Davonna Willis hadn’t expected to tear up when she took the stage at the first annual Black Massage Therapist Conference, but when she looked out on a meeting room filled with Black massage therapists looking back at her, awe took over—and “everybody had to figure out where to get some tissue,” she said.
Willis, owner of 4 Nineteen Education & Training, co-created the conference with MT Banquets Founder and CEO Ashley Urquhart. The conference was held Oct. 14 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Willis is not alone in feeling struck by how significant this conference was: Black massage therapists, presenters and organizers alike said this conference allowed them to experience education and inspiration from people who understand the unique challenges faced by Black people in both the massage industry and larger society.
“To see a portion of Black massage therapists come together and learn from people who look like them was not just amazing but life-changing for the therapists,” said Urquhart.
“Most massage conferences today have a handful of black therapists,” she added. “We needed space to have a sense of belonging. We can relate to one another. We lack representation in the industry and we wanted to change the narrative by spreading diversity, inclusion and equity in our field.”
Just 8.8% of massage therapists are Black, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2019 figure, the most recent year for which this statistic was available. In the U.S., 12.1% of the population is Black, according to the U.S. Office of Minority Health.
Greatness in the Room
For the Black Massage Therapist Conference, Willis created a $1,000 Business Grant (sponsored by MASSAGE Magazine and Massage Magazine Insurance Plus) that was awarded to Marie A. Jones, LMT, owner of Your Massage Fix, LLC, in Oak Park, Illinois. Jones said she plans to use the grant to support a new business venture: Educating Black women about the need for self-care.
“I want to be able to reach out to a lot of women of color, specifically Black women, and be able to let them know that this will be a gateway for them to learn more, not just about massage therapy and what Your Massage Fix is doing, but about alternative therapy in general,” Jones said.
The conference featured classes on business, technique, ethics and spa industry trends by educators Samuel Nelson, CEO of Massage on the Go Memphis, in Memphis, Tennessee; Terrance Bonner, LMT, LE, owner of The Bonner Institute in Columbus, Mississippi; Shanese Armstrong, LMT, BMTC, founder of Well Kneaded Massage Therapies and Skincare in Atlanta, Georgia; and Patrick Huey, General Manager of We Care Spa Wellness Retreat in Desert Hot Springs, California, and chairman of the International Spa Association board of directors, respectively.
“It was just great to be around all of that greatness and to just have all of that in the room,” said Jones. “It was really significant for me to see their representation, to see leaders in our industry representing us, coming out to teach and network and collaborate.”
Attendees said they felt a sense of collaboration, safety to be themselves, and celebration.
“We learned, we laughed, we danced, we cried, we honored, and we accepted one another,” said LaToya Hill, LMBT, owner of Hill’n Hands Massage Therapy LLC in Charlotte. “We were able to come together as massage therapists, as a culture.”
Why This Conference was Needed
In addition to education, inspiration and networking, the Black Massage Therapist Conference offered a safe and supportive space that not all attendees regularly experience in their professional lives. In speaking to MASSAGE Magazine, Black massage therapists shared instances of racism they have experienced, including as members of the massage industry.
Bonner remembers applying repeatedly for a massage therapist job he was well-qualified for and being told there were no openings, although the position continued to be advertised.
Urquhart recalls meeting clients who assumed, from her name, that she was of European descent but upon meeting her no longer wanted their session.
Hill remembers feeling scrutinized or overlooked or not taken seriously at various times because of her race, and developing feelings of low confidence when pursing corporate contracts. There was an assumption, she said, that her application would be declined.
Willis, who owns Blue Skyes Massage & Wellness Center in Gilbert, Arizona, remembers (in an interview earlier this year), the “look of shock” on clients’ faces when they realized she was Black.
Renowned sports massage therapist and now Life Mastery Consultant Benny Vaughn, LMT, BCTMB, who pre-recorded a welcome message for attendees and also appeared via video call from his travels in Slovenia, remembers being an unpaid speaker at a massage event and learning his fellow, white, speakers were paid. He recalls as a massage client trying to schedule a massage session at a clinic bearing a sign that read “Walk-Ins Welcome,” only to be told there were no appointments available for several months. As a massage therapist, Vaughn remembers clients who would come in for their scheduled massage, realize they’d been booked with a Black man, and simply leave.
For Vaughn, such instances led him to challenge himself to achieve heights of excellence in his massage therapy skills and business. His message to conference attendees focused on their ability to attain professional heights despite the prevalence of racism.
“It was important for me to support young massage therapists in 2023 with situations that I know they will face, if they haven’t already faced, and to be there in a supportive way and to be there in a mentoring way,” said Vaughn. “[It’s also important to me] to be there in the way of an elder sharing wisdom that ‘you too will achieve what you desire and you too can become the best you would love to be.’
“That’s why I participated in the Black Massage Therapist Conference,” he added.
Better and Bigger in 2024
A short video features highlights from the 2023 conference and testimonials.
The second annual Black Massage Therapist Conference will take place Oct. 8-9, 2024, in Charlotte. The event website is up and taking registrations.
With a theme of Building Relationships, the 2024 conference will focus on networking and CE. There will be more classes than in 2023, and Willis is considering adding a virtual option for massage therapists not able to travel to the in-person event.
“I believe next year will be better and bigger,” said Urquhart. “I had the privilege to work alongside Davonna when she asked me to help her with the [2023] conference. We built friendships and collaborations with so many companies—and I am blessed to have made history.”
About the Author
Karen Menehan is MASSAGE Magazine’s editor-in-chief–print and digital. Her articles for this publication include “Massage Therapist Jobs: The Employed Practitioner,” published in the Sept. 2022 issue of MASSAGE Magazine, a first-place winner of a 2023 FOLIO: Eddie Award for magazine editorial excellence, full issue; and “This is How Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Practices Make Business Better,” published in in the August 2021 issue of MASSAGE Magazine, a first-place winner of a 2022 FOLIO: Eddie Award for editorial excellence, full issue.