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As a massage therapy practice owner, you spend your days providing massages, taking SOAP notes, managing your practice’s schedule, and marketing your business. While your day-to-day work will likely stay fairly consistent over time, changes in the massage therapy industry might require slight changes to your overall strategy to ensure you’re aligning your business with current trends.
To help keep your massage business up to date with the latest industry happenings, we’ve put together key insights through massage therapy market analysis for you to draw upon. Along the way, we’ll pair statistics with actionable insights you can use to improve your massage practice, so you know exactly what industry trends mean for your business.
Key takeaways of massage therapy market analysis
For a quick summary of our massage therapy market analysis, here’s what you should know:
- As the massage therapy market grows, massage therapy practice owners should review their current rates, invest in long-term expansion, and establish recurring revenue streams to retain clients.
- With the shift toward massages as a medical necessity and part of corporate wellness, massage practices should update their marketing to emphasize health benefits, build referral networks with medical providers, and develop corporate wellness packages.
- To capitalize on evolving consumer preferences, massage businesses should consider launching mobile services, tailoring services toward results-driven and holistic modalities, and adopting gender-neutral branding.
- Because the industry currently has low unemployment and high demand for licensed massage therapists, practice owners should prioritize employee retention and actively build talent pipelines by partnering with local massage therapy schools.
- Since clients expect convenient, innovative massage experiences, massage practices should leverage online scheduling tools, automated appointment reminders, and new massage therapy tools.
Global massage therapy market analysis
These statistics illustrate the current state of the global massage therapy market:
- Current valuation: The massage therapy service market is expected to reach $22.62 billion in 2026, up from an estimated value of $21.07 billion in 2025.
- Growth rate: The market is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 7.69% and reach a market size of $35.40 billion by 2032.
What this means for massage therapists
- Review your current rates. This rapid growth in the massage therapy market indicates that demand is on the rise. Make sure you’re valuing your time appropriately. Consider whether it’s an opportune time for strategic price increases to continue growing your business.
- Invest in long-term expansion. The massage therapy service market isn’t just seeing a temporary spike. Instead, these statistics show sustained, reliable growth—which means your massage practice will likely grow as well. You might expand your physical space, upgrade your equipment, or hire additional therapists to keep up with increased demand.
- Generate recurring revenue. As new clients enter your practice, don’t let them stay as one-time customers. Focus on client retention by building recurring revenue opportunities into your business model. For example, you may create a membership program, sell discounted multi-session massage packages, or start a rewards system to encourage new clients to return again and again.
Key drivers behind massage industry growth
The main factors enabling massage industry growth include:
- Shift to medical necessity: Recent research from the American Massage Therapy Association shows that 79% of individuals surveyed received massages for health or wellness reasons (including pain relief, soreness, stiffness or spasms, injury recovery, migraines, prevention, pregnancy or prenatal, and general well-being) (49%) or stress reduction (30%).
- Physician referrals: Of consumers surveyed in AMTA’s research who discussed massage therapy with their doctor, 22% were referred to a massage therapist, with 24% indicating they were strongly recommended to receive a massage, 19% stating they were encouraged to receive a massage, and 23% claiming that they were told a massage might be beneficial.
- Aging population: Customers aged 65 and up account for 28% of all deep tissue therapy sessions.
- Corporate wellness programs: 30% of Fortune 500 companies subsidize massage therapy for their employees as a wellness benefit.
What this means for massage therapists
- Update the way you speak about massage therapy. When potential customers look for massage therapists, they’re increasingly searching for terms like “pain management,” “stress reduction,” “injury recovery,” and “preventative care.” Make sure your website and social media posts mention the health and wellness benefits of massage therapy, and discuss the different ailments your massages can help with, such as migraines or poor posture.
- Build a medical referral network. Since more medical providers are recommending massage to their patients, position your practice as the premier business for local medical professionals to send their patients. Create a medical provider outreach kit with your credentials, specialty areas, and business card. Then, use these materials to reach out to local chiropractors, physical therapists, orthopedists, and primary care physicians, so they have a provider to refer their patients to.
- Develop a B2B corporate wellness package. Similarly, form relationships with companies that are looking to offer more wellness benefits to their employees. Consider reaching out to mid- to large-sized businesses in the area to see if they’d be interested in hosting an on-site massage therapy session or developing a custom discount code to subsidize their employees’ visits to your massage practice.
Emerging modality trends and market share
The following trends are shaping consumer massage preferences:
- Rise of mobile services: The mobile massage therapy market size is expected to reach $595.92 million in 2026, up from an estimated $511.49 million in 2025. It’s also expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.54%, reaching over $1.4 billion in 2032.
- Top massage modalities:
- Swedish massage is the most popular type of massage, representing about 28% of all massage sessions.
