Aspenhollow Business Capital, based in Olympia, WA, outlines what goes into opening a chiropractic practice in Thurston County: the equipment a chiropractic practice may use, build-out and pre-opening costs, the months before insurer payments arrive, and how chiropractic practice loans, equipment financing and term loans each fit a part of the budget.
Why there is no single number
How much does it cost to start a chiropractic practice in Olympia, WA? The honest answer is that it depends on choices only you can make: the size of the suite, new or used equipment, whether you add X-ray, how many treatment rooms, and how long you can carry expenses before the practice covers itself. We do not publish cost figures. What we can do is set out the categories, because each one is funded differently.
Equipment used by chiropractors
- Adjusting tables, and possibly a flexion-distraction or drop table
- Decompression table, if you offer it
- Therapy modalities: electrical stimulation, ultrasound, laser
- Rehab equipment: bands, balance boards, a small gym area
- X-ray equipment, with shielding and processing
- Practice management and billing software, computers, front-desk hardware
Tables and modalities are durable and hold resale value, so they are well suited to equipment financing. X-ray is the biggest single purchase for practices that include it, and installation and shielding may need separate funding. Physical therapy equipment financing works the same way for a practice adding rehab services.
The build-out
A new practice may lease space and fit it out: treatment rooms, a reception area, plumbing for a restroom or sink, electrical for equipment, and accessibility work. A build-out is a one-time project with a budget, which suits a term loan repaid over several years. Get contractor bids before you request; a partner will want them, along with the lease.
Before signing that lease, check zoning and permits; leasing commercial space in Olympia, WA walks through the order of steps.
The months before insurers pay
A new practice sees its first patients before its first claims are paid. Rent, software, malpractice coverage and any front-desk wages run from day one. A start-up budget can include several months of these costs, and a line of credit or working capital can bridge the gap once the practice has history a partner can review.
A planning worksheet, by category
| Category | Fits | Partner will ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Tables and modalities | Equipment financing | Itemized quote |
| X-ray and installation | Equipment financing; term loan for build work | Quote and installer bid |
| Build-out | Term loan | Lease, bids, permit status |
| Software and computers | Equipment financing or cash | Quote |
| Before the doors open, and the first slow-collecting months | Owner cash; later a line of credit | Bank statements, collections once open |
What the Thurston County, WA numbers say
Offices of other health practitioners (NAICS 6213), the census code that includes chiropractors along with therapists and optometrists, counted 252 employer establishments in Thurston County, WA in 2023, and 64.7% had fewer than five employees (County Business Patterns 2023). 47 had a ZIP 98501 address (ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023). Another 847 businesses in the same code had no paid employees in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024).
Of the employer establishments, 64.7% had fewer than five employees; the nonemployer count is a separate program and is not added to or compared with them. A new practice can reflect its own size in the budget: fewer rooms first, more later.
Chiropractic practice loans: what partners look at
- Your license and any existing practice history
- The lease and build-out bids
- Equipment quotes
- Personal credit, for a new practice
- Your own investment in the practice
- For an existing practice: collections reports and bank statements
Chiropractic business loans for a brand-new practice give a partner less history to review than a practice with a year or two of collections, so equipment financing can be a first step, with other funding added later. More on the field is on the chiropractic, therapy and optometry page, and county figures are on the Olympia, WA page.
By Aspenhollow Business Capital · Updated