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Massage Therapy Fact Sheet

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Massage Makes Strides in Public Acceptance — Consumer Research Overview

Explosive Growth Rate for Massage Training Begins to Flatten

ABMP Practitioner Characteristics and Professional Membership Patterns

Influence of National Retailing Trends on Massage

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Influence of National Retailing Trends on Massage
As the acceptance of, and demand for, massage grows, the models for delivery of this service become more varied. The number of spas is rising, both those with a clinical atmosphere and those with a more relaxed, vacation-style flair. Typically spa ownership takes the business risk, handles all marketing and procures supplies. The corollary is that massage therapists in that setting will realize lower earnings. Taking their cue from other service industries, a number of massage retail and franchise networks also have sprung up, often with a lower price point that attracts the first-time consumer or those without a prior practitioner loyalty. In these settings also, massage therapist per-session income typically is lower, but such employment is attractive to some as a means of gaining a foothold in the profession.

Some practitioners express concern about this new force in the marketplace, both from a competitive standpoint and because of presumed lower income and sometimes higher workload for employees. Others believe the emergence of such venues reaching the “unmassaged” will benefit the profession in the long run, perhaps driving new converts to regular use of massage. At least one chain reports 23 percent of its clientele are first-time users. While this is a trend receiving media attention because of its novelty, such networks today represent a small segment of the market. Other venues for massage include chair-massage stations in airports, malls and other high-traffic locations.

Spas a Growing Force

Spas employ an estimated 303,700 people according to the International Spa Association, 2007.

Swedish massage is the most requested service in spas (International Association 2008 Gloabal Consumer Survey and Harstad Consumer Research 2009), so it follows that a significant share of the 303,700 spa employees are massage therapists (though many of them likely also practice in other venues).

One in four Americans have visited a spa. (www.experienceispa.com)

Revenues for the U.S. spa industry in 2007 were $10.9 billion in gross revenue, up from $9.4 billion in 2006, (www.experienceispa.com).

Women make up the majority of spa consumers (69 percent), according to the International Spa Association 2006 Spa-Goer Study.

There are 18,100 spas in the United States. International Spa Association, June 2008.

Glossary of More Than 250 Entries on Massage Treatments
Searchable Archive of More Than 1,000 Articles, from Acupressure to Zen