They also found that most people who get massage now do so for pain relief and treatment purposes. This could mean that more niche treatment-based businesses could begin to challenge industry giants like the franchises Hand and Stone and Massage Envy for popularity.

People who have children under 18 at home are significantly more likely to receive a massage than people without. This may be partially correlation – people who have children at home likely have resources to be able to afford massage either through financial stability or insurance access. It goes without saying that raising children is a difficult job, and massage is a fantastic treatment for this kind of daily stress.

My personal favorite statistic is none of these, but rather a seemingly innocuous number within the referral graph. Massage therapists often receive client referrals from physicians, chiropractors, and other medical professionals, but more clients were referred from other massage therapists than any of these. As someone who adores the massage community as much as the job, I found this so encouraging.

As the industry changes, it is wonderful to see that there is still very much room for all of us to thrive.