Here's how to put Massage Envy out of business.

Therapists, we pay for our education, insurance, liability insurance, continuing education and we use the one body we are given to help others.

Why is it so hard to find a national Massage franchise that get our labor for a mere $15 an hour, yet don't offer benefits of any kind to us?

Massage Envy has been around the longest. It seems to me that they need to demand their franchise owners offer benefits or they are endangering their business.

All it is going to take to hurt Massage Envy is another franchise to come along and offer benefits. Switching employers does not violate noncompete agreements and clientelle will follow a good therapist.

There's nothing wrong with working for someone else, but to be expected to hold such professional standards as training, internship, state boards, holding liability insurance, passing background checks, continuing education...and NOT get benefits is insane.

Well 15 beats the 5 a spa offered when they came around to our school
cant remember the name of it something new to the Kansas city area
most of us laughed and walked out I didnt pay all that money for 5 dollars an hour they expected the clients to leave 85 dollar tips
And I agree all that we have to do to uphold are licence the non stop education,and the courses arent cheap you are right benefits should be offered by these places we are trained professionals

There are already a ton of franchises and that doesn't hurt massage envy one bit.

The only thing that will put them out of business is if massage therapists start refusing to take jobs there until there is better pay and benefits but that will never happen.

ME is a good place to start and learn and go on and set up your own business.

Julie in Redmond, Washington said: There are already a ton of franchises and that doesn't hurt massage envy one bit.

The only thing that will put them out of business is if massage therapists start refusing to take jobs there until there is better pay and benefits but that will never happen.

ME is a good place to start and learn and go on and set up your own business.

Those other franchises aren't competition because they don't offer great benefits.

A national company could still come along and offer great benefits to MTs. That would devestate the current massage member clinics.

I know someone who works at an ME and he said he's actually lost clients when they find out that the therapists don't get any kind of health insurance. Clients don't always wanna support that kinda business once they know their favorite therapist isn't taken care of.

Dear Fellow Therapist,

Since 2002, I have watched how this industry has became a joke. It starts with the Schools and then go on to the company's. The associations that suppose to have our interest, that supplies the insurances,etc These all are money making institues. I became a massage therapist because I wanted to aide in the suffering of mankind as well as earn a living for myself. However , I am noticing that we as massage therapist are not representing ourselves, the horror stories of working for $5, $10 etc...dollars a hour. Until we unite, have a voice on the deciding side of what our qualifications and salary, benefits, just graduating out of school should be, these horrors will continue. BECAUSE WE ARE NOT ORGANIZED AS A WHOLE!!!!!!!!!!! WE HAVE LEFT IT UP TO THE NCBMT AND OTHERS TO DECIDE FOR US. WHILE WE ARE BE BLOWN OUT.........................THE ARE MAKING THE BUCKS OFF OF US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tommie Lee Jones in Elkhart, Indiana said: BECAUSE WE ARE NOT ORGANIZED AS A WHOLE!!!!!!!!!!! WE HAVE LEFT IT UP TO THE NCBMT AND OTHERS TO DECIDE FOR US. WHILE WE ARE BE BLOWN OUT...THE ARE MAKING THE BUCKS OFF OF US!

Again I have to disagree. Individual horror stories happen because individuals don't have the guts to stand up for themselves to demand the respect and pay they are worth. Uniting is absolutely not an answer.

Massage Envy is a large and wellknown franchise. If you are a customer searching for massage, one of the first web results you will get is massage envys website.

More massage therapists presenting themselves professionally, and with a stronger internet identity will really help your business.

Look at the website very recently created for New Jersey Massage Therapy out of Cresskill, NJ.

www.201wellness.com

This will give massage envy something to compete with.

If more people would promote their smaller businesses better, this will put larger franchises in an area of strong competition, whereas right now, they have none.

I work for Massage envy and have for 2 years... While $15 an hour is pretty rank, you get to build a clientelle and regulars tend to tip around $20 an hour. But you don't have to market for yourself, you dont have to provide your own sheets, oils, lotions, or biofreeze. You don't have to book your own appointments and they do all the advertising. Its GREAT! so to me, its a fair trade off...

The ultimate goal of a franchise is to make a profit by employing a system that works, as inspiredpauper has put it, a system of trade offs where those that benefit from them will take part in it, otherwise the system would never hold up.

It is just another example of how the wealthy with room for risk take a risk so that those with no room for risk don't have to take any, but this comes at a higher price than what one may consider "fair" because their goal is not fairness, their goal is "as much profit possible (or as permitted by therapists)".

