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ABMP's Article, "Franchises, Their Impact on the Profession"
I received my copy of Massage and Bodywork and after reading this article, I have a lot of mixed feelings. I found myself replying out loud, to what I was reading, offering more than a few arguments.
http://massagebodywork.idigitaledition.com/issues/11/
With so many massage therapists graduating from schools several times a year, many who are struggling to do the work they love, and the present state of the economy, I can't help but wonder how other therapists feel about massage franchises.
I have worked in a couple, for short amounts of time, to pay the bills. I must say, that while many of my returning clients praised my work, and even, asked me if I liked working there, for the most part, the business aspect left me feeling mostly like a fast-food worker.
I have heard about some really good ones, but that depends on the owner. There are some owners who are in it strictly for investment purposes and they are not massage therapists.
Somehow, I didn't feel that this article was supportive of independent massage therapists, but more a nod to massage "industry" or the franchise element.
As members of ABMP, do we have an obligation to speak up, or do we play dead while massage franchise and website business owners with Superbowl commercials form public opinion?
Is anybody else a bit worried?
Views: 500
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Deborah Herriage on
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LOL. Thanks Choice, for throwing in this bit of humor. I TOTALLY relate.
Choice Kinchen said:Emma, you said it perfectly. I too have health reason that require more than a 48 minute massage by a stressed out franchise therapist. I will continue to use the therapists I know that have their own small business and do more than.a "stroke, stroke, you're outta here..NEXT" massage.
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Permalink Reply by Relax & Rejuvenate on
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"ME recently made a deal with a national training school to produce therapists for their franchises. What ME and others also would like to see, whether they admit it or not, is a National Standard for Education and licensing that is low. They burn though therapists and need a steady supply of new grads for growth. Longer training periods is a hindrance to their business model. You can bet, they will be lobbying to reduce the licensing requirements in many states."
This could not be further from the truth. Regulatory Protection is one of the best barriers to entry and a great strategy.
ME should be pushing for stricter regulations, higher training qualifications for licensing. This puts their education partner on the same page and will squeeze out independent therapists who don't meet the qualifications etc.
More students going to ME friendly education means more likely to have ME employees, which they don't want to churn through. Turn-over is very expensive, so burning through employees is stupid if you are a greedy corporate type like ME is supposed to be.
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"I have heard about some really good ones, but that depends on the owner." That is true of any massage business/practice/spa.
"There are some owners who are in it strictly for investment purposes and they are not massage therapists."
What does that have to do with anything? Are only MTs deserving of being in the massage business? Our last 2 hires in the DC market left an MT-owned operation to work for us - 2 MBAs with no practioner experience. We have more business, we pay better, we are better organized and are more MT friendly according to them.
I am in this for the $$, just like I was in my last job and my job before that. Except now we own the business.
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That's all fine and good. However, there is still an hour-by-hour turnover of clients. Because of their overhead, they can't really afford to schedule healthy breaks for the therapists (potty, drink of water, handwashing), beyond a one hour break scheduled somewhere in the shift. The therapist is supposed to designate the amount of massages they want and how many back-to-back sessions they have before their break, but many times (I've seen it) they will be scheduled for more than they wanted, because the daily numbers need to be somewhere in the revenue projection.
So, not saying we are not in it for the money - just that ME is in it for THEIR money, not ours. They may be a good source of massage for the unsuspecting public, but they are sometimes very difficult on the therapists who are supplying them with the very opportunities they are invested in.
Relax & Rejuvenate said:"I have heard about some really good ones, but that depends on the owner." That is true of any massage business/practice/spa.
"There are some owners who are in it strictly for investment purposes and they are not massage therapists."
What does that have to do with anything? Are only MTs deserving of being in the massage business? Our last 2 hires in the DC market left an MT-owned operation to work for us - 2 MBAs with no practioner experience. We have more business, we pay better, we are better organized and are more MT friendly according to them.
I am in this for the $$, just like I was in my last job and my job before that. Except now we own the business.
