Being a dude, going to the spa for a massage just feels wrong! In fact, for years I completely avoided it. However, my wife started going for semi-regular massages and kept telling me just how wonderful they were and over time it really started to pique my interest.

The tipping point was when I found out my good friend, who is also a guy, went for at least one massage a month! But what about the price? People generally seem to make terrible use of their health plans - for years I was guilty of this as well.

The thing is, you most likely pay a large sum of money every month for your health benefits through work. The good news is that massages are covered by most health plans!

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All noise and distractions are forgotten while you simply lie still, breathe in and out, and have all the tension worked out of your body by a trained professional. My first few massages were a learning experience and I did actually go to various fancy spas to get them - which made me feel quite awkward but the overall experience was worth it. It does take a while to find the right massage therapist, figure out what type of massage works for you, and start really getting the most out of it.

I recommend taking the time to experiment with different therapists, styles, pressure, and places so you can quickly determine what is right for your body. I thought it was a neat idea, but nothing more. They currently are only in Atlantic Canada though so most people will have to stick with Massage Addict until they expand. Committing to paying for another 6 massages coming right out of your pocket might be a little much for some, but hopefully you can:. If you live in a two income household then chances are your spouse has a health plan too that may give you additional massage therapy coverage.

The idea is centered around buying discounted gift cards to pay for your massages. A gift card is simply a method of payment like any otherso you are still able to claim your massage via insurance just as if you paid with cash.

But, if you can pay less than face value for your gift card, you will actually pocket some money after your insurance company reimburses you! First, if you want to know all the ways to find discounted gift cards for everything, not just massages, then you should check out this guest post I wrote for Boomer And Echo that gives you all the details. There are two big spa locating services that are nationwide in Canada, Wayspa and Spafinder. They partner with various spas throughout the country and list them on their websites as well as sell gift certificates that can be used at any of their member spas.

The great thing is that these gift cards can often be purchased at a discount.

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The only downside here is which spas are available in your area smaller cities have little selection and the prices may be slightly higher at some of these spas as well. More Details On Cash Back Websites Here. Costco is another great place to find gift cards at discounted prices.

They also have savings on several other spas throughout Canada. Take a look at their full list of spa gift certificates here. As described in my How To Hack Gift Cards For Big Discounts article linked to above, you can also check out Ebay, Cardswap, Gift Card Nanny, etc to find discounted spa gift cards. The Biggest Secret To Saving Money Is Stacking. Some links in this article may be affiliate links.

We're letting you know because it's the right thing to do. I'd be careful about the insurance claims; most insurance companies only reimburse for the actual amount paid and it's in their fine print. If they found out the amount was inflated they'd likely report it to the company. I've seen employees claim inflated amounts for expenses buying a discounted gift card then claiming the full amount ; it didn't end well - they were successfully sued by the company.

That's a good word of caution Dan but I'm not sure I agree with the premise. Clearly, this has caused a problem in the past but I don't really ruger no 1 laminated stock a gift card discount as being the massage therapists how much money they make a year in canada of an inflated price.

If I were to walk into that spa and get a massage off the street, I'd be paying that price and that's the same price the insurance company would pay. To me it seems like either the company offering the service or the person I'm buying the gift card from that is taking the loss. Call it a marketing expense or what have you, it's just a way stock market seminar topics them to drum up business. I stock market yearly trend it is the companies offering the service that should be sued not the people taking advantage of the service if that is the insurance company rules.

If they bond stock market relationship to discount their gift cards, then that's their business not mine.

I just take advantage of it as a consumer. The insurance company is never going to lose either, because they have actuaries that make sure they make tds on stock brokerage. They just adjust rates until that's the case. So how does this work? As far as my insurance is concerned, I do not have to present any proof of purchase or receipt for the gift cards I've never used one but I was asking aroundonly for the service I am claiming reimbursement.

Yes, that's exactly my thinking too Daniel. Seems a bit far fetched, but if enough people where racketeering together in one company to do this such that it became noticed I guess the lawyers might be able to get a settlement or prove some level of guilt. It doesn't really seem like something that should be against the rules to me though, especially not for the individual consumer.

