Massage therapy is known for it’s Wellness and Health Promotion Benefits. Massage can be given in a spa setting, massage franchise setting or a wellness center. It is also used in a Sports and Fitness setting, working to enhance physical fitness, training and athletic ability.
The Wellness and Health Promotion section is the largest and most popular in the massage profession and focus on creating plans for integrating regular massage therapy into people’s plans for healthier living. Massage therapy is an important part of self-care that is required to prevent various medical conditions.
Massage therapists are also self employed and have their own one-person massage business and can achieve wellness and the promotion of health. Many move into hiring other massage therapists as employees to expand their business.
Massage therapy can help reduce and manage anxiety, depression and insomnia. These also are connected to pain. Massage can help reduce and manage pain from injuries, overuse, stress and more.
Spa Setting
Massage therapy in a spa setting requires that massage therapists provide spa services such as hydrotherapy baths, body wraps, Hot stone massage and more.
Massage Franchise Setting
Franchises were created in about 2001 with one of the first being Massage Envy which now has over 1,100 locations across the US. Franchises provide a high number of massage sessions at a very low cost, making them attractive to consumers. The pay at franchises is usually much lower than other places because of the high cost of starting and running a franchise. The owners pay a high fee to the franchise to buy and use their system of obtaining and rebooking clients. They offer clients a membership which is a once a month fee for a massage once a month. There are many different franchises now: Elements, Green Spa, Hand and Stone, Massage Heights, Massage Luxe, Lavida and many more. Franchises have been hurt the most with the low number of graduates coming out of massage schools because of their high overhead costs.
Wellness Center Setting
Wellness Centers are facilities that usually offer a wide variety of services such as massage and also include many other mind/body therapies such as skin care and fitness facilities. It may include Yoga, Pilates, Nutritional Counseling, Squash/Racquetball and other services. Massage therapy would be provided and might be part of the medical care too as many using fitness, exercise equipment and playing sports may be injured in the process.
No matter what the setting, the outcomes are the same:
- Wellbeing/relaxation
- Stress management
- Pain management
- Physical function