from as far back as you have them. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people know where they stand inside a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in wellness & recovery services
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Birth doulas
- Breathwork facilitators
- Herbalists & apothecaries
- Hypnotherapists
- Lactation consultants
- Midwives & birth centers
- Postpartum doulas & night nurses
- Reiki & energy healers
- Salt caves & halotherapy
- Sound healing practitioners
- Yoga therapists
- Acupuncturists
- Biohacking & longevity centers
- Cold plunge & contrast therapy studios
- Cryotherapy studios
- Float spas
- Infrared sauna studios
- Lymphatic drainage specialists
- Private practice dietitians & nutritionists
- Recovery lounges
- Red light therapy studios
- Stretch studios
- Health coaches
- IV hydration & drip bars
- Compounding pharmacies
- Durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers
- Elective 3D/4D ultrasound studios
- Independent pharmacies
- Medical billing companies
- Mobile nursing & concierge nurse services
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever