Client Book
Page 1 · Intake
Contact details and emergency contact, a tick-box health history, medication, allergies to oils and lotions, and whether the client is under a doctor's care.
Free printable
Massage client intake form
A free intake form for massage therapists. Page 1 is the client's health history, medication and allergies; page 2 holds their goals, pressure and focus areas, signed consent and SOAP notes for every session.
2 pages · Letter for the US & Canada, A4 for the UK, Australia & elsewhere · No sign-up
Page 2 · Preferences & SOAP notes
Goals, pressure, areas to focus on or avoid, client signature, and a SOAP table: what the client reports, what you found, the treatment and the plan.
What's on the form — and why
| Section | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Client details | To confirm sessions, send reminders and reach the client. The birthday is an easy reason to get in touch (50 ready-to-send messages). |
| Emergency contact | Rarely needed, but you'll want it if a client feels unwell on the table. |
| Health history | Blood clots, heart conditions, recent surgery, pregnancy and other conditions change what's safe — or whether to massage at all. |
| Medication | Blood thinners make bruising more likely; pain relief can hide how much pressure is too much. |
| Allergies | Nut-based oils, fragrance, lotions and latex gloves. |
| Doctor's or physio's care | Tells you when to ask for clearance or work alongside another practitioner. |
| Goals & pressure | Relaxation and pain relief are different sessions. Ask, don't guess. |
| Focus areas & areas to avoid | So the session goes where the client needs it, and nowhere they don't want to be touched. |
| Consent & signature | The client confirms their answers, knows massage isn't medical care and that they can stop at any time. |
| SOAP session notes | A short, consistent record of every session, so the next one builds on the last. |
Massage intake questions to ask
Go through the form together before the first session and add these:
- What brings you in today — is anything hurting or bothering you?
- Where exactly is it, and how bad is it from 0 to 10?
- When did it start, and what makes it better or worse?
- Have you had massage before? What did you like or dislike?
- What pressure do you usually prefer?
- Are there any areas you don't want me to work on?
- Any recent injuries, surgery or new medication?
- Are you seeing a doctor, physio or chiropractor for this?
- How do you want to feel when you leave — relaxed, loose, ready for training?
When to adapt or not massage
The health history is there so you can decide before the client is on the table. A suspected blood clot, fever or infection, or a fresh injury usually means no massage until the client has seen a doctor. Many other conditions — high blood pressure, varicose veins, osteoporosis, diabetes, recent surgery, pregnancy, blood thinners — often mean adapting pressure, position or areas, and sometimes asking for medical clearance. Follow your training, local rules and your insurer; this form helps you ask the questions, it doesn't replace your judgment.
How to write SOAP notes for massage
SOAP is a simple structure for session notes. Each letter is one short line:
| Letter | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| S — Subjective | What the client tells you | Tight right shoulder after desk work, pain 6/10, worse in the evening. |
| O — Objective | What you find | Tension in right upper trapezius, limited neck rotation to the left. |
| A — Assessment | What you did and how they responded | 60 min, deep tissue on neck and shoulders. Pain 3/10 after, rotation improved. |
| P — Plan | What happens next | Rebook in 2 weeks. Desk stretch shown. Check left side next time. |
Write them straight after the session while it's fresh — a minute is enough. Use the same abbreviations every time so your notes stay readable months later.
How to use it
- Before the first session, send the PDF or hand it over on arrival, and read the health history before you start.
- Talk through anything ticked, then ask the client to sign page 2.
- After every session, add a SOAP row. Not sure what to charge? Try the service price calculator.
- At each visit, ask if anything has changed — new medication, an injury, a pregnancy — and update the form.
Work with other services too? See the client record card template and the facial consultation form.
Keep client forms private
An intake form holds personal and health information. Keep paper forms in a locked drawer or cabinet, not on the desk, and only write down what you need. In the UK and EU, client details and health notes are personal data under GDPR, and health data needs extra care — the same goes for notes on your phone.
Paper form or app?
Paper works well for the first intake, when the client fills in their health history and signs. Session notes are harder: the folder isn't with you when a client texts to rebook, and you can't search a stack of forms for "who had the shoulder issue". Client Book keeps each client's contact details, notes, tags and visit history on your iPhone, reminds you of birthdays and lets you export your client list to a CSV file at any time — your data stays yours.
Questions
Is the massage intake form really free?
Yes. Download, print and copy it as often as you like — no email or sign-up needed.
What should be on a massage client intake form?
The client's contact details and an emergency contact, a health history (blood pressure, heart conditions, blood clots, diabetes, injuries, surgery, pregnancy and similar), medication, allergies to oils or lotions, whether they're under a doctor's care, their goals, preferred pressure, areas to focus on and avoid, a signed consent and session notes.
What are SOAP notes in massage therapy?
SOAP stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan — what the client tells you, what you find, what you did and how they responded, and what happens next. Page 2 of the form has a SOAP table with one row per session.
How often should a client update the intake form?
Ask at every visit whether anything has changed, and update the form when it has — new medication, an injury, surgery or a pregnancy. Many therapists also ask regular clients to review and re-sign once a year.
Letter or A4 — which one should I download?
Letter is the standard paper size in the US and Canada. A4 is used in the UK, Australia and most other countries. The content is the same.
Can I fill it in on my phone or iPad?
The PDF is made for printing, but you can also write on it in any PDF app that supports annotations, such as Markup on iPhone and iPad.