The MassageFIX® Report-Post COVID-19

With talk from our Federal government of “gaiting and non-rebound” statistics moving us into three phases(1.) of business openings and workers getting back to work, it’s time to start thinking about what that means for the massage industry.

99.87% of massages that we do at MassageFIX® are for pain or pain/stress. Five out of the thirteen massage treatments that we offer make up this percentage.

I recently surveyed my 1640 active clients and asked them what massage therapy will solve for them once social distancing is over, and they can come back for their regular massage sessions. I was curious if clients had become more interested in boosting their immune systems, given the pandemic, but no. 62.2% of them, collectively, were still focused on pain or pain/stress. Very few were focused on immunity or just stress.

What does it say about clients? What does it say about massage?

To answer those questions, I needed to look at a broader picture of massage. The American Massage Therapy 22nd annual Massage Therapy Industry Study done in October 2018 shows that 67% of Americans who got massage got it for “medical (pain) or stress.” Therefore, I can assume that my clients’ reasons are even now no different than the norm for most people getting massage already. Not much has changed.

So, I find it reasonable to say 64.5% of massage-goers want pain or stress relief as an average statistic for my area, even amid a worldwide pandemic. Does this mean people are overly optimistic, apathetic, ignorant, or naive about COVID-19? I don’t know, and I don’t have to figure that out. I have to understand what they will be looking for when they walk back in through my door, and that thing is clear.

Clients still want what they’ve always wanted — PAIN & STRESS RELIEF!

So, as a local business, we are going to continue to stay focused on what we do best and what our clients want from us. There will be other challenges that we, as massage therapists, will have to tackle as we go back to work. We will have to deal with evolving client/therapist emotions and safety precautions. Check back in the coming weeks to see how we are planning to address these issues for everyone’s benefit. I’ll be a new normal, and I’m confident a better normal.