Pricing Explained

The Simple Explanation

Member: intake 75$ (est. 1-1.5hrs) and follow up 45$(30min-1hr)

Non member intake 150$ (est. 1-1.5hrs) and follow up 90$(30min-1hr)

Membership 15$/month ( also receives the Clinic Review)

Clinic Review Publication 7.5$/month

***Herbs are a separate cost to the consultation

Longer Explanation

This section is meant to provide clarity about why I use this type of pricing model. It is a fairly unusual approach that tries to balance making a sustainable living and lower cost of care. Right now any sort of care, whether its medical, wellness, or cosmetic is truly expensive in the united states. Even if you have insurance, you deal with a black box, where the exact final costs often remain unclear until after the procedure.

Wellness world is prohibitively expensive to most people. Appointments run out of pocket; bodywork, physical therapy, talk therapy, herbalists, acupuncture, and somatic appointments cost 100$/hr for an 1 on 1 appointment. The number of appointments for effective treatment varies wildly in any modality, but certain populations need more ongoing care in order to maintain a decent quality of life. For people trying to address a certain issue one appointment a month is fairly common, especially with these prices. So that leaves them with a bill for 100$/month.

Additionally each appointment has a big flat cost, which is difficult mathematically and psychologically. Most people cannot afford a 500$ emergency, having a large lump sum payment is just hard to manage. I know this to be true in my life and I think most people relate to this.

Generally practiconers are not trying to take advantage of people, prices do reflect their costs, and burnout. There is also wide variability in week to week income, appointments get canceled or rescheduled often, clients may not show up, and filling a schedule with zero holes is often the exception rather than the norm. High prices are a way people buffer against that inevitable attrition.

The way I am trying to ameliorate this issue is by doing a subscription model. People sign up on a monthly rate, which acts a membership, giving them access to much cheaper appointment costs, reduced herb costs and clearer expectations around email support between appointments. Lets look at an example where someone does 6 appointments in 6 months.

Storied Heart
The monthly charge is 15$/month which equals 90$ over 6 months
The intake is 75$ and each follow up is 45$. 75+45+45+45+45+45 = 300

Total 6 months = 390$

Typical Pricing
Initial appointment are usually closer to 120$ and follow ups 90$
120+90+90+90+90+90 = 670

Total 6 months = 670$

So the two numbers are pretty different. What makes the lower cost possible is a consistent income from the 15$ a month. This helps build more stable income, While this example uses a idealized one appointment/month for six month, in reality the rate people come in is much more erratic. Protecting against this variation by having monthly income helps make a lower cost per appointment more realistic. It also helps build a relationship that is more long term while also allowing people to try out my services at an initial lower cost.

Additionally I love writing and research, so I have a bi weekly publication that is focused around both clinical and social topics in herbalism, bodywork and the wider world. This is included in the membership and is also available separately in case people do not want to be clients, but enjoy the information. This is available at 7.5$/month.

Herbalists are in a specific conundrum because they have to charged for not only the appointment itself, but also the cost of herbs. This can lead to miscommunication and sticker shock for clients because the month cost of herbs can easily approach the cost of the appointment itself. For instance, an herbalist who makes their own medicine can likely sell tincture between 5-10$ an ounce depending on the specific herb. Typical dosing can range from 3-10 ounces of tincture per month, so the range can be anywhere from 15$-100$/month on top of the original appointment.

The exact discounts on herbs for client members is still in the works.