National massage chain looks for Roanoke franchisees
A national massage chain is trying to attract franchise owners to open at least two spas in Roanoke.
Massage Envy already has about 765 spas in 44 states, including 23 in Virginia. The closest spas to Roanoke are in Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point, N.C.
Massage Envy offers a variety of massages such as Swedish and deep tissue massages starting at $49 for an hour. They also offer facials starting at $59 an hour.
A news release from the company said it is looking for prospective franchisees that have business sales or management experience and a net worth of at least $500,000. The initial investment to open a Massage Envy franchise is from $352,000 to $569,000. That includes the franchise fee.
Massage Envy regional developer Kent Swarts is holding a meeting for prospective owners on Thursday from 12-2 p.m. at Metro! in downtown Roanoke. Register for the event by emailing Swarts at kswarts@massageenvy.com.
May 15, 2012 - 6:00 AM
Downtown Roanoke needs a location. Many guests of the Hotel Roanoke are looking for massage and there are limited offerings in this area.
Massage Envy is a chain based in Arizona that makes its money by paying its therapists less than they’re worth, and undercutting the fair market rate. Save $10 by going to Massage Envy and you’ll get a mediocre massage from an underpaid therapist, and most of your money will go to Arizona. Plus you will be helping to put local therapists out of business.
There are a lot of GREAT massage therapists in this area, both sole proprietors and small businesses. They earn their living based on reputation, not volume, and the money they earn stays here in the Roanoke Valley.
I would love to see one of these here in Roanoke! They are amazing!
i do hope this story has a happy ending.
Another massage place. come on!!
I’ll second tass’s comment. The chains don’t pay the therapists what they could make elsewhere (also a lot of risk though). Many of the current places are locally-owned and run, many of those are sole-proprieterships or partnerships. And it’s a tough business to become successful in. My wife did it for a couple years, built a small but loyal following…but nowhere near enough to create a sustainable, substantial income from that alone. Having what equates to a McDonald’s or Walmart in the massage therapy field move in will only serve to further undercut the local businesses that are here.
And seeing that the tuition costs to qualify for state certification usually runs around $10,000…plus the examinations, follow-up CEU’s, and professional fees and insurance costs…it’s not a cheap field to break in to. Plus, most therapists can realistically only see 2-3 clients a day to avoid physically stress-related injuries like carpal tunnel. So unless they work at other tasks for the chain, the $10-20 per session they’d likely pocket won’t come close to being enough income to live on…unless they expect them to do 2-3 times the suggeszted number of sessions per day, which will cause burnout and injury to the therapists. But someone running their own business can see a handful of clients in a day and still make enough to cover their overhead and take home a decent amount after expenses. And, the deals they cut for other therapists to utilize the space (i.e. third-party contractors instead of employees) are far more lucrative for the therapists than being employed by a chain, and also give a decent income stream to the business owner whose name is on the lease.
I have been trying to get Bananna Reublic to come to Roanoke for years. I got excited last fall when I heard from a good source at Valley View that they were looking and had signed a letter of intent to come. So far nothing but I keep hearing rumors that thet are coming. Can you Amanda check with the company and see if they have Roanoke on there radar?? I know a lot of people would love them here!
@Chris: I’ll check with them.
I agree with the comments that favor locally-owned and operated businesses. Business chains are largely predators that suck money out of local communities rather than put it back in. The workers get paid as little as the owners can get away with. Why should anyone spend half a million bucks on something like this when they can set up their own local business for a fraction of that?
As a local small business owner in the field of massage I am slightly disappointed at the prospect of Massage Envy coming to Roanoke. The area already has a wealth of highly skilled therapists who truly care about their craft. Most of us are willing to go the extra mile because our hearts are in it. I agree with Other John above, it’s a hard field to make a living in… Most therapists charge around the same rates as each other… But having someone come into the area and undercutting is daunting. It’s unfortunate that there is the possibility of a franchise coming in and undermining the therapists that are just barely making a go of it, or are in the building phase and will have to compete with Massage Envy. I understand this happens in all areas of business; it’s just hard to see happen in one that requires such a commitment to care and to healing. It’s hard to see that turned corporate.
Keeping hearing rumors that a Kohls may be coming to 1st & Main in Blacksburg, any word if this or the Dunkin Dounts/Market Fresh (?) rumor is true? Or have you heard anything about something new coming to that development. It needs it.
@Kellie: I’m past due to check up on First and Main so I am glad you asked. If I learn anything I’ll post it to the blog.
I sympathize with the current massage practicioners, but obviously many other businesses have to compete with national chains. I’ve never had a massage myself. I don’t really feel that I have muscle tension that needs to be alleviated. Also, to be frank, the sometimes unseemly reputation of massage establishments is also a turn off. For one, I’d be more comfortable going to a place like Massage Envy which I’d be more comfortable is a legitimate business. Assuming others have similar perspectives, the arrival of Massage Envy could allow persons to become acquainted with massage and then eventually seek out more skilled local alternatives.