With day spas and franchised massage salons springing up in shopping plazas, strip malls and office parks across the country, you might think that massage therapy has connected big time with mainstream America. And you’d be right.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the market for massage therapists is expected to have increased 20 percent between 2006 and 2016 nationwide. (Your local market data likely differs from these federal statistics.) This is higher than the 7 to 13 percent employment growth rate the BLS projects for the U.S. job market overall during this same 10-year period.
So who is driving this demand? The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) does an annual survey of the U.S. marketplace. Among the findings contained in its 2008 survey was the following:
• 21% of adult Americans have received at least one massage annually since 2003.
• 45% of women and 21% of men report that they’ve had at least one massage since 2003.
• The number-one reason people seek massage is for stress reduction, which was cited by 38% of survey respondents. Other leading reasons included medical reasons (30%) and pampering (19%), with “Other” making up the remaining 13%.
• Almost one-fourth of adult Americans say they’ve used massage therapy at least once for pain relief.
• 88% believe that massage can be effective in reducing pain.
• 87% believe that massage can be beneficial to health and wellness.
Professional Massage Therapy Training Courses Offered at Everest College
Everest College is one of America’s leading providers of professional massage therapy training.
Because Everest has dozens of urban campuses conveniently located throughout the United States, men and women interested in pursuing this exciting and rewarding career can likely find a campus conveniently close to their home or work. Everest’s courses are designed to prepare students for the licensing exam most states require in less than a year. Everest’s Career Placement teams work to prepare each graduate for their job search and interface directly with major health care employers to help fill new job openings. Most Everest campuses also provide financial aid services for those who qualify.
People interested in training in massage therapy should contact Everest today for information on class schedules.
