How the Spa Industry Promotes Massage
“The spa industry is the best thing that ever happened to the massage community,” says Norman Cohn, founder and owner of the five-campus Utah College of Massage, the largest massage school in the United States. “I think anyone in my position would tell you that. Bodywork and facials generate half the spa industry’s revenue of $6 billion a year - and most of that’s [from] massage. A huge new market has opened up for what we do, and that can only be good.”

Some private practitioners and teachers will disagree with Cohn’s assessment, even though they’re likely reaping downstream benefits of increased recognition and respect for massage. One thing is certain, though: The explosive growth of the spa and complementary medicine industries is creating a strong and still-growing demand for touch-therapy professionals. A recent research poll, 2001 Massage Therapy Consumer Survey Fact Sheet, commissioned by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), found that the percentage of Americans who had received a massage in the previous year had more than doubled between 1997 and 2001 - from eight percent to 17 percent of the population, and that those who received massage did so, on average, seven times a year. The number of massage professionals grew from an estimated 120,000 in 1996 to 260,000 in 2001, according to an American Massage Therapy Association study.

This is simply incredible growth - and with it comes change. Amid a patchwork of city, county and state licensing standards, our traditionally eclectic, entrepreneurial profession is shifting toward more consistent standards, larger employers and a younger workforce. Skyrocketing demand and ever-more-sophisticated consumers are driving change within the profession. Last year, 36 percent of massage recipients surveyed got their most recent massage from a therapist at a day spa, hotel/resort, chiropractor’s office, medical clinic, hospital or physician’s office, compared to 24 percent who got their most recent massage at a therapist’s office or in their own homes, according to the AMTA’s 2001 Massage Therapy Consumer Survey Fact Sheet. Clearly, many thousands of therapists are now working for other people.

It’s all good!
One thing never changes in our profession, and that’s the healing power of touch. Caring human touch is always a good thing, in any setting and no matter what the recipient’s final evaluation of the experience.
I should know. During the 10 years I’ve been in the profession I’ve opened several spas, each employing anywhere from 15-70 therapists. Hiring is always by far the most laborious and time-consuming part of he process. Each qualified applicant gives from one to three full massages to me and to one or two colleagues. This means that I’ve received massages for six to eight hours a day for weeks. If there were such a thing as bad massage, I’d be aware of it. (This, of course, is aside from that very small percentage of practitioners who are simply in the wrong profession - we all know they exist.)

We all got into this field to heal, touch and help. We know that massage makes the world a calmer, healthier, more connected place. Individual therapists make a positive contribution whether they work in trendy urban spas or homey spaces in the back of their houses. From seated massage in the mall to myofascial release, it’s all good!

I’m emphatic about the value of what we do because I’ve heard so many slams against “pampering” by therapists who are prejudiced against the spa environment. Whether it’s the client’s first experience with professional touch or the 100th, he or she will benefit and, like it or not, will feel pampered. Naturally, a client’s expectations will differ according to experience, and the wide range of sophistication among clients walking in the door means that excellent assessment skills are particularly important for spa therapists.

Most people who try massage for the first time do so in a spa or clinic setting, and whether they become lifelong massage devotees largely depends on whether they like that initial experience and feel comfortable with it.

“I got into this business because the first massage I ever received, more than two decades ago, was amazing,” says Margaret Avery Moon, founder and owner of The Desert Institute of the Healing Arts in Tucson, Arizona. “Education opportunities were very limited at that time. I was lucky enough to get a very experienced, talented therapist, so I made another appointment, and another, and then went to school. One massage literally changed my life.”

The person who’s never had a massage before is likely to take the plunge into a spa setting for a number of reasons. Spas offer other services and treatments, and it may be these that pull the first-time client in the door. Day spas and wellness centers, which tend to offer a broader selection of health-care options, provide “one-stop shopping” comfort and stress reduction—and that works for many busy people. A spa also feels like a safe place to try a completely new experience. For someone who has never been touched by a stranger before, a spa setting tends to be more reassuring than a massage office or a therapist’s home, particularly if the client already has a rapport with other service-providers at the center. Clients tend to develop good feelings not just about individuals, but about the whole environment at their health-and-comfort refuge.

Once people discover what a terrific experience massage is, how great it makes them feel, they want more. Anyplace, anytime and for whatever reason a person gets up on the table, it’s good news for all of us.

Benefits of spa work
Working conditions, opportunity and environment vary enormously from spa to spa, but there are also constants. I’ll note that the spa setting is not for everyone. Therapists who don’t like a structured environment, who can’t stand rules, who find it difficult to adapt to the needs of an organization, or who simply prefer working alone will be happier in private practice than at a spa - or at a clinic, hospital or any other corporate setting. This is not a value judgment; many enormously talented and caring bodywork professionals are happier on their own.
For thousands of other therapists, however, spas - whether day spas or those at health resorts, destination resorts or on cruise ships - offer good jobs, plus opportunities for growth and change. Among the obvious benefits of working in a spa.

Safety
“Many of our students are very young, just starting out in life, and working in a spa gives them a safe working environment. I feel good about the young graduates, particularly, going into an established business,” says Utah College of Massage’s Cohn. Other safety nets can include unemployment and malpractice insurance, human-resources services, health and liability coverage and sick leave.

More predictable income and less business responsibility. Working for a company means accruing vacation time and retirement benefits, and having taxes withheld for you rather than having to pay estimated taxes. Someone else gets to take care of the billing, ordering, scheduling, advertising, laundry and equipment, too.

Camaraderie. This is a huge, and, I think, often underestimated plus. Working alongside other therapists contributes tremendously to personal and professional growth, and to general satisfaction. Comparing notes, trading “war stories,” having colleagues to turn to for advice and sympathy - these are huge benefits of working in a spa. And if you’re lucky enough to have a great manager, you’ve got another wonderful resource. The spa or resort environment also offers the possibility - for therapists with talent, knowledge and willingness to learn - of moving into management or development.

Opportunity for establishing connections with clients. The number and variety of clients who come through day spas, clinics and resorts mean a huge number of contacts for the therapist. In some environments, such as urban day spas, therapists may develop a pool of devoted clients and get their names in circulation. At health resorts and destination resorts, repeat bookings are fewer and further between, but the contact with a large number of individuals raises the very real possibility of being picked up as a private or favorite therapist.

Tremendous learning environment. This, I think, is probably the greatest single advantage of working in a spa setting. First, there’s the opportunity for personal and professional growth inherent in a busy, populous, different-every-day environment. And then there’s the fact that spas offering a wide range of massages and body treatments need specifically trained therapists. As a result, flexible, curious, willing therapists can usually learn techniques and become experts on equipment and products on the job, at their employers’ expense. Many spas also offer training on new treatments that can help the therapist stay abreast of developments in the industry, and, typically, they support therapists’ continuing education and cross-training in other modalities. Since continuing education can be a major out-of-pocket expense for private practitioners who want to expand their repertoire or simply stay current in today’s fast-changing massage world, these educational opportunities can be a solid perk.

Every spa has a personality, just like the people who work there. No environment will perfectly suit all therapists, or even a particular therapist at every stage of his or her career. The advantages of employment in a spa or health resort, though, are substantial, and depending on your temperament, training and stage of professional development, may make a spa the ideal working environment for you.