Massage Industry Trends
The following information has been compiled in support of career choices and broadened acceptance of massage therapy as a viable medical treatment.
2025
2025 Trend #1
Massage Fosters Overall Wellness
People receive massage therapy for many reasons. But according to a new study – the largest and most comprehensive ever conducted on the subject – the prevalence of visits to massage therapists is higher than one might have imagined and the reasons may be surprising.
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In the Baylor study using data from more than 27,000 people surveyed as part of the 2022 round of the annual National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), researchers at Baylor University found that:
11.1% of U.S. adults – one in nine adult Americans or nearly 30 million people – visited a massage therapist in 2021, for any reason;
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8.5% used massage therapy for overall health; and
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6.0% did so to help with pain
“What our study shows is that it’s probably not helpful any longer to label massage as an ‘alternative’ therapy’, with all of the marginality that the term conveys,” Jeff Levin PHD, University Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, said. “Licensed massage therapists ought to be respected as mainstream practitioners, whose profession provides a therapeutic approach not just to address pain and functional challenges but to foster wellness and overall well-being, physical and emotional. Everyone can benefit from working with a skilled massage therapist. They’re the hidden gems in the healthcare system.”
In the past few years, businesses offering massage and other healing hands-on services have been innovating menus to adapt to the digital age. Some of these adaptations include state of the art equipment that combine science and technology to create elevated wellness experiences.
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Fast Company has recognized several massage products and services for their innovative design and ability to promote wellness. Fast Company's “Innovation by Design Awards” recognize products, services, and environments that promote a healthy lifestyle. Their “World Changing Ideas Awards” recognize products and services that improve personal or global well-being. These include:
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Aescape - Aescape - Fast CompanyAn AI-powered massage robot that uses a 3D scan of the body to customize a massage. Aescape won Fast Company's 2024 Innovation by Design Award in wellness.
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Theragun - Theragun - Fast CompanyA device that applies rapid pressure to muscles to help with blood flow, muscle tension, and recovery.
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Symbodi - Symbodi is one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2024A handheld percussive therapy device that can help with knots. ​Symbodi was named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2024.
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Source:
https://www.fastcompany.com/91129831/wellness-innovation-by-design-2024
2025 Trend #2
Enhancing the Massage Experience
2025 Trend #3
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Employment of massage therapists is projected to grow 18 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations.About 22,800 openings for massage therapists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Continued growth in the demand for massage services will lead to new jobs for massage therapists. Not only does massage help relieve stress and increase relaxation, but it is also becoming more accepted as a natural and safe treatment method for managing pain. Demand for massage therapists is expected to increase as more people look to massage to maintain overall health and well-being.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program
2024
2024 Trend #1
Massage Therapists' Career and Demographics
Working as a massage therapist offers many opportunities in the growing industry of wellness. And, employment for professional massage therapists continues to rise. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that massage therapist employment will grow 18% through 2032 which is faster than the average for all U.S. occupations. Because of this, the number of U.S. practicing massage therapists has increased by 8% over the last decade. The massage profession is predominantly female and nearly half of all massage therapists (42%) have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Massage therapy is rarely the first career choice for most massage therapists, and many find their way to this career mid-life.
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2024 Trend #2
Massage Therapists' Use of Tech Touch Therapies is on the Rise
Tech touch therapies and equipment gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for consumers to manage their pain and stress during those no-touch years. Since then, Spas and Massage Therapists continue to integrate tech touch therapies with massage treatments as consumers have enjoyed the benefits of these services. Tech touch therapies include meditation loungers, infrared therapy, salt booths, vibratory tools and mats/tables with technology similar to E-stim. Massage Therapists are discovering that this equipment helps support their sessions and seems beneficial to use before, during, and post massage treatments. In addition, Massage Therapists are using tech touch therapies and equipment as self-care, helping them stay healthy as well.
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2024 Trend #3
IRS Deems Massage Therapy a Qualified Medical Expense
Medical providers and doctors are increasingly viewing massage therapy as a complementary option to address health concerns. Consumers are talking with their healthcare providers about massage, and those providers are recommending massage to their patients. This indicates an increased integration of massage therapy in healthcare environments. According to a new IRS ruling, massage therapy can now be a qualified medical expense. This ruling states “Medical expenses are the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or disease prevention and the costs for affecting any part of function on the human body.” IRS recognition of “non-traditional medical practitioner” and possible reimbursement of medical massage expenses when itemizing deductions on Schedule A/For 1040 USA tax reporting. Massage therapy is increasingly being viewed as a traditional, evidence-based therapy rather than an alternative therapy by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (the NIH agency that funds research on health).
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2024 Trend #4
Increasing Options for Distance Learning Improves Flexibility
Massage therapy schools have increased their online course offerings as part of entry-level education over the past few years, giving massage students more flexibility in their education. Because of COVID-19, many schools shifted some courses to online, especially business, ethics, anatomy, and physiology courses. As massage schools modernize, many have updated their programs to include hybrid education where some courses are completed online and hands-on technique courses are completed in person. Offering hybrid education programs is one way to answer the demand of today’s students for easier access to education via technology and online learning.
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2023
2023 Trend #1
Massage Helping to Relieve Depression and Anxiety
Anxiety and depression are on the rise for both clients and practitioners. Anxiety and depression can affect anyone and manifests differently in each person. There are ways to manage and treat both anxiety and depression. Studies show that massage can actually relieve depression and anxiety that is affecting the body’s biochemistry, according to the Touch Research Institute at the University Of Miami School Of Medicine. Massage therapy can relieve the tension that naturally happens in muscles and connective tissues when they become stiff. Blood flow increases and that alone promotes relaxation to create relief from the physical symptoms of depression including back pain, muscle aches, sluggishness, and sleeping problems.
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2023 Trend #2
Mental Health Effects Continue
A new survey on mental health from the You-Gov Cambridge Globalism Project shows that 53% of American women said their working life has become more stressful due to the pandemic, 50% of people in the U.S. ages 18 to 24 say the pandemic has badly affected their mental health, and just 43% of the overall U.S. population say they feel optimistic for the future. High-profile athletes (Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles) and others are being honest about struggles with mental health—and although massage is not a replacement for mental health care and referrals should be made as needed, massage therapy has been found by researchers to decrease anxiety and depression while boosting feel-good hormones like oxytocin.​
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2023 Trend #3
Growing Recognition about Massage Therapy and Healthcare
Massage continues to be considered more for well-being and healthcare versus the historical just relax and pampering. Of consumers that discussed massage with their doctor: 57 percent of respondents discussed pain relief or pain management with their doctor. 36 percent discussed injury recovery or rehabilitation with their doctor. 47 percent discussed soreness, stiffness, and spasms with their doctor.​
2023 Trend #4
Encouraging Clients to Focus on Mindfulness During Massage
Mindfulness is a practice developed through meditation, breathwork and remembering to be here now. Mindfulness has been seen as an antidote to modern stressors for many years—but has taken on a larger significance due to the pandemic, political strife and growing unease about what may come.
“The almost unfathomable upheavals of the global pandemic have been an ongoing reminder of the fragility of our lives; we have felt, again and again, how hopes and plans and expectations can be dashed without warning,” says educator and author David M. Lobenstine, LMT. “As a result, the gift that mindfulness gives—a reminder to remain in the present moment—is more valuable than ever.” Practicing mindfulness during a massage session can be particularly powerful, he adds. “When we become aware of the rise and fall of our own breath—when we notice our wandering thoughts without judgement and bring our attention back to the next exhalation—then we provide a template for the client to do the same and feel more at ease in their own body and brain and breath.”