Heading into the new year, consumers are making resolutions to improve their health and wellness, and that translates to good business for the industry. Research is showing increased consumer demand for services like massage. Heading into 2023, things are looking up, and there are six main massage industry trends spa owners should keep in focus.

1. Growing Demand

Experts report that health and wellness is a $52.5 billion industry in the United States. Recent surveys show that heading into 2023, consumers are ready to spend more money on services that improve their overall health and well-being. Why? It’s being dubbed the “wellness revolution,” and more and more consumers say the pandemic caused them to re-evaluate their priorities, placing health and wellness at the top of the self-care list. This is good news for the massage market, a $16.2 billion industry showing a 2.2 percent growth rate in 2021 despite the pandemic’s economic impact.

2. Know Your Customers

Based on 2021 findings from the American Massage Therapy Association, more men are getting massages than women. As a business strategizing for the new year, keep in mind that you may need to tweak your marketing to include this demographic shift. Previously more popular among women, men are now recognizing the healing properties of massage.

Conversely, as massage becomes more mainstream, income has an impact on your consumer base. While 36 percent of those making $100,000 or more got a massage last year, only 19 percent of those making $50,000 or less got a massage, according to AMTA. To expand your customer base, you may want to evaluate pricing to optimize traffic in your spa, making the service affordable to a broad base of customers while still profitable.

3. Put Commitment to Cleanliness on Display

Experts expect that more people are likely to indulge in self-care services like massage after being cooped up and focused on family and other priorities during the coronavirus pandemic. Transparency is key to keeping your employees and customers at ease. People want to understand expectations when they walk into a location. Display your policies, like cleaning practices between clients.

Being a service industry, the spa industry especially has always been stringent about sanitation because all the amenities offered involve close contact. The rise and fall of COVID numbers may continue in 2023, therefore reminding your clients about your unending commitment to health and cleanliness is encouraged.

4. Increase Your Offerings

Data shows that consumers are actually getting more spa treatments now than prior to the pandemic. While massage remains popular, you can increase your bottom line by providing more services and treatments. For example, if you don’t already provide facials or waxing, trends for 2023 show this is a lucrative addition to your service menu. It can potentially bring in new clients and expand business with your current massage clients. If you already provide these services, analysts advise that now is the time to ensure staffing is available to deliver these additional treatments.

5. Staffing

2023 employment trends show projected growth in staffing for the health and wellness industry. Higher consumer demand is prompting more skilled laborers to return to work. Demand has also been a catalyst for employee interest in skilled trades like certification in massage therapy. Fueled by increased wages and better benefits, there is a greater appeal. As a business owner, you will want to emphasize the value and importance of your employees for retention.

6. Massage as a Healthcare Modality

A growing number of people recognize the benefits of massage, not just as a form of relaxation, pampering, and indulgence but as a healthcare modality. After all, massage therapists go through extensive training and certification to understand the human body and how varying degrees of pressure and movement manipulating the body’s soft tissues like muscles, tendons, and ligaments can affect those areas.

Mayo Clinic says that massage is now considered part of integrative medicine because it’s used for a wide range of medical conditions. Studies indicate that massage benefits include stress reduction, reduction of muscle tension, and improved immune function.

At Mayo Clinic, medical professionals may recommend massage therapy to help people cope with the pain and stress of various conditions, such as acute pain, heart disease, stomach problems, or

fibromyalgia. There are many types of massage techniques, or modalities, which trigger different responses in the body to help adults with varying ailments. 2023 is likely to see increased awareness of massage therapy as an alternative or complementary form of healthcare.

Own a MassageLuXe in 2023

Considering the trends above and other benefits, 2023 is a great year to become a business owner in the massage industry. MassageLuXe is a fast-growing spa and massage franchise that provides luxurious treatments to clients across the country. The demand for massage franchise services is growing rapidly as more people seek out the health benefits of this time-honored practice. MassageLuXe offers services to help clients relax, relieve pain, and restore health.

The MassageLuXe business model provides franchisees with a quick ramp-up to opening and early profit opportunities. It also provides a consistent sales cycle for franchisees because it’s a membership-based business. This recurring revenue paired with additional complementary revenue streams provides franchisees with high profit potential.

To learn more about spa franchise opportunities with MassageLuXe, scroll down to fill out the contact form below.