Massages

[GRETCHEN SOLDAT]

One luxury we really enjoy is getting a good massage. But like so many luxuries here in the U.S., they are too expensive to get on a regular basis. Is this another thing that is cheaper in Ecuador? Are massage therapists common there? I hope so! 😉

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

You ask the most interesting questions, Gretchen. Yes, massages are much cheaper, but like everything else, availability depends on where you’re talking about. I know you two are looking at the coast and I can’t really address how much luck you’ll have there finding someone there. Here in Cuenca massages are about $20-25/hour from individuals, a little more if at a spa.

[EDDIE LACINSKI]

Interesting prices for a massage. I live on the Gold Coast in Australia and pay $1480 a month for a condo near the beach but $25 to $35 for a one hour massage. When I was in Ecuador last year I paid $2 for a taxi across town that would cost me $$60 here in Australia. Makes a massage in Ecuador seem horrendously expensive. On my way home via Bangkok I had massages for $6 and they were pretty intense.
I’m confused.Am I missing something
EDMUND LACINSKI

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

No. Massages in the US usually start at $60/hour, so using that price comparison they’re quite reasonable here. Isolating the price of a single thing from country to country doesn’t paint a realistic picture of overall costs. Our gasoline is $1.48 per gallon, and you can buy 4 or 5 avocados for $1. But the price of wine from our neighbors in nearby Chile and Argentina is higher than on the grocery shelves in the States. You have to factor in everything.

[EDDIE LACINSKI]

I agree with what you say but I wasn’t trying to do a realistic comparison of overall costs.
US gasoline is $1.48 per gallon whilst Aussie gasoline is $1.60 per litre, not gallon but this is due to govt tax.
Ecuador has it,s own gasoline and the govt keeps the price low which is fair enough.
When it comes to massages the point I was trying to make is that labour costs in US and Australia are high therefore
$25 to $60 is acceptable.
Now Thailand and Ecuador have extremely low wages in comparison to us and therefore a massage in Thailand is $6 and that is as expected.
Now for some reason the masseur in Ecuador charges 4 to 5 times more than the one in Thailand.
I am not complaining about that or criticising it but simply was wondering if anyone out there knows any specific reason for this price which to me seems out of kilter with other wages and prices in Ecuador.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

Simple supply and demand economics. Massage is a common part of the culture in Thailand but not so here in Ecuador. Only people with significant disposable income partake of such a “luxury” and there aren’t that many trained massage therapists, so their professional services demand a higher price.

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