Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68173
CARE TO COMMENT? JOIN THE MASSAGE & BODYWORK GROUP ON MASSAGEPROFESSIONALS.COM. relationship with clients." She says understanding her clients' lifestyles and what's going on in their lives, helps her see what's happening in the muscles. "Relationships create a place where healing can happen." A franchise experience doesn't allow for that facet of the client-practitioner relationship, and, in fact, dilutes it, she says. "Franchises are a great place for students to go fresh out of school, and we all need a place to get started, learn the business, and hone our skills. I think [franchises] could be a great opportunity for the new therapist, but isn't it just an extension of a student clinic? What about the client?" she asks. Koplen says franchises should be a positive wake-up call for private practitioners. "Hopefully franchise growth will catalyze private practitioners to sharpen their skills even more," he says. "By therapists increasing their professionalism and client management skills, consumers will be able to discern the difference. I sense there are defi nitely enough clients and a rightful place for both types of massage to exist in a complementary manner. I believe that's what we'll see evolve." DO YOUR RESEARCH If you're seeking employment with a massage franchise, experts agree it's important to do your homework. Even though their business name may be the same, every franchisee runs his or her company differently, offering different benefi ts, wages, and work environments. Jon Brovitz, who owns seven Massage Envy clinics in Arizona with his wife Bonnie, says working at a massage franchise is like any business: the job environment and workplace is entirely dependent on the owners and the management. "You are really working for the owners and not the franchisor," says Brovitz, who fi rst came to massage as a client. He says he offers his full-time Massage Envy employees a salary between $35,000–$50,000, prefers hiring managers who are also therapists, and tries to keep the work environment supportive, fun, and busy. He admits, however, that not all franchisees set their business up that way. Beth McNeill, campus manager for NHI, tells her graduates to shop around and schedule several interviews. "I tell them to spend time in the break room to get a feel for the morale." Do the research and see if this business is the right fi t. When evaluating your options, make sure you're comparing apples to apples. Consider what kind of hours you would be working if you were employed at the day spa in your neighborhood or the resort spa 45 minutes away. What kind of hours would you work if Franchises should be a positive wake-up call for private practitioners. you ran your own offi ce of therapists and managed the books, the sheets, the marketing, the billing/payroll, and, of course, the overhead? Marco says therapists must buy into the culture of the workplace they have chosen in order to be successful. "If they're not happy, they should go where they will be happy." THE TURNING TIDES Some industry leaders remember their initial concern when the fi rst franchises opened their doors. "Initially, when I heard about their concepts for introductory pricing levels, membership options, and compensation structure, I was a bit taken aback and felt threatened both as a spa owner and massage therapist," says spa trainer and consultant Felicia Brown, the Day Spa Association's 2009 Spa Person of the Year. But her concerns quickly dissolved after working with franchise owners and therapists. "The employees of the franchises I've worked with as a CE provider and consultant seem to be happy overall," she says. "Yes, some people have complained about the amount of money they make at their jobs, but to be fair, I've heard that kind of complaint at lots of spas and massage practices, including my own. The bottom line is that you can have good or bad apples in a barrel, whether the business structure is a franchise, big corporation, or mom-and-pop." Ultimately, Brown says retail massage has helped the profession. "It has fostered competition, creativity, and new ways of doing business. It has brought massage therapy to a whole new group of people, increasing the pool of potential clients for all of us. It has sold much of the massage-buying public on the concept of getting regular monthly massages, rather than just as a special occasion purchase." Finally, she says, it has created an entry-level workplace for therapists coming straight out of school that allows them to focus on doing massage rather than opening a practice. From her Massage Envy perspective, Funk sizes up the franchise world neatly: "We are targeted to perform 8.3 million massages this year, currently we have almost 700,000 members, and fi rst-time massage recipients fi nd their way to our clinics at a tune of around 30,000 people per month. That is a lot of healing touch going on. And wasn't that the goal in our profession?" for Massage & Bodywork magazine. Contact her at karrie@abmp.com. Karrie Osborn is contributing editor connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 43