Hunt Mads

“I Run a Small Massage Studio. Here’s What Worked (and Flopped) With Advertising”

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I’m Kayla. I run a two-room massage studio in Asheville, NC. I’ve tested a lot of ads. Some made my phone buzz. Some ate my money and took a nap.

You know what? I wish someone had told me what to try first. So here’s my honest take, with real numbers and real ad lines I used.

The Short Story

  • Best paid win: Google Ads search. Clear, local, steady bookings.
  • Best cheap win: Instagram Reels with simple, cozy vibes.
  • Most trust with neighbors: Nextdoor posts.
  • Most hit-or-miss: Facebook Ads. Good when I kept it simple.
  • Tough fits: Yelp Ads, Thumbtack leads, and old-school flyers.
  • Groupon helped fill my books once, but the cut hurt.

What I Actually Ran (and how it felt)

I ran “massage near me,” “deep tissue asheville,” and “prenatal massage.” I set a 10-mile radius. I used call-only during lunch, because folks book fast when their neck hurts.

  • Spend: $500 for a month
  • Click rate: about 7%
  • Cost per click: $2.30 to $2.80
  • Bookings: 12
  • Notes: I added negative words like “chair,” “job,” and, yes, the weird stuff. That saved me cash. This felt boring, but steady. I like steady.

In fact, many of the bidding tweaks I tried came straight from the lessons in this deep dive into testing the best internet advertising channels, which kept me from blowing my budget chasing shiny objects.

Facebook Ads (Meta)

I tested a 15-second Reel and a square photo. The Reel showed warm towels, soft light, and my hands pressing slow. No skin close-ups, no claims like “cures pain.” Meta is picky.

  • Spend: $300 over 14 days
  • Click rate: 3.2%
  • Cost per click: $1.12
  • Bookings: 11
  • What helped: Women 25–55, 8-mile radius, interests like yoga and physical therapy. “Book Now” button to my Vagaro page. Short text won.

If you’re curious how these short-form promos stack up against newer placements like TikTok Spark Ads, the crew at Hunt Mads ran a head-to-head experiment in their modern ads field test—the takeaways line up eerily well with my own results.

Instagram Reels (organic)

Four clips in one week. One was me setting hot stones and a kettle hiss. Another showed a 30-minute “Desk Neck Reset.”

  • Spend: $0 (time only)
  • Views on best clip: 11,400
  • DMs: 8
  • Bookings: 3
  • Tip: Keep it cozy and clean. Add captions, soft music, and a clear “Book with the link in bio.”

Nextdoor

My neighborhood loves talking about fence posts and sore backs. I posted a simple offer and answered comments fast. I also tried one paid Boost.

  • Free posts: 2 posts brought 3 bookings
  • Paid Boost: $75 brought 5 bookings
  • Tone: Friendly, neighborly. I used my street name. People liked that.

Classified-style spaces can still move the needle; I stole half my post template from this Brigham City classifieds advertising experiment.

Yelp Ads

This one was rough. Lots of price shoppers. Some people asked for “best deal” at 1 a.m. I get it, money is tight. But the lead cost stung.

  • Spend: $200
  • Leads: 4
  • Bookings: 2
  • Takeaway: If your reviews are already strong, ads may help. Mine were new at the time.

Thumbtack Leads

I paid per lead. Many went quiet after my reply. One booked. The rest ghosted like a bad Halloween joke.

  • Spend: $180 on 10 leads
  • Bookings: 1
  • Not for me. Maybe better for mobile or couples packages.

Groupon

I used this once when I first opened. It filled my week, which I needed. But the cut? Oof.

  • Offer: $39 for 60 minutes
  • Sold: 48
  • Payout: about half after fees
  • Upsell to a full rate? A few did. Most didn’t. Good for practice and reviews, not for profit.

Flyers and Postcards

I printed 250 flyers at Staples. Cute QR code. Nice colors. I put them in coffee shops. Crickets. But a poster on my own door? That worked.

  • Flyers: $38, zero calls
  • Door poster with QR: 6 scans, 2 bookings
  • Lesson: People book when they’re already near you.

Real Ad Lines That Pulled

  • Google Search Headline: “Deep Tissue Massage Near Asheville – Same-Week Appointments”

    • Description: “Neck tight? We can help today. Licensed LMT. Free parking. Book online in seconds.”

  • Facebook/IG Primary Text: “30-Minute Desk Neck Reset. Quick relief for tight shoulders. Clean space, warm towels, calm music.”

    • Button: Book Now
    • Image: Warm light, folded towel, hands mid-press (no faces).

  • Nextdoor Post: “I’m Kayla on Riverview Dr. I do gentle prenatal and firm deep tissue. First visit $65, includes hot towels. Questions? Ask me here—happy to help.”

  • Seasonal Gift Card Post (IG): “Mother’s Day gift cards, digital or paper. Add a sweet note, I’ll tuck it in a little gold envelope.”

My Setup That Made Ads Work Better

  • Booking page: Vagaro with Apple Pay and a big “Book” at the top. No long intro. Fewer clicks, more bookings.
  • Photos: Shot on iPhone. Natural light. Cozy throw. No clutter.
  • Page speed: I removed a slideshow. My page loaded faster, and bookings ticked up. Wild how that matters.
  • Offers: Small, clear deal. “First visit $65” or “30-minute stress reset.” Not a wall of packages.

If you’re hunting for outside help rather than DIY tweaks, this curated list of the best advertising agencies in the USA is a solid place to start vetting partners.

Numbers That Kept Me Honest

  • Average first visit value: $78
  • Rebook rate first 30 days: around 35%
  • Good cost per booking for me: under $45
  • Break-even on promos: if I see them again within 6 weeks

When Google and Meta stayed under that $45 mark, I smiled. When leads drifted way past it, I pulled the plug.
If you're wrestling with your own numbers, the budgeting guide from Hunt Mads is a quick way to sanity-check cost-per-booking goals against ad spend.

Stuff That Flopped (and why I think it did)

  • Long ad text: People skim. My best posts said what, who, where, and a price. Then stopped talking.
  • Mopey stock photos: Folks can tell. My own space felt real and got clicks.
  • Big medical claims: Meta didn’t like them. Also, I don’t “cure.” I help.
  • Late-night lead buys: Tired me said yes. Morning me said why.

(Before I swore off banners entirely, I read this honest recap of hiring a display advertising agency—their pain mirrored mine, so I felt seen.)

Little Things I Learned the Hard Way

  • Use negative keywords. I blocked “free,” “spa chair,” “job,” and the naughty phrases. It saved me.
  • Keep a booking slot for next-day. Ads work better when the soonest time isn’t two weeks out.
  • Answer fast. A quick, kind reply beats a perfect one.
  • Ask happy clients for a short review. Then run your search ads. The combo sings.
  • Video over photos, nine times out of ten. Steam, towel, hands. That’s enough.
  • Be clear on boundaries. No weird asks, no stress. Your ad can say, “Therapeutic, professional massage.”

Because some ad clicks come from people hunting for explicitly sexual “massages,” I peeked at a few corners of the web to understand the exact language those seekers use. One eye-opening reference is the assortment of hookup-style Snap listings on Plan Sexe’s “snap de pute” page—seeing those phrases in black and white makes it much easier to add the right negative keywords and keep your ads from appearing in front of the wrong crowd.

What I’d Do If I Were Starting Fresh

  • Set Google Ads to $15–$20/day. Target 8–10 miles. Add negative words on day one.
  • Post two Reels a week for a month. One hot stones, one a quick desk stretch, one your room, one your smile.

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