November 2008
• Fifteen percent of U.S. adults reported visiting a spa in 2006 (ISPA 2006 Spa-Goer Study).
• Revenues for the U.S. spa industry in 2005 were $9.7 billion, up from $7 billion in 2003. This represents an average annual growth of 18 percent—www.experienceispa.com.
• Women make up the majority of spa consumers (69 percent), according to the ISPA 2006 Spagoer
Study.
Benefits of Massage
• Massage therapy is a safe and effective way to reduce pain and improve function in adults with
osteoarthritis of the knee, reports a 2006 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
• The Annals of Internal Medicine reported in 2003 that massage therapy was effective for treating
persistent back pain, as did a 2000 report by the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
• Research has shown massage reduces carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. The Journal of Bodywork
and Movement Therapies, 2004.
• Premature infant massage in the NICU was reported in Neonatal Network to be effective in increasing weight gain, improving developmental scores, shortening hospital stays and improving parent-baby bonding (2003).
• Pediatric healthcare staff report increasing hospital use of complementary and alternative medicine, including massage and energy work (Advance for Nurses, April 2007.)
University of Miami reports its massage therapy studies indicate effectiveness in:
* Reducing mothers’ risk for premature delivery and postpartum depression; improved sleep for babies.
* Reduced pain from migraines and arthritis.
* Reduced aggression in adolescents and less hyperactivity in adolescents with ADHD.
* Greater alertness in autistic children.
* Better lung function in asthmatic children.
* Decreased glucose levels in diabetic children.
* Less stress and improved performance for employees receiving work-site massage.
• Massage therapy has been shown to strengthen the immune system, according to research published in The Journal of Neuroscience, 1996, and Psychosomatic Medicine, 2000.
• In 2005, Cancer Control reported massage therapy effectively reduced stress and anxiety in
cancer patients, with a promising outlook for pain control and management
of other symptoms.
• Oncology patients show less pain, fatigue, nausea, anxiety and depression following massage therapy, according to a study by Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 2004, and a report in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2002.
• Women with lymph node dissection receiving arm massage had less pain and surgery-related
discomfort, according to a 2004 Cancer Nursing article.
ABOUT ABMP
Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals
is the largest national professional membership
association serving the massage therapy profession.
Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Golden,
Colo. ABMP is employee-owned and has 65,000
members.
Consumers can locate qualified
practitioners nationwide at
www.massagetherapy.com.
Notes
i January 2008 analysis was based on state licensing lists, totals
from primary membership organizations [ABMP and AMTA], and
state populations. General receptivity toward massage in particular
regions was also factored in.
ii A calculation using the 2005 average ABMP member-client contact
hours per week (15.4), at an average rate of $60 per hour
yields an annual 182 million sessions and $9.3 billion. A national
consumer telephone survey of a representative sample of 1,008
adults aged 21 and older, conducted Jan 4-11, 2007 by independent,
national public opinion research firm Harstad Strategic
Research, Inc., Boulder, Colo., revealed approximately 230 million
massage sessions were provided to American adults in 2006 at an
average cost of $60 per session. These findings yield a $13.8 billion
estimate. Under neither of these calculations, do massage therapists
receive all these dollars; a portion accrues to spa owners, landlords,
and medical professionals providing space and referrals. With additional
payments for training, equipment, services and marketing,
massage is an $11 billion to $15 billion industry.
iii Harstad Strategic Research 2007 National Consumer Survey.
iv ibid.
v ibid.
vi ibid.
vii Massage, bodywork and somatic therapies are often complex
mixtures of holistic healing practices involving physical, emotional
and spiritual components. The definitions in the Massagetherapy.
com glossary (www.massagetherapy.com/glossary) have been compiled
from a wide variety of sources over two decades. Some were
supplied by developers of techniques, others by associations and
educational institutions. Still others are a blend of data gleaned
from several sources.
viii Compiled from state websites, not including the District of
Columbia and U.S. Territories. For more information, visit
Touch Therapy Institute at the
Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals
25188 Genesee Trail Rd., Ste. 200
Golden, CO, 80401 ph. 800-458-2267