A gift card is just another method of payment. I even called my insurance company to make sure they would reimburse when paying with a gift card, and they said yes.

THEY HELP ME TO MANAGE TIGHTNESS IN MY MUSCLES AND TO RELAX. Massage therapists how much money they make a year in canada HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE AND SO DOES MY WIFE. Good idea looking for a cheaper practitioner in Quebec to stretch out the number of treatments you can get. Similar idea to going to a place like Massage Experts or Massage Addict.

I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned before but online group deal websites like Groupon and Living Social often feature local businesses offering massages for a discounted price i. Some places offer both options with an additional fee to upgrade to RMT services, a hot stone massage etc. I have redeemed these kinds of deals for years and have discovered new places in town.

I have also submitted the RMT receipts for reinbursement to health insurance companies and haven't had any problems. They don't care pines stockland christmas trading hours you pay or what amount you pay, as long as it's performed by a registered massage therapist in that province.

You can also make arrangements with a massage therapy place to pay in bulk for 5 or 10 or nse india trading holidays 2016 list sessions in advance with some savings.

In this case, some places will limit this package deal to one person, while other places will allow you to share it with others. Some will impose a time limit as well a few months to a year. I've done this in Ottawa with Filosofi.

Yes, that's another great way to find discounted gift cards or deals Dahlia. Thanks for the great tips! Massage Experts is run by crooked criminals who ripped off the massage addict business and the tried to sabotage their 60 minute observetod.bjack.hop.clickbank.net option trader trading trading trend in atlantic canada and have been investigated for their illegal business matters.

I took a few minutes to investigate this commenter and they are a possibly former employee of Massage Addict. That information was pretty easy to obtain from their LinkedIn profile. Therefore, it makes sense that they might have some sour grapes or animosity towards Massage Experts. It's true that Massage Addict was the first to pioneer this idea in Canada. However, Massage Envy existed in the USA long before they launched, which is the same exact business model.

So Massage Experts did rip off the Massage Addict business model which they also ripped off from Massage Envy. There is nothing patentable about this business process I don't think. All spas basically run themselves in the same way and nobody is up in arms about the next new spa or spa chain that opens up.

By way of another example, I was the first person in Canada to write well researched in-depth articles on saving money in Canada. Other people have since started doing this as well, which isn't necessarily a good thing for me I'm not happy this is the case, but the people doing it definitely haven't done anything wrong.

Unless this commenter can furnish proof that Massage Experts has actually broken any laws or done something really wrong, then I don't think much weight should be given to this person's opinion. I spoke to my massage therapist about the owner of the franchise in my area and they pay their therapists pretty well and treat them fairly.

She had nothing but positive things to save about him and the company. I'm not a lawyer but I don't believe this is fraud. A gift card is just another method of payment, same as cash, credit, cheque, etc.

If the owner of the business decides to discount their services by selling discounted gift cards - then that is on them. I'm not sure how a gift card works as proof or purchase for insurance.

Error (Forbidden)

The massage receipt will not show a balance as it was paid with a gift card. Is this not how it works? Gift card purchases are shown differently on a sales receipt than a cash or credit purchase no?

Dec 16, by Stephen Weyman Being a dude, going to the spa for a massage just feels wrong! Ok, now I had to try it, right?

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Your Health Plan Covers It People generally seem to make terrible use of their health plans - for years I was guilty of this as well. How Many Free Massages Can You Get? Fortunately, we can do better than that even with limited coverage! Committing to paying for another 6 massages coming right out of your pocket might be a little much for some, but hopefully you can: You Mentioned Making Money With Massages?

Wayspa and Spafinder There are two big spa locating services that are nationwide in Canada, Wayspa and Spafinder.

Gift Cards At Costco. Other Options As described in my How To Hack Gift Cards For Big Discounts article linked to above, you can also check out Ebay, Cardswap, Gift Card Nanny, etc to find discounted spa gift cards. The Biggest Secret To Saving Money Is Stacking Have You Ever Had A Massage? Hot Credit Card Deals This Month: Take this short quiz and find out. Dan Our Big Fat Wallet. We stick with Massage Addict and have had amazing service there!

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