Recently, I was invited to the Massage Envy Annual Franchise Conference for a peek behind the ME curtain.  As a presenter on the massage industry expert panel, I met many franchisees and home office staff.  All were more than congenial and seemed to care tremendously about the work they were doing.

Even more impressionable was the time I spent with their Top 50 therapists from around the country.  Out of thousands of therapists, these are considered Massage Envy’s best.  They were a diverse group representing various ages and races, with anywhere from 2 to 20 years of massage experience.

Among this elite group was National Holistic Institute’s own Raymond Washington, a 2007 graduate of the Petaluma campus and one of many NHI grads who have worked for Massage Envy.  In talking with Raymond and the other therapists, they found Massage Envy as a place where they could thrive with their massage careers.  Some hoped to own their own franchises someday.  Others liked that they could just focus on massaging their clients while someone else took care of the business side of things.  All shared a common passion: they love what they do!

Joe Bob Smith, Raymond Washington (NHI Petaluma Grad, Massage Envy Regional Therapist of the Year), and CG Funk (Massage Envy VP of Industry Relations)

Massage Envy has little shortage of clients.  Consumers eager for more massage have helped drive the company’s growth.  While demand is relatively high, supply has proved a growth challenge – supply being the ability to hire so many quality therapists.

For the uninitiated, Massage Envy is the largest massage franchise chain in the country, employing more massage therapists (16,000!) than anyone in the world.  With nearly 700 locations in the U.S. and 200 more in the works, Massage Envy is readily fulfilling their mission of bringing affordable massages to the masses.

As demand for exceptional massage therapists grows, National Holistic Institute looks forward to continuing its work with Massage Envy and other massage employers to fill that need.  With 6 – soon to be 7 – California campuses, a nationally accredited 720-hour core program, a unique 400-hour Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy Program, and 32 years of “helping people have work they love,” NHI is fully prepared to educate the future of massage therapy.

-Joe Bob Smith

Photo by Manny Crisostomo of the Sacramento Bee

As a positive energy fills the air surrounding NHI’s brand new campus in Sacramento, CA, the Sacramento Bee and the Press Democrat both put the massage therapy profession into a new perspective.  The Bee article covers the growing demand for massage in the state’s capitol even through a rough economy.  Steve Pierce of Massage Envy Spas told the Bee,

“I’ll tell you how things are. If  NHI Sacramento had 20 or 30 massage therapists ready to graduate, I’d hire them all right now,”

Check out the article here:  

The Press Democrat featured a similar story:

“The industry’s growth has been prompted by several factors, she said, including a greater acceptance by medical professionals of the value of massage therapy and new state certification standards.”

Check out the article here:  

Despite a growing industry, we feel it is more important than ever for every massage therapist to be interconnected and get the best education possible.  With a focus on community and personal development, NHI staff and mentors strive to give each individual student the tools that they need to succeed.

Massage and Valentine’s Day go together like Kermit & Miss Piggy, Ben & Jerry, or chocolate and…well, just about anybody.  Perhaps you’ve treated your Valentine to a massage, and maybe got one in return.  Debating who should get whom a massage?  Many spas offer couples’ massages so you can share in the experience together.

But did you know massage is actually good for that ultimate Valentine – your Heart?  With hearts abounding this time of year, why not treat your own heart to some love.  According to Massage Envy, “From head to toe, therapeutic massage offers many benefits that directly affect the heart’s function and promotes good health.”  Among the benefits are anxiety reduction, increased blood flow, and hormone regulation.  Click Here to read the entire article.
By taking care of your own heart, you’ll have much love to share for many more Valentine’s to come.

Massage Envy recently named two National Holistic Institute graduates as Regional Therapists of the Year.  Congratulations, Stephen Bond and Kimberly Pon! [Read more →]

On Saturday, Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 731 into law, at long last providing state certification for massage therapy here in California!

Don’t tear up your local permits just yet.  Certifications will not be issued until at least September 1, 2009.  Between now and then, a governing board must be created to develop policies and establish the necessary infrastructure.  The law only defines the general terms; we must wait for this new Massage Therapy Organization (MTO) to flesh out the details.

This is a voluntary certification.  So, if you’re happy with your current local status, then you don’t have to do it.  However, those who do get a state certification can practice anywhere in the state without having to secure massage therapy licenses from individual cities or counties.  But, considering 83% of respondents to a recent ABMP poll were in favor of the state law, it’s likely that many cities and counties eventually will stop issuing their own local licenses in favor of the state certification.

The ABMP’s Bob Benson says, “While highly imperfect, and some distance from the original legislative draft, SB 731 appears to solve a huge problem with the practice of massage within California. This law looks at bona fide massage therapists as professionals, not as suspect providers of illicit services. Those electing to become certified will be able to have their qualifications vetted by a knowledgeable massage organization rather than by local police departments. Discriminatory zoning rules singling out massage therapists could no longer be enforced against individuals certified by this new massage organization.”

The law defines a massage therapist as having 500 hours or more of training, but makes accommodations for those currently working who may have fewer hours of formal education than that.  Some of your heads may be spinning with questions right now.  I recommend holding off until we know more.  As the MTO takes shape and more specifics fall into place, this blog will keep you informed.

Many people have worked years to make this happen.  Among them, we’d like to thank the AMTA, ABMP, Massage Envy, the California Chiropractic Association and State Senator Jenny Oropeza who sponsored the bill.

You can read more at ABMP.com and AMTA-CA.org.

Here are Melissa Wheeler’s impressions of the AMTA Convention in Phoenix last week.

Joe Bob Smith (Encino Campus Manager), Alicia Ramos (San Jose Campus Manager) and I all met up at the AMTA National Convention in Phoenix on behalf of National Holistic Institute.  NHI chooses to participate in such conferences both to learn what’s current in the larger massage community and to give our students and alumni a voice in those happenings.  This one was so big it required three of us to go!

Author Ruth Werner, NHI Grad John Lambert, & Melissa

In addition to taking classes like Integral Anatomy, Balancing the Art & Science in Massage, and Massage Therapy on Trial, we met up with teachers, NHI graduates, textbook authors, and massage therapists from all over the country.  It was so inspiring!

Just to show the variety of our experiences, I met 2 Japanese publishers who promised to send me a Japanese-language copy of the textbook we use, Trail Guide to the Body! 

Books of Discovery reception

Joe Bob found the red, white & blue table he’d always wanted from Oakworks.

Alicia won a basket full of creams and massage lotions at the Massage Envy gathering.

Massage Envy reception

We all had a wonderful time at the Massage Therapy Foundation reception, hanging out with the Trail Guide publishers and Ruth Werner who is not only the author of the beloved book Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology, but the leader of the MTF’s Education Committee.  What does all that mean?  Read about the MTF and their brand new e-journal that they have just launched online – propelling our industry forward.  This massage research is available free to all at the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork.