The earliest written records of massage therapies date back to 3,000 B.C. Today, more than 250,000 massage therapists provide more than 140 billion massages annually in the United States.

The demand for massage franchise services is growing faster than ever. The massage industry is mainstream, stable and growing rapidly. According to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), the massage therapy industry was a $16-20 billion dollar industry in 2009 and only continues to grow. According to the 2009 AMTA consumer survey, an average of 22 percent of adult Americans received at least one massage between July 2008 and July 2009 and an average of 34 percent of adult Americans received a massage in the previous five years.

• Spas are where most people continue to receive massage, with 24 percent of those surveyed in July 2009 saying they had their last massage at a spa.
• According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment for massage therapists is expected to increase 20 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster than average for all occupations.

The reasons consumers are turning to massage therapy franchises are also expanding. According to the AMTA 2009 Consumer Survey, more people are recognizing the importance of massage therapy in lives for overall health.

• Nineteen percent of adult Americans have used massage therapy for pain relief.
• Of those people who had had at least one massage in the past five years, 31 percent reported utilizing massage therapy for health purposes, including pain management and rehabilitation.
• Eighty-six percent of people surveyed agreed that massage therapy could be effective in pain reduction.
• Eighty-five percent of people surveyed agreed that massage therapy could be beneficial to health and wellness.