We Asked: Do massage franchises (businesses that offer low-cost massages and that have storefronts nationwide) help the massage profession? Why or why not?

Here is what you told us...

Yes and no. Yes, because they give more people an opportunity to get a massage if they are on a limited budget and can't afford to go somewhere else. No, because it makes it harder for individual massage therapists that have to charge more for their services.

RayLynn Kernan
Sheldon, Wisconsin

The massage franchise experience has enabled me to make money doing a job I love. I had a private practice for about five years. The work was feast or famine, and often the high price of advertising and lease payments devoured what small profits I made. Now, I never lack for customers and the work is extremely rewarding.

Kellum Johnson, L.M.T.
Dallas, Texas

I feel these entities make it more difficult for smaller therapy groups and individuals. Several of my clients have been to larger sites and felt that the personal touch was missing. I try to individualize care and provide a holistic outlook. Massage, after all, is about healing, not just massage.

Victoria Taft
Boise, Idaho

Ihave been working at one of the chains for almost two years now. On the one hand, they are great experience for just out-of-school therapists. On the other hand, there will always be a high turnover of therapists and clients. The worst of it all is the low pay for the high amount of work these therapists do.

Fallon Partridge
San Antonio, Texas

As we're trying to establish credibility as a health-care profession, I think it's a setback to have low-cost massage franchises popping up. I have no problems with the benefits of relaxation massage, in the right context and environment; however, it's a constant struggle to define ourselves as medical massage therapists when massage is often downplayed as just a feel-good service.

Tanya Guenther, R.M.T.
Manitoba, Canada

If the franchises offer quality massages for the general public, it can only be good for the industry in that it exposes more people to the benefits of massage therapy. However, if they are offering mediocre massage services in order to meet a quota, then it will hurt the industry in the long run.

Tina Elwood, L.M.T., N.C.T.M.B.
Zachary, Louisiana

At first I thought, "Oh no, they're going to take business away from me." Then I came to realize that they do similar type of price points that SuperCuts or other "price-cutting" shops in the haircutting industry do, [which] hasn't hurt those higher-ups.

Michael Wolfes
Palm Desert, California

Massage franchises offering low-cost massage only hurt the industry. Low-cost massage is a great way to signal the public that massage doesn't have any value. Therapists that are not paid fairly for their work are not as happy and may tend to show it in their work.

Dwayne Crandall
Waterloo, Iowa

A lot of franchises employ massage therapists who are just out of school or who don't necessarily specialize, [giving them] the opportunity to practice massage therapy. Then, there are us who have experience, who specialize and do well regardless of anyone being in spas or selling themselves inexpensively. Franchises don't bother me a bit. Clients being seen is all that matters.

Joy Bernstein,
San Antonio, Texas

Massage franchises can really hurt, and really help. The problem is the massage therapists are not always the best and can turn people off massage. But, they can also turn people onto massage and help the profession.

Marilyn Marques
Austin, Texas

I don't believe that cheap storefront massage joints help the massage business at all. Firstly, they don't pay enough to attract seasoned therapists so the MTs they have will be right out of school and inexperienced. Secondly, the inexpensive massage places take business away from the more professional therapists who either practice privately or work in higher-end spas.

Zoe Simon
Los Angeles, California

Low-cost storefront massage franchises are really a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they may expand awareness and actual utilization of massage services by a whole population who has never even tried massage therapy. However, these budget massages may actually act to depress the pricing for regular private therapists as the average consumer now has a comparison basis to "price shop."

Jim Finch
Amherst, New Hampshire

Yes, I think there's a place for franchise massage locations. They offer the consuming public professional massage applications, affordable prices, nationwide availability and clean facilities in high-traffic areas.

Dugan Jennings
Lakewood, California

These franchises are great for the clientele, offering massages at a cheaper rate. For massage therapists [who are] supporting ourselves with an average of 20 massages weekly at a $50-60 hourly [rate], this works. If we are forced to work at $35-40 hourly to compete with these franchises, then we must average nine additional massages a week to make close to the same amount of money. Our bodies will break down from physical and mental fatigue.