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Well, what qualifications are you referring to? There are a lot of highly experienced therapists on this site that have years of education that qualify them to run, manage, and teach ME therapists, if that were to happen. At best, many of those skills would be lost to a watered down version of a massage that lasts only 50 minutes. Not only that, but one massage does not fit all. Even ME management must admit they know this to be true because of the turnover not only of the therapists, but the clientele. I've had more than one client tell me they asked for a certain type of massage and didn't get that, but something entirely different.
Relax & Rejuvenate said:"ME recently made a deal with a national training school to produce therapists for their franchises. What ME and others also would like to see, whether they admit it or not, is a National Standard for Education and licensing that is low. They burn though therapists and need a steady supply of new grads for growth. Longer training periods is a hindrance to their business model. You can bet, they will be lobbying to reduce the licensing requirements in many states."
ME should be pushing for stricter regulations, higher training qualifications for licensing. This puts their education partner on the same page and will squeeze out independent therapists who don't meet the qualifications etc.
More students going to ME friendly education means more likely to have ME employees, which they don't want to churn through. Turn-over is very expensive, so burning through employees is stupid if you are a greedy corporate type like ME is supposed to be.
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Permalink Reply by Emma Torsey on
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When do the MT's @ ME do their notes,if it's back to back and they don't have time to go to the rest room when do they do the s.o.a.p notes?
The way my mind works I would need to do my notes after each client.
E.
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I prefer not to address this, but thank you for your observation, Emma.
Emma Torsey said:When do the MT's @ ME do their notes,if it's back to back and they don't have time to go to the rest room when do they do the s.o.a.p notes?
The way my mind works I would need to do my notes after each client.
E.
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Terry, - yeah, what you said. LOL. Seriously, you hit the nail on the head and drove it home to the problem. Its about price - the experience is hit or miss.
Let me clarify my stance on this issue. I know there are good, even great therapists who work for franchises. They may even have a stellar situation, with good management behind them and a wonderful schedule to match their needs. I'm happy for them, honestly.
What I'd rather see though, is more of a movement towards establishing massage as a healthcare practice that contributes overall to the healthcare crisis and for all alternative healthcare avenues be brought into the current debates as an option. That would give people a better sense of control of their own health situations instead of having to rely on political stronghold making the decision for them. We should teach people about taking responsibility for their own healthcare. If massage franchise doesn't change too, there will ultimately be less options.
Terry Capuano said:Hey Deborah - I have never been inside a Massage Envy - but I get the picture of how they operate. I understand their arrangement works great for some MT's (whether they be long term or new therapists) and not so great for others. What I find disturbing about this trend towards companies like ME is that it makes getting a massage all about the price and the massages may appear rushed and of variable quality. I don't believe they advertise about the quality of the massages, just the price of the massages. America is a capitalistic country and everyone has the right to make money, but, if you have never had a massage and you happen to get a so-so one at a ME will you ever give it a try again? Or will you be one of the people who say 'yeah - I had a massage once". Companies like ME will continue to grow and it would be good for the promotion of massage therapy overall if they would focus on high quality along with price. But until they do us Independents will continue to work/view massage as the art form we know it is. I can't/won't compete with their price and they currently, it appears, cannot compete with my quality.
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Permalink Reply by Julie Onofrio on
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I just read the article today and I have been thinking about it all day. What bothered me the most was them saying to independent practitioners that you better watch out and also the news that ME has an agreement with Corinthian to get grads to fill jobs there....I know it is a good business decision for them to be able to fill their classes - but with who are they filling their classes with? As one person in the article said, they said people entering massage lack the passion and I would have to agree if they are going to work for such low pay and being treated poorly. They are also lacking self confidence.
I thought about how the number of massage schools has increased dramatically over the last few years and with the problems in the economy probably can't fill their classes so they are going for younger people out of high school or going after people praising what a wonderful career it is and how much money you can make but the grads come out with no jobs and no passion about massage and building a practice. They find anyone they can to fill their schools.
