About Massage

Who Gets a Massage?

• Between July 2009 - July 2010 18% (48 million) of Americans had at least one massage and an average of 28% have received a massage in the previous five years.
• An average of 25% of adult Americans receive at least one massage each year.
• Between 2004 and 2009, 45% of women and 21% of men reported getting at least one massage.
• Massage among those 65 and older is quickly becoming an accepted healthcare modality, increasing fourfold in less than eight years.

Where Do People Get a Massage? Where Do Massage Therapists Work?

• Approximately 24% of persons who have gotten a massage report they received it in a spa setting.
• There are more than 114 million visits to massage therapists each year. Some studies indicate the number to be as high as 230 million visits per year.
• Consumers spend between $4 and $6 billion each year on massage and bodywork therapies.
• Most massage therapists work in more than one setting. A massage therapist may work out of his or her own home or office as well as a healthcare setting and/or a massage franchise or chain.
• An estimated 89% of massage therapists are self-employed or work as independent contractors.
• There are approximately 45,000 massage therapists in the U.S. who are employed by others either full- or part-time. Some places that hire massage therapists include spas, wellness centers, hospitals, retirement homes, cruise ships, airlines, beauty salons, sports facilities and massage schools.
• Since 2004, the number of hospitals offering massage therapy has increased by at least 30%.

Why Do People Get a Massage?

• Massage therapy is used for pain relief by 54% of adult Americans.
• Of those persons who have received massage, 86% feel that massage therapy can be effective in the reduction of pain.
• Of those persons who have received massage, 85% think massage therapy can be beneficial to overall health and well-being.
• The number of primary care physicians and family practitioners who say they would encourage their patients to look into massage therapy and/or bodywork as a complement to medical treatment is 54%.
• Of those who say they have had a massage in the past five years, 31% report doing so for health reasons, including overall wellness, pain management or injury rehabilitation.
• Just over 40% of adult Americans got a massage seeking relief from stress.
• Of those persons surveyed, 49% said they would consider massage therapy for stress relief and management.

Who Are Massage Therapists?

• Approximately 87% of massage therapists are female.
• On average, massage therapists are in their early 40s.
• Most massage therapists are sole practitioners.
• The majority of massage therapists work an average of 15 hours per week, specifically doing massage or another form of bodywork (this does not include related paperwork, scheduling, marketing or office maintenance).
• On average, an individual massage therapist will give about 44 massages per month.
• More than 57% of massage therapists also work in another profession. This may be in healthcare (such as nursing or physical therapy), mental healthcare (such as psychology, social work or occupational therapy), other forms of bodywork (such as Reiki, Feldenkrais or Rolfing) or massage therapy related education, research or writing. Some massage therapists may also work in jobs unrelated to massage therapy or healthcare.

Education

• A massage therapist in the United States will most likely be a graduate of one of the more than 1,568 accredited schools.
• Though requirements vary from state to state, on average, a massage therapist has approximately 660 hours of initial training.
• Massage therapists not only receive initial training in massage techniques, but many states require them to take classes in anatomy, physiology, myology, kinesiology, neurology, pathology, ethics, professional development and pharmacology, as well as Eastern or Chinese Traditional medicine theory.
• More than 97% of massage therapists have taken continuing education courses. Most have taken an average of 22 hours each year.
• An average of 58,000 people graduated each year from American massage schools between 2004 and 2008.
• There are approximately 90,000 massage therapists who are nationally certified.
• There are approximately 293,531 licensed, registered or certified massage therapists who have met or exceeded the requirements mandated by the state in which they work.
• Of the 125 medical schools in the United States, 78 now offer courses in alternative medicine, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and John Hopkins. In 1995, only 27 offered any kind of instruction in alternative medicine.

Resources:

“2011 Massage Therapy Industry Fact Sheet.” American Massage Therapy Association. 21 June 2011 http://www.amtamassage.org/articles/2/PressRelease/detail/2320

“ABMP Releases Research on Massage School Enrollment and Graduation Rates.” Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. 21 June 2011 http://www.abmp.com/news/abmp-releases-research-on-massage-school-enrollment-and-graduation-rates/.

“America's No. 1 Health Problem.” American Institute of Stress. 21 June 2011 http://stress.org/americas.htm.

“Consumer's Massage Facts.” National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. 28 June 2011 http://www.ncbtmb.org/consumers_massage_facts.php.

“Job Stress.” American Institute of Stress. 28 June 2011 http://www.stress.org/job.htm.

“Job Task Analysis Survey Demographics.” Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. 28 June 2011 http://www.fsmtb.org/downloads/jtaDemo.pdf.

“Massage Therapy Fast Facts.” Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. 28 June 2011 http://www.massagetherapy.com/_content/images/Media/FactSheet1.pdf.

“Massage Therapy 2010 Consumer Survey Fact Sheet.” American Massage Therapy Association. 21 June 2011 http://www.amtamassage.org/research/2010-Massage-Therapy-Consumer-Survey-Fact-Sheet.html .

“Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Massage Therapists.” Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. 28 June 2011 http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos295.htm.