"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Look it up, it's in Act 3. Don't put in quotes something you paraphrased, it's sophomoric.

Second — Your second paragraph is pure sophistry. Believe it or not some people can actually write a post critical of ME and STILL have plenty if time to nurture a thriving practice. I can spend all day growing and nurturing my incredible private practice and then spend 5 minutes writing a post regarding ME. See? I'm doing right now. It's easy.

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Therapists are also expected to turn first-time customers into members. Therapists are expected to have a request rate of at least 50%, which is a hardship for those new to the clinic. If a member only comes in for a massage once a month, it takes a while for them to request a particular therapist regularly.

So far, it has been impossible for me to support myself by working full-time at Massage Envy.

I then went to the College Park location and was hired as a therapist. In three weeks I had people coming back for follow up session two and three times, it was awesome. There was no time for consultation and if you care about your clients how do you consult in five minutes. I was absolutely slaved. My body hurt everyday. Worked there for three weeks. I needed help with my sheets because clients don't always run on time, and quite frankly if you're a therapist who cares about the client, neither do you.

I was the Top therapist in a week, they told me. The stats were awesome. I got a massage from one of the therapists and was pissed that I had to pay for it because it was awful. The therapists talked so bad about the clients and breached confidentiality. The therapists were not good at doing massages. There were complaints and they were sending people to me to help save memberships.

In three weeks, my books were almost covered for the next few weeks with requests. They are supposed to aid the therapists and they did not want to do so. Some of the management were very lazy and felt like the therapist should do everything. They just don't treat the therapists well at all. If I am tired out of my mind from giving 150% in every massage, changing my sheets should be something that you desire to do to take the load off. There was no time to clear energy or think straight. The manager said she wasn't going to cater to me…

She was yelling at me (while I was off of the clock) and really had control issues because in their minds we are like dogs, they pet us, feed us if the numbers look good with some surprise pizza or something and then we should get back to work harder. The reality is, I am a skilled therapist, and without the therapist there would be no Massage Envy. We should respected more as therapists. Did I mention the pay? You get paid between $15–$20 per hour which is why they are so pressed about the tips.

Additionally, the "Requested Appointments field" can be changed by anyone at anytime so if they want to go back into the appointments and change your requests after the therapist has seen the client you will miss earned money on your bonus check. Did I mention that the bonus check is once a month?

Here is the issue with massage envy… no amazing therapist will leave their practice to work for them. Only therapists who must do it to supplement income for a short time. It took me three weeks and I was over it guys. They have extremely high turnover, in EVERY location that I have ever heard of. Clients like to get comfortable, they can't because when they find the one that they want, they are gone.

Additionally, CA's think that they are giving us a break and are under the impression that they are treating therapists well… how unfortunate.

Not only can they not keep therapists, but they are a slave mill. Therapists who work for massage envy are often not as skilled as therapists who do not work there. Get clients on your table, that is all that you have to do. If there is a significant difference, the client will make the change because they will see the value.

They aren't taking over anything. It was a good idea, but there is no way that I believe Massage Envy will make any history in the massage world.

I am fighting for massage therapists to have a voice, and have written a bill to address fair practices for massage therapists, including a minimum wage requirement. Please support it by following the link and signing the petition. More information to follow…

http://www.petitiononline.com/Massage/petition.html

I don't know how much you have done to become a massage therapist but I have an Associate's Degree and have been in the industry for four years. I was using the word customized before I heard Massage Envy or anyone else in my space say it. Once clients are educated about massage, I believe that they will make their own choices about where they receive massages.

The massage clinic/center industry is world's apart from a spa so fear not… as an experienced business owner it is apples to oranges.

As for those private therapists or massage clinics/centers we are the ones who have to make sure that we position ourselves. I will never charge $59 a month for a customized full body massage, I don't care if they were next door to me.

The petition addresses, eliminating prostitution, wages, giving therapists breaks as needed, and much more…

As for massage memberships, that is a way to discount the massages, and it would be unfair for taking them down for that. Many therapists offer massage memberships they are just not a franchise. Additionally, if therapists take a stand and demand more money from them, it would force the price of the massage to be raised. Personally, I have a commercial space, and based on the business expenses, the salaries, the lease etc… they are going to put themselves out of business by keeping the price of the massage that low. What clients are doing is discovering the massage clinic, signing up, following through with the membership or having a bad massage, never returning, and certainly not renewing.

Just wait this one out y'all….

Have an amazing day…. remember to sign the petition and look out for the bill so that we can support it and establish some things in the industry that would give us more of a voice.

Thanks

Res

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Look it up, it's in Act 3. Don't put in quotes something you paraphrased, it's sophomoric.

Second — Your second paragraph is pure sophistry. Believe it or not some people can actually write a post critical of ME and STILL have plenty if time to nurture a thriving practice. I can spend all day growing and nurturing my incredible private practice and then spend 5 minutes writing a post regarding ME. See? I'm doing right now. It's easy.

