Massage Therapy Industry Information

The following is from a report from the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Released on January 23, 2006

2005 Massage Therapy Industry Information and Fact Sheet

Massage Therapy as a Profession is on the Rise

In 2005, massage therapy industry was projected to be a $6 to $11 billion a year.
It is estimated that there are 250,000 to 300,000 massage therapists and massage school students in the United States.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor in 2002, employment opportunities for massage therapists were expected to grow at a faster than average rate. Through 2012, massage therapists are likely to see a 20 percent to 35 percent (21% to 35%) increase in job opportunities.
Between August 2004 and July 2005, approximately 47 million American adults received a massage – 2 million more adults that received a massage than in the previous year.

Massage Therapy Provides a Rewarding and Flexible Career

While massage therapists practice in a variety of work environments, sole practitioners and independent contractors account for the largest percentage of practicing massage therapists.

Sole practitioners or partners in their own business account for 72 percent of respondents.
Fifty-five percent (55%) of massage therapists say they would not want to work more hours providing massage than they do presently.
Many massage therapists surveyed work in complementary fields such as teaching massage (23%) or providing other forms of healthcare (26%).

Education Is Highly Valued In the Massage Therapy Profession

In recent years, the massage therapy profession has introduced accreditation programs to enhance the profession’s reputation and ensure that consumers can find massage therapists who have been trained in programs that meet high educational standards.

Organizations such as the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA), which has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, work with massage therapy schools and massage therapy programs to ensure that their educational standards demonstrate quality, performance and integrity of higher learning.

Professional affiliations and certification programs provide massage therapists with vital opportunities for continuing their education and improving their skills.

Today, there are more than 80,000 Nationally Certified massage therapy practitioners. To become Nationally Certified, a massage therapist must possess certain levels of education, experience and training, demonstrate mastery of core skills, abilities and knowledge, and pass a certification exam.
Ninety-two percent (92%) of massage therapists strongly or somewhat agree there should be minimum education standards for massage therapists.

Who Gets Massages, Where And Why?

Americans most often choose to get a massage for medical reasons, relaxation and stress relief.

Thirty-two percent (32%) of adult Americans who received a massage in the past 5 years did so for medical purposes, such as for muscle soreness and spasm, injury recovery and rehabilitation, and pain relief.
Twenty-six percent (26%) of consumers who had a massage in the past 5 years cited relaxation and stress relief as the main reason for getting a massage.
Additionally, 26 percent of Americans who received a massage in the past 5 years did so because it was a gift or it was free.

A majority of people who received a massage in the same survey said they preferred to receive a massage in a spa or in a massage therapist’s place of business.

The majority of consumers indicated that they would prefer to receive a massage in a place of business such as a spa (27%) or at massage therapist’s location (24%) while 30 percent would prefer receiving a massage at home or the home of someone they know.
Most Americans received their last massage at a spa (20%), 18 percent at their massage therapist’s location, and 13 percent at home or in the home of someone they know.
Almost all spas in the U.S. (94%) have a massage therapist on staff.