Susan Lilley
Reno, Nevada

I believe that massage should be available to everyone. Sometimes it is hard to get an appointment with a popular therapist. I only support these franchises if they employ licensed massage therapists. It is up to the individual therapist to make the decision to work for the franchise. If they are not happy with the pay and the terms of employment, they are not forced to work there.

Cynde Greer
Mobile, Alabama

For the new therapist, these places are a wonderful place to gain experience. They generally keep you very busy, and you get experience on a lot of different types of people. Having said that, it's really important not to stay too long and allow yourself to get stuck thinking that you won't be able to stay as busy on your own. I found that when I took that leap of faith to go out on my own, it allowed me to give each client the individual attention they need.

Julia Boehner
Maricopa, Arizona

I think they hurt our biz, because they cheapen our profession and our worth. Most franchises will only have therapists just out of school who don't know their true worth, [are] inexperienced, undereducated and limited as to what they can practice.

Joan Garfield
Palatine, Illinois

I think massage franchising is a viable and honorable business. I think it truthfully comes down to the relationship, spoken or energetic, between the client and practitioner that is going to create the business or detract from it. My opinion would be if massage franchising is threatening to some and applauded by others, it's not being looked at in the correct light. It's simply a vehicle for doing the work.

Rev. Cheryl Caruso,
Manhasset, New York

In my opinion, there are plus and minus factors to franchise massage establishments. On the positive side, they make massage more mainstream, give start-up assistance and business assistance to the owner and increase consumer awareness. On the negative side, the owner's hands are tied as far as choosing products, choosing treatments and services and may be locked in on what they can charge/pay therapists in return.

Jill Mullins
Miami, Florida

While people who might not otherwise get a massage due to average costs may come in, the result is quantity over quality, where more bodies are needed to make up the shortfall of otherwise higher session rates. Because the franchise owners will protect the business's net income amount, it is the individual massage therapist who may ultimately bear the brunt of lower session rates through receiving lower hourly pay and a longer working day with shorter breaks.

Leslie Berro
Davidson, North Carolina

The proliferation of such storefront massage "spas" helps to raise awareness of legitimate massage practitioners and to erase the stigma of illicit massage parlors.

Chris Williams
Parkville, Maryland

On one side, [franchises] offer massage to those for whom cost is the deciding factor. On the other side, this directly affects the wages of practitioners, which would discourage prospective therapists from this profession.

Chrystal Higginbotham
Oshkosh, Wisconsin

I feel that massage franchises pay the therapists so little that they would have to work themselves too hard to make a living wage, thus contributing to our high burnout rate.

Dawn Burke
Frederick, Maryland

They help our profession. The franchises reach a clientele that are not able to afford the high-end spas.

Alan McGarrity
Phoenix, Arizona

Yes and no. They do bring a wonderful service to people and help spread the word about massage, and I'm sure there are wonderful therapists who work for them. But they pay their therapists usually low rates and charge low rates for the massages, making it harder for us "little guys" to get paid a reasonable rate for our services, especially when we own our own businesses.

Mollie Bryan
Olympia, Washington

One thing that we as massage therapists are trying to show the public is that it needs to take some time out and take care of itself. A franchise can offer this opportunity at a discounted rate, but what does that say about therapists that work there, about the quality of their work?

Christine Morgan
Park City, Utah

Having worked at one a short time, I know they do not help our industry one bit. When I started (newly licensed), all they cared about was that I had a state license, not whether or not I had been trained in any of the modalities they offered their customers.

Cheryl Steins
San Antonio, Texas

Massage franchises are great for the industry. They give entry-level therapists a good place to get lots of valuable, diverse experience and the general public a way to experience a variety of massage therapists' styles.

Barbara Davies
Limassol, Cyprus