I also thought about my career and starting in 1989 with only 250 hours of training and all of my friends who started before me even and them having only 100 hours of apprenticeship training - and we are all self employed and have been and are still in business today and doing better than ever. I went into this career for the lifestyle, for helping others and being of service. I didn't ever want another job in anything they are so dysfunctional in general and I didn't ever want to answer to anyone again and have the freedom to do as I wanted but I was also willing to put in the time to do the work to build a business and the personal growth work that goes along with that.
Todays massage school students just want jobs. I also have had tons of high school students at my website asking if they had to take math to become a massage therapist. They just want something to not take math for heavens sake! What kind of massage therapist is that!!!
I also wonder why a massage therapist would take a job for $12 an hour when you can make $80 an hour when you have your own business. It doesn't take much to have a successful business. All you need is a highly optimized website so people find you when they are searching for massage. You need to learn to listen to clients and learn how to build relationships with them and with other health care providers and businesses. Is it because they just lack the self confidence to charge what they deserve to make and don't want to talk about themselves in a way that gets clients?
I have also been blogging about ME since they first opened. They brought up a lot of fear in people and myself included. I thought it would affect my business but it hasn't at all. I am busier than ever and charging $85-$110 an hour.
It then moved to OK they are here - so what? It gives people a place to start and gives people a cheap place to get massage.
I actually have gotten a massage from a ME and I have to say it was one of the worst experiences. I had pulled a muscle in my leg on the weekend and wanted to get it worked out and I told the guy 3 or 4 times to just work on my quad and pointed to it each time - the exact spot and do you think I could get him to touch it? He worked the whole hour on my back and I kept saying to work on my leg but he thought my back was tight and needed more attention - is that how we want people to know about massage?
At first I thought there is no fighting the franchises and felt sad that there is a chance they might put independents out of business. Then I thought even more reason to continue teaching MT how to start and run businesses and find massage therapists who are passionate about it and not just looking for a job where someone can take care of them. How do we get massage schools to get back to taking only people who have the passion??
I could go on....but will probably be blogging about this more myself!
Julie
http://thebodyworker.com/massage_blog/
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Hi Julie,
I loved your post. Thank you. You're soo right on about the therapists that are coming out of school now. This is not a personal attack against youth or anything, but they do have a different work ethic. I worked for a franchise for a short time to make money for a trip to Hawaii and I would have fired a good number of people for the things I saw them do or not do. When I brought it up, I got a glazed eye look. LOL.
I had to close my business down in late 2008 because I developed a herniated L4 and L5 and had to stop teaching yoga for awhile. At the same time the economy was taking a dramatic downturn as it was an election year and my building was being bought by an architecture firm. So, I'm starting up again, and business is slow for me. I had some clients at ME who asked me when I left to let them know where I was going to be, and then they never responded to my "welcome back" special. I decided after reading the article that I don't want any clients who are not looking for the best in service and quality massage, and who are not willing to pay for it.
Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed reading this . . .
Julie Onofrio said:I just read the article today and I have been thinking about it all day. What bothered me the most was them saying to independent practitioners that you better watch out and also the news that ME has an agreement with Corinthian to get grads to fill jobs there....I know it is a good business decision for them to be able to fill their classes - but with who are they filling their classes with? As one person in the article said, they said people entering massage lack the passion and I would have to agree if they are going to work for such low pay and being treated poorly. They are also lacking self confidence.
I thought about how the number of massage schools has increased dramatically over the last few years and with the problems in the economy probably can't fill their classes so they are going for younger people out of high school or going after people praising what a wonderful career it is and how much money you can make but the grads come out with no jobs and no passion about massage and building a practice. They find anyone they can to fill their schools.
I also thought about my career and starting in 1989 with only 250 hours of training and all of my friends who started before me even and them having only 100 hours of apprenticeship training - and we are all self employed and have been and are still in business today and doing better than ever. I went into this career for the lifestyle, for helping others and being of service. I didn't ever want another job in anything they are so dysfunctional in general and I didn't ever want to answer to anyone again and have the freedom to do as I wanted but I was also willing to put in the time to do the work to build a business and the personal growth work that goes along with that.