- Deep tissue massages hold about 26% market share, as massage businesses see increased demand for pain management and musculoskeletal relief.
- Sports massages represent about 18% of the market, growing rapidly as athletes increasingly turn to massage therapy for relief.
- Thai massages account for about 14% of the market, appealing to consumers looking for holistic, traditional wellness experiences.
- Gender shift: Women are more likely to get a massage than men, with 25% of women in the United States getting a massage in 2024 versus only 20% of men. However, as the stigma around men’s wellness diminishes, the men’s massage segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.0% between 2024 and 2030.
What this means for massage therapists
- Offer mobile massage services. While not an option for every massage business, consider carefully if your practice can launch a mobile massage offering. These opportunities are best suited to massage therapists who can guarantee a high volume of clients in a single location or larger practices that can hire a dedicated mobile therapist. Price your services appropriately to cover travel and setup time.
- Audit your service menu. More and more consumers are looking for results-driven modalities, such as deep-tissue and sports massages. In addition to adding relevant terms to your outreach, consider revamping how you discuss your services. For example, you might create specific service packages like “Deep Tissue Massage to Improve Corporate Employee Posture” or “Post-Marathon Sports Massage for Runners.”
- Tap into the holistic movement trend. The popularity of Thai massages and other movement-based therapies presents an opportunity to expand your practice’s horizons. Consider investing in continuing education on this modality, or incorporate key principles such as active stretching, joint mobilization, and guided breathwork.
- Shift to gender-neutral branding. Ensure your website imagery features a mix of men and women and that your practice decor appeals to a broader audience. To specifically connect with male clients, you can run digital ads highlighting massage therapy benefits that might resonate with them, such as alleviating lower back pain, improving sports mobility, or enabling recovery after physical activity.
Workforce outlook: The demand for licensed therapists
These statistics illustrate the high demand for licensed massage therapists:
- Employment growth: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, massage therapy employment is projected to grow by 15% between 2024 and 2034, which they note is much faster than the average growth rate for all occupations.
- Job openings: The Bureau of Labor Statistics also projects an average of about 24,700 job openings for massage therapists each year over the next decade.
- Low unemployment. The unemployment rate for massage therapists is very low at 1.6%.
What this means for massage therapists
- Focus on therapist retention. As the massage therapy market grows, you likely won’t have trouble growing your client base. Instead, your challenge will be maintaining a team of experienced therapists who are eager to continue working at your business to serve these clients. Create a positive workplace culture with continuing education opportunities and safeguards in place that prevent therapist burnout.
- Build a talent pipeline. Low unemployment in the industry means you can’t wait for talent to come to you. Move from passive to active candidate sourcing by forming relationships with local massage therapy schools. Allow students to shadow you at your practice for a day, and offer to host guest lectures at the school to get to know potential candidates and introduce them to your business.
Technology in the modern massage practice
Consumers are seeking top-of-the-line massage experiences that feature:
- Booking convenience:
- 67% of Gen Z clients and 64% of Millennials have abandoned a business due to poor booking systems.
- 78% of customers complete online bookings on their mobile devices.
- 40% of clients book appointments after business hours.
- Automated reminders: Studies show that sending text message reminders can reduce missed appointments.
- Upgraded massage therapy tools: Massage therapists are increasingly adopting tools to enhance the massage experience, such as Theragun (a device that applies pressure to muscles to increase blood flow, relieve muscle tension, and assist with recovery) and Symbodi (a handheld percussive tool to alleviate knots).
What this means for massage therapists
- Prioritize frictionless booking. If clients can’t easily book appointments, they might move on to another massage practice. Use online appointment scheduling software that allows clients to easily book appointments whenever they want, wherever they are.
- Send automated appointment reminders. A handful of no-shows can have a big impact on your bottom line. Prevent no-shows with email and SMS reminders that include appointment details, your practice’s address, and your contact information so customers can easily follow up with any questions or rebook if necessary.
- Consider investing in tech add-ons. To take your massage therapy offerings to the next level, look into new massage tools you can use to enhance the massage therapy experience. Generate extra revenue by turning these tools into tech-enhanced add-ons.
Additional resources
With a clear understanding of the current massage therapy market, you can make changes to your practice’s operations that will have a large impact on your client experience and profitability.
To learn additional best practices for starting or improving your massage therapy practice, explore the following additional resources:
- 10+ Best Massage Therapy Software Solutions — Find a massage therapy solution that fits your practice’s needs and streamlines your operations.
- How to Start Your Successful Massage Business in 10 Steps — If you’re looking to start a massage business for the first time, learn how to do so successfully in 10 steps.
- How to Write a Massage Therapy Business Plan + Template — Explore our tips and template for writing a thorough massage therapy business plan.
