2002 Massage Therapy Consumer Survey Fact Sheet

Following are findings of a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation International, Princeton, NJ, and commissioned by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA).  The survey was conducted in August 2002 among a national probability sample of 1,021 adults (511 men and 510 women) ages 18 and older, living in private households in the continental United States.  The survey has a confidence level of plus or minus 3 percent.

This is the sixth annual survey of American consumers commissioned by AMTA.  Opinion Research Corporation conducted its first survey of consumers on massage by telephone in June 1997.

More people getting massage

  • More than twice as many adult Americans report receiving one or more massages from a massage therapist in the past year (18 percent) as did in 1997 (8 percent).  The number who report getting a massage each year has steadily increased.  In 2001, 17 percent said they had a massage in the past year; in 2000, 16 percent said they had; in 1999, 15 percent said they had; in 1998, 13 percent said they had done so.

  • Eighteen percent of adult Americans in 2002 say they had a massage in the past year compared with 17 percent in 1997 who said they had a massage in the previous five years.  In 2002, 28 percent of Americans say they have had a massage in the past five years – an increase of 11 percentage points since 1997. Twenty-five percent of Americans expect to get a massage from a massage therapist in the next 12 months. 

Seniors use of massage shows rapid growth

  • Twenty-one percent of seniors in 2002 say they had a massage in the past five years, compared to 8 percent in 1997.  While the general population increase between 1997 and 2002 was from 17 percent to 28 percent, no other age group showed a higher growth rate in use of massage for a five year period.

  • Among those 65 years and older who got a massage in the past five years, 41 percent got their last massage for health reasons other than relaxation/stress relief.

Why get a massage?

  • Of the 28 percent of adult Americans who got a massage in the last 5 years, 23 percent sought massage for relaxation or stress reduction, while 53 percent received their last massage for other health reasons, and 15 percent to pamper themselves.

  • Thirty-five percent of adults surveyed report they would seek therapeutic massage for relaxation or stress reduction.

  • Of the 28 percent of adults surveyed who say they are greatly stressed because of the current economic situation or the threat of terrorism, 57 percent say they would consider massage as a means to help them relieve/manage that stress.

  • Twenty percent of adults surveyed say that such health reasons as muscle soreness/stiffness/spasm, reduction of pain, greater joint flexibility or range of motion, or injury recovery and rehab would motivate them to get a massage.  Only 5 percent say they would seek massage just to feel good, to pamper themselves or as a special indulgence.

Where do Americans get massage?

  • Nineteen percent who got a massage from a massage therapist in the past five years received their last massage at a spa, while 13 percent got their massage in the massage therapist’s office and 11 percent say they received their massage in their own home.

  • Males changed their most common choice for where they got their last massage from a massage therapist this year.  Seventeen percent (the highest percentage) say they received their massage at a spa and an equal percentage (17 percent) say they received massage in the therapist’s office, while 14 percent got their last massage at home. In 2001, males reported that the most common location (16 percent) for having received massage was from a massage therapist at their home.

  • Women mostly (20 percent) got their last massage in a spa.

  • Americans also report getting their last massage from a massage therapist in the workplace (7 percent vs. 3 percent in 2001), a hotel/resort (7 percent), a chiropractor’s office (7 percent), a beauty salon (5 percent), a physical therapist’s office (3 percent), a health club (3 percent vs. 7 percent in 2001), alternative therapy  clinic (3 percent), student clinic (2 percent), hospital (2 percent), an airport (2 percent), a retail outlet (1 percent), physician’s office (1 percent), and a medical clinic (1 percent).

Where would Americans prefer to get massage?

  • Of the 64 percent of adults who see massage as beneficial, the highest percentage (30 percent) say they would prefer to receive massage from a massage therapist in their homes, 27 percent at a spa and 19 percent in the therapist’s office.

  • Thirty-two percent of men would rather get their massage at home (compared to 44 percent in 2001), while 28 percent of women would prefer the massage at home (compared to 36 percent in 2001).  Women listed their first choice (34 percent) as the spa to receive a massage.

Positive view of massage by doctors

  • Of the 14 percent of adults who spoke to their healthcare providers about massage therapy, 76 percent report that the conversation was favorable about massage and 19 percent report the conversation was neutral.  Only 2 percent say the discussion with their healthcare provider was in any way negative.

  • Of the 14 percent of adults who spoke to their healthcare providers about massage therapy, 30 percent were recommended to massage therapy by their physician and 27 percent were recommended to massage by their chiropractor.

Take time for massage

  • Nineteen percent of Americans say that a primary reason they don’t get a regular massage is that they are too busy.  This figure has varied little since 1997, with 21 percent giving this reason in 2001, 20 percent in 2000, 21 percent in 1999, 18 percent in 1998, and 24 percent in 1997.  Clearly, many people understand its benefits, but say they are too busy to take the time to get a regular massage.

  • Forty percent say that the cost of massage is a reason they don’t get a regular massage.

Regional differences

  • West Coast residents had the highest percentage saying they had a massage in the past 12 months (23 percent).  Figures for the rest of the country were 18 percent in the South, 17 percent in the Northeast, and 15 percent in North Central states.  In 2001, 20 percent of respondents in North Central states had a massage in the previous 12 months, while only 13 percent of respondents in the South said so.

  • The West (11 percent in 1997 vs. 23 percent in 2002) and the South (7 percent in 1997 vs. 18 percent in 2002) have seen the fastest growth in use of massage reported in a 12-month period.

  • More people in the West, Northeast and South expect to get a massage in the next 12 months (31 percent in the West, 25 percent in the Northeast and 23 percent in the South).

Public view of massage therapists

  • Sixty-six percent of Americans think of massage therapists as providers of a stress-reducing service outside of medicine.

  • Fifty-three percent say massage therapists are providers of alternative or complementary health care.

  • Forty-eight percent say massage therapists provide a non-medical service.

  • Thirty-nine percent view massage therapists as complementary members of a healthcare team.

  • Thirty-six percent think massage therapists are healthcare professionals.

  • Thirty-one percent think of massage therapists as members of a team of healthcare professionals led by a doctor.

Health/medical insurance coverage of massage

  • Fifty-five percent of adults would like to have their health/medical insurance cover massage.

  • Fifty-one percent would be interested in their health plan offering a plan by which they pay a massage therapist directly at a discount.  This compares to 43 percent who responded this way in 2001

  • Thirty-eight percent are willing to pay extra for massage to be an add-on to their health/medical insurance policy.

  • Thirty percent are not willing to pay extra through their health plans to cover massage.

  • Twenty-four percent are willing to pay higher premiums to their health plan to have massage as a covered benefit.

  • Fifty-three percent say they are more likely to get a massage regularly if it is covered by their health plan.

The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) is a professional organization of 46,000 members in 30 countries.  AMTA Professional members have demonstrated a level of skill and knowledge through education and/or testing.  New Professional members must be graduates of training programs accredited or approved by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA); be graduates of AMTA Council of Schools member-schools; be Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork; or have a current AMTA-accepted city, state or provincial license.

The American Massage Therapy Association provides information about massage therapy to the public.  The association also helps consumers and healthcare professionals locate qualified massage therapists nationwide, through its Find a Massage Therapist national locator service.  The free national locator service is available via AMTA’s Web site at www.amtamassage.org and toll-free at 888-843-2682 [888-THE-AMTA].