Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72312
INSIGHT AND OPPORTUNITY TIMES OF CHANGE It's been a good ride for the massage and bodywork profession of late, with consumer acceptance at an all-time high and validation within the medical community continuing to gain strength. And the party is hardly over. But there is going to be a shift, according to some veterans in the field, and we might do well to heed the warning signs now. For some, it might prove a difficult time of the wheat being separated from the chaff, but for others it will be a confirmation of their valuable skills and important contribution to the field. "The biggest trend I see at the moment is contraction," says Thomas Myers, author, educator, and creator of Anatomy Trains. "Sorry to sound the warning gong, but that's what I see. The boom is over, the tree will be shaken, and those with strong connections will survive." Myers says the signs are everywhere: from school owners talking of declining enrollments to increased competition within the profession, change is in the air. Myers believes the economic impact from the U.S. war efforts will create a downturn resulting in less disposable income, by which spas and massage providers will be affected. "There will be a pruning, and the resulting tree will be stronger, but it will take a while to recover and find its direction again." In contrast, another veteran expects expansion. "I think the touch therapies will have continuing, substantial growth for the foreseeable future. Life is increasingly stressful, so the demand for stress remedies will expand and diversification will continue," says polarity therapy practitioner and educator John Chitty, the tree will only get stronger. "My perception is that two branches are growing vigorously, and that the main trunk supporting them is also flourishing," he says. "The main trunk is generic bodywork organized primarily around massage for feeling good and relieving stress. The two branches could be called medical/scientific and esoteric. The medical group is more and more evident as insurance companies appreciate good results and clients love the experience. The esoteric group (my area of interest) has fundamental problems: the presence of scientifically indigestible ideas and the absence of scientific research." Regardless, Chitty says the esoteric touch therapies are becoming increasingly popular because of their effectiveness. "Many clients don't really care about modality titles or the blessing of science, they just want relief, few questions asked. I don't think that science is going to be able to help very much in getting the esoteric branch to be more accepted, for many reasons, but I think the branch will continue to grow anyway. As Randolph Stone (the founder of polarity therapy) said, 'Whatever works, works!' I think effectiveness alone will keep the subtle esoteric approaches in the game, defying the gravity of financial, scientific, and political forces." Chitty expects, however, that regulatory forces will continue to shape the industry landscape. "I continue to think that the desire for more and more regulation of touch, justified by the need for consumer protection, elevation of professional prestige, differentiation from sexual professions, and reciprocity between jurisdictions, has some seriously bad consequences in the real world," he says. "These consequences include monopolistic educational and right-to- practice systems ('No touch without a massage license!'), reduced innovation and fewer choices, higher costs for students, and pressure on the smaller modalities to come under the umbrella of massage and lose their identity and deeper values." And it's that final aspect that worries Chitty most. "It is a sad commentary on our modern era when the McTouch Inc. and MassageMart phenomenon homogenizes education and the right to practice for the financial benefit of the biggest players. 44 massage & bodywork january/february 2008 When we look at the growth of the massage and bodywork profession, we have to give a big nod toward consumers' loss of faith in a medical profession and an insurance marketplace that has historically ignored them. Something subtle, precious, and wise is reduced by the regulatory process." Still, Chitty thinks the esoteric side of the bodywork tree will survive, as it always has, through even more restrictive times than the field faces today. ON CONSUMERS' TERMS When we look at the growth of the massage and bodywork profession, we have to give a big nod toward consumers' loss of faith in a medical profession and an insurance marketplace that has historically ignored them. The solution: consumers who want healthy results and will pay to get them on their own terms.