In these tumultuous times, you may have every reason to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. But new penny-pinching habits could also be keeping you from making a stress-relieving visit to the spa.
Enter the strip-mall massage clinic.
In recent years, a wave of companies—many with locations in suburban shopping centers—have sought to offer a cost-conscious alternative to massage-seeking consumers. …
So far, the strategy appears to be working, with many of the companies in full growth mode, despite the rough economy. This past November, Massage Envy, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., opened its 500th clinic in just its sixth year in business; it has plans to add another 300 throughout the country.
—Wall Street Journal, New York, New York, Feb. 25, 2009
online.wsj.com