Should I work at a Massage Franchise
Should I work at a massage franchise? This is a question every massage therapist asks themselves at some point. The answer depends on what you want from your massage career.
What is a massage franchise?
A massage franchise, sometimes called a massage chain, is when a company grants another party the right to operate a business using its name, products, and systems. An example of franchises in our industry may include Massage Envy, Massage Luxe, or Massage Elements.
What is the end goal of your career?
Do you want a simple job where you come into work every day, know what you are going to do, clock in, perform massages, and then clock out? This means you will never have to hunt for clientele, learn how to market yourself, design a treatment room, or create a service menu. Do you want every aspect of your career to be decided for you? If so, then you should work at a massage franchise.
Do you aspire to own a massage business?
If you ever want to own a massage business, working at a massage franchise is a bad career move, especially in the beginning. Of course, this advice pushes against the grain of what your massage instructor told you. “Go work for a massage chain to get experience.”
Your massage career doesn’t begin until you start building your own client base
Massage therapists at the franchises tend to be assigned to all of their clients. You might retain them after a session or two, but you would have never met them if it weren’t for the marketing or advertising arm of the company. This arrangement is called the Silver Spoon Agreement.
In the Silver Spoon Agreement, you agree to make less money so that all of your clients are provided for you and you have nearly zero responsibility. This arrangement is excellent for individuals with no aspirations to start their own business, but it hampers those who do.
The first few years of your career are critical. They decide where you will be in the next three, five, seven, and ten years. If you don’t learn how to market yourself within the first three to five years, you probably never will.
Your skills don’t advance until you have a reason to develop them
At a massage franchise, you can survive with a low level of skill. Therapists with a moderate degree of talent can thrive, but very few franchise massage therapists are exceptional. Their skill is limited due to burnout, lack of mentorship, or simply because they never challenge themselves to be better.
If you want to excel, you must have a reason to develop. When every massage is given to you with a silver spoon, it tricks you into thinking your skills are better than they are. This is a trap often accompanied by resentment.
A professional massage therapist knows how to market themselves
When a therapist begins feeling resentment, it is usually because they think they deserve more than they are being paid. This typically happens after examining the company’s earnings. The disparity between the service price and the therapist’s pay leads to frustration. This frustration leads to the belief that opening their own business would make them more money. However, they fail to realize that they do not know how to market themselves, let alone how much work it takes to run a business.
If you want to run your own massage facility one day, you cannot sit on your hands and wait for someone to feed you clients. You must create your own success.
Should I work at a massage franchise
Working for a massage franchise is not your only option. There is a happy medium available to you. Look into applying at LMT-owned massage facilities. Depending on the type of employment arrangement, you may have access to a limited number of clients out of the gate, but you will still need to market yourself.
Accessibility to clients is not the only reason to work somewhere
LMT-owned facilities often offer access to advanced massage training you will not gain from a massage franchise. The chains will outwardly present options for professional development, but these are usually classes in front of a computer with little to no hands-on learning.
If you want to develop your massage skills, you need to surround yourself with excellent therapists—people who live and love massage because it is their calling in life. Sure, you might not have a piece of paper that says you know how to perform cupping or hot stone massage, but you will have something better. You know all the little details that an experienced massage therapist has learned the hard way over the course of their career.
A massage chain will show you how to fold towels, but you can learn that on your own. At an LMT-owned facility, you can influence your environment. You can offer input that improves how the facility operates and be a part of a team that means something and cares about each other. At a franchise, you can be spoken at by a team lead or manager who is a glorified front desk person about your performance. Or you can be inspired and mentored by a self-made massage therapist.
If you are searching for someone for honest advice, a place to bounce ideas, or simply a friend in the massage business, reach to me. I know how challenging being a massage therapist can be, so I offer my time to mentor others in our industry.
