Massage Therapy Industry Fact Sheet

Who is Getting Massage? 

Gender, parental status and income affect the likelihood of massage use.

Women are more likely to receive massage than men. Of those surveyed, 1 in 4 women received a massage within the last year versus 1 in 5 men.

Consumers with children under the age of 18 at home are 10% more likely to get a massage than those without children at home.

The higher the household income, the more likely consumers are to get a massage. While 33% of those making $100,000 or more got a massage last year, only 17% of those making $50,000 or less got a massage.

Why Are Consumers Getting Massage?

Health, wellness, and mental health are the primary reasons people get massage.

In the last 12 months, 62% of individuals received massage for health and wellness conditions; the top conditions that led consumers to get massage were soreness/stiffness/spasm (35%) and chronic pain relief and management (20%).

The main mental health conditions leading consumers to get massage in the last year were relaxation and stress reduction (59%) and mental health reasons (48%).

Which Healthcare Providers Are Referring Consumers for Massage?

Massage therapy's growing role in healthcare has led to more referrals 

The majority of massage therapists receive referrals from other massage therapists (75%).

Other top referral sources are other healthcare professionals (68%) and chiropractic offices (62%).

Download the 2025 Fact Sheet

Understanding your clients and the massage profession better can help you grow your practice. See all of these insights by downloading the complete fact sheet, based on AMTA's Massage Profession Research Report.

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