Todays massage school students just want jobs. I also have had tons of high school students at my website asking if they had to take math to become a massage therapist. They just want something to not take math for heavens sake! What kind of massage therapist is that!!!
I also wonder why a massage therapist would take a job for $12 an hour when you can make $80 an hour when you have your own business. It doesn't take much to have a successful business. All you need is a highly optimized website so people find you when they are searching for massage. You need to learn to listen to clients and learn how to build relationships with them and with other health care providers and businesses. Is it because they just lack the self confidence to charge what they deserve to make and don't want to talk about themselves in a way that gets clients?
I have also been blogging about ME since they first opened. They brought up a lot of fear in people and myself included. I thought it would affect my business but it hasn't at all. I am busier than ever and charging $85-$110 an hour.
It then moved to OK they are here - so what? It gives people a place to start and gives people a cheap place to get massage.
I actually have gotten a massage from a ME and I have to say it was one of the worst experiences. I had pulled a muscle in my leg on the weekend and wanted to get it worked out and I told the guy 3 or 4 times to just work on my quad and pointed to it each time - the exact spot and do you think I could get him to touch it? He worked the whole hour on my back and I kept saying to work on my leg but he thought my back was tight and needed more attention - is that how we want people to know about massage?
At first I thought there is no fighting the franchises and felt sad that there is a chance they might put independents out of business. Then I thought even more reason to continue teaching MT how to start and run businesses and find massage therapists who are passionate about it and not just looking for a job where someone can take care of them. How do we get massage schools to get back to taking only people who have the passion??
I could go on....but will probably be blogging about this more myself!
Julie
http://thebodyworker.com/massage_blog/
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Hi Rick,
Just wondering if you own your own practice and if so how many therapist do you have working with you? You mentioned great working conditions could you expand on that. I have a small office and two other therapist with me. I'm looking for advice on what is fair to pay them, but also smart on the business end.
Rick Morgan said:Hi Deborah,
I am sure this discussion will spark a lot of interest. Especially since this forum is populated by more than it's fair share of independent therapists vs employees of franchises.
I think you are right to be worried a little, and I also think that is a good thing if it generates more attention by massage therapists for what goes on in their profession.
You are also right that the article is a nod to the franchise industry. It wasn't meant to be about independents. For better or worse, franchises are here to stay and will become the most visible party in the massage industry. They are throwing huge amount of money into advertising, massage awareness and research.
Back in the 70's, gyms faced the same issue. There were a lot of trainers out there and little neighborhood gyms. Along came Golds, Lifetime, Bailey's etc and now they are the industry. Those same people are the ones who started the massage franchises.
That doesn't mean it is "bad" for independents though. If you work it right, you can benefit from all the increased awareness and use of massage. Change in this industry was inevitable. For years now, we have been touting how this industry is growing. It was only a matter of time before the big players recognized the opportunity for financial gain. MT's have an opportunity to get involved in their organizations and insure that the independent therapists don't loose their voice.
As an ABMP member, you have the right to state your opinion and I encourage you to write a letter to the editor stating your concerns. They do read and publish them.
As a marketing person told me a couple of years ago, big franchises didn't ruin the restaurant industry, people will go to McDonalds or they will go to Chez Francois. As long as they see a value for what they receive, there is room for all price points.
I have three ME,s around me right now- all withing 15 miles. They haven't hurt my business, in fact, I am hoping they will help it. Also, my working conditions are so good, all those ME employees dream about working for a place like mine once they get experienced.
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Permalink Reply by Amanda Bradford on
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I jot down small notes before and after each session and try to remember each client's specifics. It's pretty difficult to keep straight once I actually sit and do my SOAPs.
Deborah Herriage said:I prefer not to address this, but thank you for your observation, Emma.
Emma Torsey said:When do the MT's @ ME do their notes,if it's back to back and they don't have time to go to the rest room when do they do the s.o.a.p notes?
The way my mind works I would need to do my notes after each client.
E.
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