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  • Report:  #304005

Complaint Review: Massage Envy

Massage Envy Exploitation of Massage Therapists Francises All Over The Country Arizona

  • Reported By:
    — anonymous Other
  • Submitted:
    Mon, January 28, 2008
  • Updated:
    Sun, December 05, 2010
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: It's not just the MT's getting the short end of the stick... *Consumer Comment: It's a business *UPDATE EX-employee responds: It's a business, but an UNETHICAL one.

Massage Envy is a franchise chain that is popping up all across the country. If you are a massage therapist DO NOT WORK for this franchise. They will use you up and spit you out when you are injured and just hire another Massage Therapist usually right out of school. They have been making promises to their employees since it started in Arizona 5 years ago and has not changed a bit. They say they pay $15 per massage but, if you worked 8 hours a day and only saw 1 or 2 clients. What did you really make that day? There is no sick, vacation or holiday pay. They pay you the same $15 per massage for Deep Tissue, Prenatal, Reflexology, and Swedish. They flood there clinics with Massage Therapist who are suppose to wait around for clients that day with no hourly wage for their time and do not pay you for no shows. Or they tell you that in a 2 week period you will get minimum wage or $15 per massage, whichever is higher. This company made over 90 million dollars in 2007!!! This is corporate greed pure and simple. If you are a member and you want to cancel your membership you can forget it. It is very hard to get your money back, if not impossible. If you do not believe what I am saying there is a site called INDEED.COM just look in their forums about Massage Envy and see for yourself. There is no company on that site that has more complaints and with good reason.

Massage therapist
anonymous
U.S.A.

3 Updates & Rebuttals

Matt

San Diego,
California,
USA

It's a business, but an UNETHICAL one.

#4UPDATE EX-employee responds

Sun, December 05, 2010

"what company ISN'T about money?????? Every single company out there is out to get PAID. If someone is working in the store because they love to help people, then of course that is a bonus. While that is how iti should be, this is real life, and business are here to do just that........business."


On the contrary, most successful businesses were started by someone doing what they loved, who were out to offer a service at a respectable price, operateethically, and treat their employees well.  




If a company fails in one of these respects, it often fails financially too, because eventually no one wants their so-called "service" any more.  If it doesn't fail, it usually has a stigma to it, i.e. Massage Envy is known as the "McDonalds of Massage" - guess what, McDonalds is known for being cheap, and for paying their employees minimum wage.



I don't really have an issue with Massage Envy's prices, just the wages they pay their therapists.  Prices are determined by region, and whether you're a member or not.  $60-40/1"hour" for members I think is ok, or if you're a non-member $100 (seems a bit much to me).  What's NOT ok about the wages is the therapist only getting $15 of that $60, or even $100 (still the same $15 even if the client has to pay $100).  Getting paid $15 per hour of massage drastically undervalues the work we do.  And it's $15 
PER HOUR OF MASSAGE,
 not per hour.  If you're not doing a massage, you're not getting paid.  Oh, excuse me, you're guaranteed at least minimum wage.  Hypothetically, if your shift were 2 hours long, and (here in California, minimum wage is $8) if you do one 1 "hour" massage, you'd only get $1 more for your second hour. 








There is a reason why therapists that have been practicing for 5+ years only do 3 to 4 clients a day - its what they can handle without sacrificing their own health or the quality of their massage.  And that is why a massage costs $60+ an hour ... 



and the therapist should be getting AT LEAST $30 per hour of it, plus tip, PLUS a minimum wage (or more) per hour on the clock not doing massage.




If you want to see a company "out to get PAID" watch the movies Boiler Room or Wallstreet.  Those actually compare to Massage Envy pretty well...their are unscrupulous dealings going on behind the scenes.  





http://www.ripoffreport.com/massage-parlor/massage-envy/massage-envy-controling-admin-87e7e.htm



The clinic admin. got mad because I wanted to follow the law and I also care about the clients well being. After requesting a client in remission for cancer to obtain a doctors release for the file I was scolded and told it was not my place but hers to decide that so she could get another therapist to give the massage. This is all about the money and not about protecting the massage therapists license or about the well being of the client.My morals and ethics wont allow me to work there. To me thats like knowing someone is allergic to seafood but they might have a severe allergic reaction, but I really do need the money.  What a crock. I strongly suggest that no one put themselves in danger and go elsewhere so a good and professional therapist can take good care of you.