Many of posts I have read here are from MT's and clients who had either worked in an ME or visited one and their responses reflect their feelings and to be fair not all are positive. To Second–You're the complexities of the criticism with a blanket summation on price points means that you have not grasped the whole of the critiques or their implications on people who are actually in the massage profession. There is a healthy debate within the massage profession about places like ME that often overwork and undervalue their employees. Your disavowal notwithstanding, this is what much of the criticism has been about.

Massage is different because the product is human energy applied through touch. Anyone that does this professionally knows how unique this job is and respects it as such. The fact that you equate having a "cheap" hamburger with having a "cheap" massage shows that you are most likely a consumer and not a provider of massage services so how could you relate to our concerns? "Cheap" means "cheap" and in this country you DO often get what you pay for. For many people a "cheap" massage is "inadequate." For those who are passionate about massage both as a profession and as a consumer "cheap" won't ever cut it and therefore neither will ME whose sole focus is on offering "cheap" body work… Beyond that for many this issue is more about the dumbing down of a profession we care about and the ramifications of how it affects the industry and the workers within that industry. All seemingly valid criticisms and worthy of note.

If the complainers expended as much energy improving their business, they wouldn't have the time to complain about someone else's business. Everyone knows that there are different price points for different experiences when purchasing ANY product or service. Why should massage be any different?

We have fine dining establishments, McDonalds and many types of dining in between those two extremes. I occasionally go to fine dining establishments, I occasionally eat a cheap burger and most often do something in between. I return to the places that do a good job relative to the expectation of the price point. I've been to expensive restaurants that were nothing more than that — expensive. I've been to cheap restaurants that were excellent.

What does this all mean relative to massage? Like any other business, some are run well, some are not. That goes for Massage Envy or ANY OTHER establishment. Go where you're comfortable paying a price that makes you comfortable. Go where you like the service received. Reward that business by being a regular customer. If you want to be snobby about any product or service, so be it. But remember, you don't make yourself look better by trying to make someone else look worse.

And one more thing: A higher price doesn't make the product or service better. If you want to charge more, great. But you should figure out how to EARN more for your business to thrive.

My experience of ME turned out to be very different from Sehalia's. At first I really liked it. $15/massage hr isn't much but the trade off was that all equipment was provided, administrative tasks were taken care of including taxes, and the company got clients for me. I really liked my clients and the other therapists.

But our franchise expanded too fast, from 3 to 5 clinics in just a few months, and when the new clinics opened our clinic started to have problems. The money was no longer being put into very basic things, all was being poured into the new clinics. There were days when we ran out of lotions or towels or even sheets, and then there would be a mad scramble to rush to another clinic and grab something. The environment was very sterile as well, not as in clean but as in generic and empty. The same music was piped in for the entire 2 years I worked at the clinics and believe me if anything could drive a person loopy it is that. Even the clients didn't like it after their first few massages.

I eventually moved and transferred to another clinic within the same franchise and that is truly when my troubles began. Therapists schedules were not respected. For instance, if a person's limit was 4 massages per day they might find themselves scheduled for 5 or 6. Therapists who were willing to work 10 hr days were praised. I also never got a raise in 2 years, the reason always given was that, "the new manager just started and doesn't know you guys yet, so we'll have reviews in a couple months." In a couple months, we'd have a new manager. In 2 year, I had 9 managers. I also got a work injury (from overwork) but was let go when I took too much time off to recover. This is only the tip of the iceberg of my negative experiences at ME.

I always liked the concept of making massage available to all, but massage there is not less expensive unless you have more than 1 massage per month. And you just can't make a living there. I was always taking on other work. Yet the owners of my franchise pulled in $5 million in 2007. Surely there was some money in there for keeping the clinics running at a professional level, hiring management that was stable and committed, and for paying the therapists at higher wages.

In terms of the quality of massage at ME, my experience was that there were both very talented and mediocre therapists at the clinics. Some people were just out of school and inexperienced, some were long-time therapists for whom the structure worked well with the rest of their life responsibilities, such as a set working schedule. Some people were committed to their clients and for others it was a place to put in their time and punch out.

I now work at a massage clinic that focuses on treatment massage for people who have injuries, although relaxation massage is provided too. I feel I am seen as a professional for the first time, and treated like one by my company. I am in demand and my manager No one is allowed to do more than 5 massages per day, and we all have a set lunch break. We start at $22/massage hr. Still no medical insurance for employees but the overall situation is vastly better. We are allowed to have our own music, set up our own environment for the room, such as with candles or fragrances, have a bit of our individual selves reflected in our work. The clients really enjoy that.

I'm sure each ME franchise varies in quality of therapists, management, and business set-up, but the one I worked at was enormously stressful and a big disappointment. I am trying to let go of my anger at some of the things that happened to me and to the other therapists at the hands of management and the owners.

