The Alpha School of Massage, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, is addressing the problem of fewer-than-needed massage therapy school graduates by offering a franchise model of its successful educational program.
There are not enough massage therapy school graduates to meet the demand for massage therapy in the U.S. The labor shortage in the massage and spa industry has resulted in more than 21,000 massage therapist job vacancies at spas alone, according to ISPA.
The number of massage-school graduates began falling before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic exacerbated the problem as massage therapy schools, along with practices, shut down for many months beginning in 2020. When the shutdowns were mandated, many school owners retired or changed careers. The number of massage schools currently hovers around 700, a 23{6b2fa08d5993bc7e76ffaca7a3a295e96a3274ffb0576a302ceddffe26335ebd} decrease from the 915 schools operating in 2021.
Yet, ironically, the pandemic resulted in more people understanding the importance of self-care, hungry for healthy touch after the long period of isolation, and realizing the benefit of massage for relief from depression and anxiety—all of which have driven up the demand for massage.
The Massage Therapy School Franchise Model
The Alpha School of Massage’s owner, Adam Driggers, spoke with MASSAGE Magazine via video call to explain his school’s educational program and how his school’s franchise program can become a conduit that flows graduates from schools into open jobs. (This interview was lightly edited for flow and length.)
The Alpha School of Massage is a family operation, with five campuses throughout Florida and Georgia: with Adam Driggers’ father, Ed Driggers, serving as an instructor at the school, having graduated from the school in 1996; Adam Driggers’ wife, Jamie Rhoden Driggers, serving as treasurer; and sons Chris and Adison, serving, respectively, as enrollment officer and operations manager.
Karen Menehan: Why does the massage field need a franchised massage-program model right now?
Adam Driggers: The idea was for us to create something that would help people fix their biggest problem—and right now in our industry, the biggest problem is lack of massage therapists. That problem is actually growing. It’s not getting better yet.
What we are trying to do with the franchise is reach out to the spa owners who are hurting. We know there’s a lot of them because we constantly get requests to come recruit students and come talk to students or be put on a job board, because they’re really looking for therapists. They need them badly.
The franchise endeavor is brand-new. We’re only so big, and we’re getting to the point where we’re just not able to continue to open our own campuses—so this franchise opportunity will allow people to take our model that has been successful and open it for themselves with our help.
KM: Who are the people wanting to know more about your franchise program?
AD: They are therapists, who might own their own smaller or one-off spa, or they might own a franchise, and there are some bigger franchise employers.
KM: In looking at Alpha School’s program, I saw you have a digital format featuring in-depth videos. Is this a hybrid program, with some courses online and some live?
AD: All of the hands-on massage theory and all of the massage modalities are taught live. We fully believe in that. We don’t think massage education should ever be 100{6b2fa08d5993bc7e76ffaca7a3a295e96a3274ffb0576a302ceddffe26335ebd} online. It will not do the industry any good for that to happen.
Online courses are on topics like anatomy and physiology, some massage theory, laws and ethics. The students can still learn very well. Alpha School’s MBLEx pass rate has increased by over 10{6b2fa08d5993bc7e76ffaca7a3a295e96a3274ffb0576a302ceddffe26335ebd} so far this year since going 100{6b2fa08d5993bc7e76ffaca7a3a295e96a3274ffb0576a302ceddffe26335ebd} online for those subjects.
What we have been finding is that with a broader acceptance of online education, we will draw more people into the industry. We’re seeing that at Alpha. Our enrollment is up because online education makes massage school easier to attend.
KM: The massage therapy field attracts many people who want to work as independent practitioners in their own business. Does your school curriculum include business training?
AD: Yes, it does. Things like zoning issues, and business license issues, and what license you need to have to operate on your own.
KM: In addition to helping employers connect with massage school graduates, how does Alpha School of Massage assist with the franchise model?
AD: We help you advertise based on the data that we’ve gained over the years. We walk you through the regulatory process. We become the experts in your state, even if we’re not in your state already.
We learn the rules from the Department of Education. We learn the board of massage rules. Then we continually follow those rules to make sure we’re adjusting to any changes that might happen in your state. We’re the ones doing all of that.
We carry the burden of regulatory compliance for you, because that really is the difficult part of owning a massage school—making sure you’re in compliance with all the regulatory boards, and they’re different from state to state.
KM: What if regulations in a state change? How would you respond to that?
AD: Our curriculum is a living curriculum. In other words, we can change it. If your state goes from 500 to 650 hours, we can adjust to that. We can take a 500-hour program and turn it into a 650-hour program or a 700-hour program, even a 1,000-hour program.
KM: When you think about the twin challenges in the massage field—an increased demand for massage and a lack of new graduates—what is your vision for what franchising can ultimately do for the massage industry?
AD: Our idea is, “Here is a successful program, and we can help you reproduce this in your area.” We have years of data for advertising, for recruiting. We have years of experience learning what does work and what doesn’t work. We’re putting all of that experience into our program.
We’re basically saying, “Instead of trying to figure this out on your own, here is a system that works, and we can help you put this in place and help you become the answer to your own problem.”
About the Author
Karen Menehan is MASSAGE Magazine’s editor in chief–print and digital. Her articles for this publication include “This is How Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Practices Make Business Better,” one of the articles in the August 2021 issue of MASSAGE Magazine, a first-place winner of the national 2022 Folio Eddies Award for editorial excellence.