There will always be therapists who permit such "exploitation" for lack of a milder word...specially those that have a very different personal goal...the goal to simply put their skills to work while helping others feel better, of course while attaining peace of mind in a secure and stress free environment, and enough profit to sustain their needs.

I agree totally, As for the healers that we are, to take the low road of expoitation makes all of our training worthless

i feel all of you and no one sticks together because no one wants to spend money starting a union is hard work from state to state money balls and time getting others to F&*&k Massage envy and all the money makers... lets do this

I cannot believe that such a large business like ME does not offer benefits. I went to school at 47 years old in 2007, and already have my own benefits. I often told the younger kids in my school that is is imperative to get benefits and a pension plan. These businesses really take advantage of people. Not to mention a complete bulls@#$ per hour pay. I have a Part time job that pays more than that. Maybe I'll start my own franchise that offers benefits and a good pay. hhummm.

I've been with ME for 3-1/2 years. It is up to each franchise owner individually to make the decision on whether or not to offer benefits. One owner in Naperville Illinois does offer health insurance - in Las Vegas, at least two locations I know of offer vision/medical/dental insurance after 3 mos. and 401k participation after one year.

The owner of my particualr location has said he will not offer insurance

Joe Landis in Clementon, New Jersey said: Massage Envy is a large and wellknown franchise. If you are a customer searching for massage, one of the first web results you will get is massage envys website.

More massage therapists presenting themselves professionally, and with a stronger internet identity will really help your business.

Look at the website very recently created for New Jersey Massage Therapy out of Cresskill, NJ.

www.201wellness.com

This will give massage envy something to compete with.

If more people would promote their smaller businesses better, this will put larger franchises in an area of strong competition, whereas right now, they have none.

I agree- there is a need to up advertising! As a customer, it is very, very hard to locate a good MT- the ads in the paper and Craigs list and such are FULL of prostitutes- they need to be prosecuted! It makes it scary to try out new practioners if all you want is a massage. And spas and such are EXPENSIVE and not necessarily good quality. More effective advertising for legit practioners would be an a great benefit to consumers! One reason ME and other chains are doing well is that the give an easy to access, safe appearance for customers looking for massage.

I can't even get a job at massage envy...I'm not sure what they want. :-(. Massage Heights is coming around though and they seem to offer great benefits...

Despite what may or may not be true about Massage Envy, the injustice of the way corporations treat their employees exist in all fields of work. Workers are constantly being exploited by different companies and we can't let that affect our work as massage therapists. If you're really unhappy at Massage Envy, it is possible to be able to build up private clientele at those locations when your clients like you enough. But like any employee underneath corporate ladders, it is possible to improve the conditions in where you work even if it is over time.

anonymous in Sacramento, California said: Despite what may or may not be true about Massage Envy, the injustice of the way corporations treat their employees exist in all fields of work. Workers are constantly being exploited by different companies and we can't let that affect our work as massage therapists. If you're really unhappy at Massage Envy, it is possible to be able to build up private clientele at those locations when your clients like you enough. But like any employee underneath corporate ladders, it is possible to improve the conditions in where you work even if it is over time.

Unions. That's the entire reason unions exist.

Babyace in Montclair, New Jersey said: I cannot believe that such a large business like ME does not offer benefits. I went to school at 47 years old in 2007, and already have my own benefits. I often told the younger kids in my school that is is imperative to get benefits and a pension plan. These businesses really take advantage of people. Not to mention a complete bulls@#$ per hour pay. I have a Part time job that pays more than that. Maybe I'll start my own franchise that offers benefits and a good pay. hhummm.

Exactly how did you manage to land a job as a massage therapist that includes benefits? Or did i read that wrong...

Sorry, I wasn't clear in my post. I am retired from my first career, and I receive benefits and a pension as part of my retirement. It makes me feel so bad that people cannot get medical benefits that easily anymore, and they are so expensive. Good luck.

Massage Envy is the "WAL-Mart" of our profession. Assembly line massage with no room to grow to become better doing cookie cutter work for an insulting $15.00 an hour... Grocery stockers make more than that.

We believe that the massage therapist should build their own clientele and stop letting this big franchises take advantage of their labor.
At myHolisticServices.com we enable the practitioners to hear about all the clients in the area and give them a chance to win the client's business. 90% of the money paid for the service goes into practitioner's pocket!