The Business of Massage
• ABMP estimates 241,058 trained thera-pists provide massage and bodywork inthe United States.
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• Consumers receive approximately 230million massage sessions annually, mak-ing massage therapy an $11 billion to$15 billion industry.
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• Sixteen percent of U.S. adults visiteda massage therapist in 2006, and 38percent have received a professionalmassage sometime in their life.
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• Consumers in 2006 had an overwhelm-ingly positive response to a massage,with 85 percent reporting very favorablefeelings about their most recentexperience.
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• The median price for a one-hourmassage is $60 (ABMP 2005 MemberSurvey, correlated by the same findingin the Harstad Strategic Research 2007Consumer Survey).• A slightly higher proportion of Americanadults received at least one massagetherapy session in 2006 than accessedchiropractic or physical therapy services.Most physical therapy services and manychiropractic treatments are reimbursedby health insurance, while more than 90percent of massage therapy sessions arepaid out of the client’s pocket.
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• Consumers in the West and Midwest aremost likely to have received a massagein 2006—20 percent and 19 percentrespectively in a recent survey, comparedwith 14 percent in the Northeast and 12percent in the South. Each of these per-centages is up from 2004 levels, with thesix percentage point gain in the Midwestthe most dramatic. Massage use is higherin metropolitan areas.
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• The number of state-approved schoolshas increased from 637 to 1,529between 1998 and 2007. (ABMP surveysof state-approved massage schools, 1998to 2007).• The Society for Human ResourceManagement reported in 2007 that 13percent of its 210,000 member compa-nies offer workplace massage. An earlier
Working Mother
article found 77 percentof the top 100 U.S. companies offeredmassage at work.• There are as many as 250 known typesof massage and bodywork, with newmassage modalities emerging every year.
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• In the 38 states with licensing, uniformrules apply throughout each particularstate, though the detailed requirementsvary. Local requirements in the current 12non-licensed states vary considerably.
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Consumer Perspectives
• Spas employ an estimated 267,400people—www.experienceispa.com.• Massage therapy is the most requestedservice in spas (Day Spa Business Report2002, confirmed by ISPA 2006 Spa-GoerStudy).
MassageTherapy
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Facts
Associated Bodywork& Massage Professionals1271 Sugarbush DriveEvergreen, CO 80439800-458-2267www.massagetherapy.com
Call ABMP at 800-458-2267for a referral or visitwww.massagetherapy.com for:• A 250-item glossary and search-able 800-story archive to learnabout the types of massage thatbest suit your needs.• Practitioners listed by massagetype and location. As a condi-tion of membership, ABMPpractitioners agree to follow the ABMP code of ethics; their train-ing and credentials are verifiedby ABMP.• Complete information on whatto expect during a massagesession.• A state-by-state listing of regula-tion and training requirementsfor massage therapy. July 2007
Choosing a Massage Therapist
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