through 2020: · The AMTA Consumer Survey was commissioned by AMTA to poll American adults on their use of massage therapy. See appendix for a change in methodology on the most recent survey. · The AMTA Industry Survey asked working massage therapists about everything from compensation, to hours, to type of work environment. · The AMTA Technology Survey obtained input from massage therapists about their use of technology for individual and professional purposes. · The AMTA Massage School Survey acquired feedback from massage school administrators about students, faculty, programs offered, and more. This report provides timely and relevant data on the state of the massage profession, including the impact of COVID-19 on the profession, compiled from the results of these surveys and supplemented by U.S. government statistics and information found in industry and/or business publications. For methodology and confidence intervals of these surveys, see the Appendix. AMTA is pleased to conduct the research detailed above, compile the results, and provide this report for the betterment of the entire massage profession. We’d love to hear from you. Let’s work together to inspire the next generation of massage therapists. If you have suggestions or need additional information, please contact us anytime at research@amtamassage.org. 2 Executive Summary During 2020 and into 2021, the massage profession had been dealing with the impact of COVID-19. This health crisis has led to major changes with massage schools, employers, massage practitioners, and consumers. This report will investigate the impact of COVID-19 on different areas of the profession, as well as provide information on standard metrics that are reported each year. Here is a summary of key findings for each section of this report. Consumers of Massage Therapy Twenty-one percent of American adults received a massage in the past 12 months ending June 2020, with the average massage consumer getting 3.5 massages during this time period. COVID-19 has had an impact on consumer use of massage. Forty-nine percent of massage consumers stated that they have had to cancel their plans or appointments for massage because of COVID-19. Of consumers that have ever gotten a massage, 92% expect to get a massage in the future, with most expecting to get a massage within the next year. Consumers continued to believe in the efficacy of massage as 92% considered massage to be effective in reducing pain and 93% believed massage can be beneficial to health and wellness. The primary reason consumers obtained massage continued to be for health and wellness purposes, or for stress relief. Sixty-three percent of massage consumers had a massage in 2020 for health or wellness reasons. Of these, 49% had their last massage for a health or wellness reason. Forty-five percent of massage consumers got a massage for relaxation/stress in 2020, with 27% getting their last massage for this reason. The Massage Therapy Profession Because of COVID-19, 86% of massage therapists ceased practicing at some point in 2020. This was especially prevalent in March and April of 2020, as most of the states implemented restrictions on businesses, including massage therapy. As restrictions have loosened, during November of 2020, upwards of 79% of therapists reported that they were back to work. Note that there are vast differences in the percent of therapists working depending on the city or state in which a therapist practices. On average, therapists are seeing a 35% decline in the number of clients they see in an average week. Between 2019 and 2020, the estimated number of massage therapists grew by less than 1% to 363,155. The number of massage therapists increased 19% over the past ten years. It is likely that the number of therapists may decline in the coming year as the number of new 3 graduates coming out of massage schools are down, as many schools were closed for some time in 2020. Most massage therapists identify as a sole practitioner at least part of the time (72%), are female (88%), had a different profession prior to becoming a therapist (83%), and had formal education beyond a high school diploma (90%). Health Care and the Massage Industry The health care industry continued to offer employment opportunities for massage therapists in a variety of settings. The health care industry is projected to become the largest employment sector in the coming years, with nearly one in four new jobs occurring in healthcare. Massage therapists supported the integration of massage into health care, with 95% believing massage should be integrated with health care. But, how that integration looks varied greatly. The two most prevalent ways therapists preferred to see health care integration was by having massage therapists work on a team with other complementary practitioners, or by having massage prescribed or referred by health care providers. Eighty-three percent of Americans believed that massage should be considered a form of health care, up from prior years. Consumers are talking with their health care providers about massage, and those providers are recommending massage to their patients, especially physicians, physical therapists and chiropractors. Pain relief/pain management, soreness/stiffness/spasms, and