I have really enjoyed reading all of these posts, both the negative and positive. I am a MT who has been in the profession for 5 years now. I can tell you a lot about my experience, all things considered. For starters, the massage school I went to, as do a lot of schools, did not adequately prepare us business wise. We were told that we would have unlimited opportunities to make the standard $65 an hour rate. Well, that is true if you get out there as a sole proprietor, which takes YEARS to build a steady clientele. I had to learn this I guess the hard way. After I got my license, I immediately took an office space and worked it on my own. I made about 500 bucks a month, after expenses, average, which was not enough to live on. A few months after I started my business, I went through a divorce which was emotionally draining, and was faced with single parenthood. I, of course, decided to work at various local spas in addition to working on my own. What I found was what many therapists that work in spas experience — too many bookings with out breaks and total chaos, disorganization, and sanitation problems. Oh, did I mention drama, too? Well, I also marketed myself and managed to get various gigs that paid well. After a couple of years of all this running around from gig to gig, spa to spa, and meanwhile trying to operate a practice, along with personal life issues, I became exhausted. I applied to ME and decided to give it a try, since I had to close my office and just do outcalls. I really at first resented $15 an hour plus tip, but as time went on I realized there just aren't any salaried jobs out there in massage at the current time. As other ME therapists have said, you really can set your own hours, schedule breaks as you wish, state which modalities you can perform, and go in and just do the work and go home when your finished. I never do more than 5 per day, or more than 3 in a row back to back. I have a set lunch hour, that is never moved unless one of the front desk associates gets my permission first. I work Tues. thru Friday, weekends off. If I need a day off, I can always get it, no problem. I still have a few clients I see outside of ME, and I can do those sessions free of time restrictions, etc.

Our clinic has been around since 2006. I have been there since 2007. In October, all the therapists got raises, based on longevity. I make $21.50 per hour massage, and I average $10 tip. Not too bad. The only concern I have now is the recession has affected us here in N.C. Our clinic had a staff meeting last night and the regional director has a plan that will be implemented to our clinic to increase memberships, which is going to help us therapists keep our books full and help the clinic give better service to the clients. there have been issues with communication and organization that are soon to be resolved by a business like and professional approach. I am looking forward to seeing how this will all play out. Our clinic owner does not yet offer healthcare benefits, but pays up to $200 per year for CEU's and pays for the privilege license — $50. I think that is a good start. I feel that once our clinic improves we will see that happen. I still continue to market my own private business on the side. There is no good guaranteed income in this field, that is one thing that is clear. However, I have always had what I needed to get by and I am grateful for that. ME is I guess a little on the "sterile" side, but I bring in my own music and create that sacred space best I can there. I am also an energy worker, and I channel healing through massage, just like someone else mentioned earlier. I will also say ME is a heck of a lot more organized and cleaner than all the spas I have worked in. No one mentions how abusive spas can be. I really think ME has somewhat become a scapegoat for all ills and abuses of this profession. It is up to the individual therapist to decide how they are going to support themselves while making a difference in lives. I am currently working on working smarter, not harder. After 5 years, I have no injuries and have great stamina. That is because I know myself and have clear boundaries, and I communicate effectively.

I definitely feel that ME does have skilled therapists, including myself. We have therapists in our clinic with 10+ years of experience, as well as a guy who taught at a local massage school. There is a perception out there in many of the forums I have looked at that claim that ME is great for newbies. Well it is, but not JUST those fresh out of school. It has been good for me for many reasons. I have been able to see from an insiders point of view how a business operates. I am learning a lot, not just doing massage. That is how I look at this experience. It is one of many places I have worked in the last 5 years. I think someday I will have enough experiences to build my own wellness center and I will know exactly what works, and what doesn't, both from a client perspective and a therapist perspective.

The constant low balling of ME has had a largely negative effects on the profession driving out great therapists who perhaps are not great business people. Face it, some owners can really lay down a line of bull. Smoke and mirrors. And of coarse when all else fails blame the unhappy customer or therapist.

Massage is about relationship. And ME's high turnover tells you they can not maintain relationship. Always need new meat for the cannons. ME owners would never work for the "wages" they pay their serfs. Look around, all the empty shops, store fronts, the unemployed, the overworked. It is all a testament to the kind of free enterprise companies like ME who take much more than they ever provide.

My advise to therapists? Hit the pavement forge one-on-one relationships with prospective clients. If your looking for a massage therapist you can find a better one outside of ME, you will sleep better, not only because you will get a better consistent massage, but because you are not participating in something that is wrong.

I do agree with the talk that most of these therapists are over booked. Myself, a therapist for 7 years, I can do no more than 5 massages a day and I work 3-4 days a week — after that my quality decreases and I am just telling it like it is… for some one to say they can do 6-7 QUALITY massages a day; they are probably not giving a quality massage — or very deep work.

We are taught to be healthy ourselves because we are trying to heal — yet most therapists eat crap food, do not work out and never get a massage. I have found a lot of me therapist with a negative view on their employment but I remind them they have a job or they can find another. If you are not happy then leave. It could be YOUR ATTITUDE that makes you so unhappy.

Every day above ground is a good day!