Massage
As the economic crisis continues, more Americans are looking for stress relief. As a fitness center operator, you already offer one of the healthiest and most effective stress-busters ever discovered: regular exercise. Why not offer another? Now may be the ideal time to implement a massage program into your facility.
Last year, 59 percent of Americans reported feeling more stressed than in the previous year, according to a consumer survey by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). In addition, 45 percent of women and 21 percent of men reported having had a massage in the past five years. Stress relief and relaxation are the top reasons Americans reported for receiving their last massage.
“People continue to seek massage because it provides multiple therapeutic benefits, including stress relief, at an affordable price,” says M.K. Brennan, RN, AMTA president. “Massage therapy has not only been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, but it can also relieve stress symptoms like chronic headaches and high blood pressure.”
Let’s take a look at three IHRSA member clubs with profitable massage programs:
Taos Spa & Tennis Club
Ray Guyer employs between five and nine licensed massage therapists at any given time at his Taos Spa & Tennis Club, located in a resort community in Taos, New Mexico. He emphasizes the importance of hiring highly skilled individuals who offer the specific services clients want.
“For example, many of our members and guests are looking for deep-tissue work, which a lot of massage therapists dislike doing,” he explains. “Massage therapists who are highly skilled can build a solid client base in their first 60-90 days,” he adds.
Guyer pays a 60% commission to his massage therapists. “After the cost of advertising and operating, I have about a 25% profit margin for massage,” he says. “I’ve talked to a few consultants, and they’ve told me I’m paying too much!”
When Guyer and his wife bought the business in 2001, the club was leasing space to a massage therapist who was bringing in about $30,000 per year. The club was only receiving $400 per month in rent. “I decided to bring massage in-house,” he says. He surveyed the club’s members and found that they wanted more massages, but availability of massage therapists was a problem.
“I put the massage therapists on staff,” he explains. “I pay them to be on duty and I guarantee them at least one massage per shift, which costs me $30 at most,” he explains. Today, 30-40% of the club’s massage business comes from walk-ins.
Members and locals pay $49 for a 50-minute massage, while tourists pay $65. The club runs spa specials during its traditionally slow months, including April and October.
When massage therapists aren’t working with clients, they are at the club’s front desk, wearing shirts identifying them as massage therapists. They engage with members and that often leads to massages being purchased on the spot or booked for the future, says Guyer. Complimentary 5-minute chair massages are sometimes offered in the lobby of the club. “Once someone tries a chair massage, they’ll often book a full massage,” he explains.
Guyer also offers each front desk attendant and personal trainer a complimentary massage, so that they will be more likely to generate business for massage therapists.
Establishing a massage presence in the club is vital, according to Guyer. “I’ve visited many health clubs in which massage is tucked away in a back room, and there’s no sign that it’s even available.” He adds, “Just as with personal trainers, you can’t just put massage therapists in a back office and expect them to generate business.”
WOW! Fitness
Rick Bennett’s clubs, located in Corvallis and Lebanon, Oregon, both offer HydroMassage as well as traditional massage offered by subcontractors. HydroMassage, an unattended modality that gives health club members and guests the opportunity to get a therapeutic, 10-minute massage every day, will be more profitable in the long run, he says.
WOW! members pay an additional $19.95 per month via EFT for up to 10 minutes each day on the HydroMassage. Individual session can be purchased for $14 (10 minutes) or $22 (20 minutes). “All prospects get a 3 to 5 minute demo massage,” explains Bennett. “It’s a great closing tool for new membership sales.”
Bennett leases each HydroMassage bed for $600 per month for three years. “At $19.95 per member per month, I only need 30 people paying in order to cover the lease,” he says. “After only a few months, we have 91 people signed up so far, and we will cap it at about 175 members.”
Bennett says the member feedback about HydroMassage has been amazing, and he now has a whole new revenue stream, mostly from people who are not traditional massage clients, for a variety of reasons. “Maybe they don’t have an entire hour, or they don’t feel comfortable disrobing for a traditional massage,” he explains. HydroMassage works on fully-clothed individuals (shoe removal is recommended) and no additional staff is needed. WOW! Fitness members use HydroMassage as a preworkout as warmup or post-workout for recovery, according to Bennett.
The HydroMassage has made good use of what would have been storage space,” he explains. “With very little effort, I now have a $2,500 a month profit center in each club.”
Hampshire Hills Sports and Fitness Club
Rick Holder, owner and general manager of Hampshire Hills Sports and Fitness Club in Milford, New Hampshire, employs a full-time and a part-time massage therapist. He says he looks for someone proper training, years of successful work, a caring touch and the right specialties, such as sports and deep tissue work.
“Hire massage therapists as staff members,” he advises. “If you just rent them space, you can’t control the quality. Make them a part of your team, and give them benefits.”
He also notes the importance of providing support to the massage program. “Booking must be done without error. The customer must be received properly and professionally from the second they walk in the door. Pay attention to details, including lighting and music, and provide pristine linens and bathrobes, and chilled bottles of water.” He adds, “If everything isn’t top-notch, it can give your whole operation a black eye.”
Holder says demand for massage dipped briefly in recent months, but lately, it’s been strong. “We tell our members that when times are tough, it’s more important than ever to take good care of yourself,” he says. “To some extent, your health is something you can control.”
Log on to www.ihrsabuyersguide.com for a directory of companies that offer massage-related products, equipment, education and professional development.
Benefits of Massage
Beyond relaxation and stress reduction, massage has proven health benefits. Be sure to promote these in your newsletter and massage marketing materials! Recent research has shown the effectiveness of massage for the following conditions:
- Cancer-related fatigue
- Low back pain
- Osteoarthritis of the knee
- Reducing post-operative pain
- Boosting the body’s immune system functioning
- Decreasing the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome
- Lowering blood pressure
- Reducing headache frequency
- Easing alcohol withdrawal symptoms
- Decreasing pain in cancer patients
Source: American Massage Therapy Association
Know the Law
Most states regulate the massage therapy profession. Depending on the state, this could be in the form of a license, registration or certification. Log on to www.amtamassage.org/government for a directory of state massage therapy practice laws. Cities, counties or other local governments also may regulate massage.
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