"I am sure if people read the fine print, they are going to find out what they are getting into."



You sound like you have great ethics, just the kind of person that a Massage Envy owner would like to have working for them.  



"If I can just trick them into signing this piece of paper, I can take their money legally, and they can't stop me!!!!  What a perfect evil plan I have devised!!  Hmhmhmhm hehehehehohoahaha MUWAAHAHAHAHAHA AHAHAAHAAHAHA!!!!!!!!  Ha Ha Ha, they signed!!"




http://www.ripoffreport.com/Massage-Therapists/Massage-Envy/massage-envy-exploitation-of-m-fy7c6.htm:



The pressure to sell memberships under false pretenses was ridiculous and, when we weren't able to sell someone on a membership, it was not only our "fault" for not selling hard enough but it was also the MT's (Massage Therapist) fault for not giving a better massage and not talking up the program while walking the client out to the counter! The FDA's (Front Desk Associates) in our clinic were expected to sell memberships to 80% of ALL new clients DAILY!


When these goals weren't met, the FDA's, MT's, and ACA's (Assistant Clinic Administrators, i.e. assistant managers) got lectures, some were suspended, and the CA's (Clinic Administrator, i.e. manager) got their a***** handed to them. Our owner actually put in "spy cams" so we could be watched remotely to see if we were all "making hard sales" and what we were doing to "overcome" the "problem sales."








Massage Envy is a TYRANT that is exploiting massage therapists everywhere while bringing down the quality and respectability of our entire industry by making it CHEAP in every way. 

John Leonesio, CEO and Founder of Massage Envy, says his mission is to offer massage therapy at a rate affordable to the "average" person. He's making **millions** at the expense of not just *thousands* of massage therapists but the entire industry as well. 







The bottom line:  

Don't work there, don't go there, and certainly don't become a member there. 



Go to a local therapist, not a McMassage Envy Mill. 

Report Attachments:

Silverwaves

Taneytown,
Maryland,
U.S.A.

It's a business

#4Consumer Comment

Wed, March 25, 2009

I have a parent who works for ME and happens to love it. And in regards to your comment, "It's all about money there, not about healing", what company ISN'T about money?????? Every single company out there is out to get PAID. If someone is working in the store because they love to help people, then of course that is a bonus. While that is how iti should be, this is real life, and business are here to do just that........business.

As far as membership repayment, I know nothing about it because I have never signed up there. However, I am sure if people read the fine print, they are going to find out what they are getting into. Sadly, many people fail to do that today.

Anonymous

Manchester,
Connecticut,
U.S.A.

It's not just the MT's getting the short end of the stick...

#4UPDATE EX-employee responds

Wed, February 06, 2008

As a former FDA/CA I can assure you it's not just the MT's that are getting nothing like what they were promised in the beginning. I worked with ME for about 3-4 months, was made ACA within days of being hired (because I was one of the few that was over 21, didn't text on my cell phone behind the counter all day, and showed up for work on time), and was promised all sorts of bonuses and incentives. Some of those incentives were directly related to making sure that the MT's had full schedules even if that meant removing or eliminating breaks between clients!!!

The pressure to sell memberships under false pretenses was ridiculous and, when we weren't able to see someone on a membership, it was not only our "faults" for not selling hard enough but it was also the MT's fault for not giving a better massage and not talking up the program while walking the client out to the counter! The FDA's in our clinic were expected to see not only memberships to 80% of all new clients DAILY but to also sell "spa products" to them as well (which, had we ever been trained on them might have been possible but not everyone working as an FDA is an esthetician in their spare time).

When these goals weren't met, the FDA's and MT's got lectures, some were suspended, and the CA's got their a***** handed to them. Our own actually put in "spy cams" so we could be watched remotely to see if we were all "making hard sales" and what we were doing to over come the problem sales.

It's all about money there, not about healing.

If you're someone who wants to work in the health and wellness industry, specifically in the field of bodywork, stay away from ME and work with a medical facility or spa. You'll be far better off whether you're an MT, energy worker or administrative employee.

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