How Elements Massage Chief Wellness Officer Brings a Progressive Vision to the Brand

In 2006, the Elements Massage concept was started by a massage therapist to focus on helping clients feel better. Today, the brand continues to provide a world-class experience for all Elements Massage studio members and massage therapists. In 2018, the brand made an important step in its progressive mission by appointing Eric Stephenson as Chief Wellness Officer.

“Elements Massage is the first national massage franchise brand to create the role of Chief Wellness Officer,” says Jeremy Morgan, CEO of WellBiz Brands, Inc. “We created this position to demonstrate our commitment to building an industry-leading culture, and we’re thrilled that Eric has joined our team. As a licensed massage therapist, Eric’s industry experience will be invaluable as we continue to grow the Elements Massage brand.”

With over 20-years of experience in the industry, Stephenson is focused on creating best-in-class experiences for Elements Massage clients and teams. He has been instrumental in the industry in positioning massage as a viable career path worldwide, including emerging countries such as India, where he was recently a keynote presenter at the Health Professions of India Conference.

“I like to say that I am a recovering musician—I spent 28 years of my life traveling with four other guys playing rock music and trying to be the next big thing,” said Eric Stephenson. “During that time, I learned about group dynamics and how to create an environment where people can get along. In 1998 I went to school to become a massage therapist and eventually ended up teaching massage nationally. From there I became a consultant for the Elements Massage brand in 2009.”

In 2018 the former Elements Therapeutic Massage CEO approached Stephenson and offered him the Chief Wellness Officer position. “As soon as I heard the title, I knew it was my dream job—combining my 21 years in the wellness industry with my creative background as a musician in order to promote mental health for people all over the country.”

While massage services benefit all ages and demographics, an increased focus on health and wellness by the nation’s prime demographic, the millennial consumer, has translated into a growing demand for the benefits of massage therapy. “Research shows that massage can be an integral piece of one’s wellness regimen—alongside diet and exercise,” says Stephenson. “It is my mission to enlighten and educate others on all the positive impacts massage can have on daily lives.”

In terms of the brand’s consumer offering, Stephenson says that 25% of his role is innovation. In 2018, Elements Massage was the first massage franchise to offer Himalayan Salt Stone massage therapy services. In May 2019, it was the first massage franchise to offer exclusive hemp-infused therapeutic massage services with CBD Herbal Ritual™. Stephenson’s role is to stay ahead of wellness trends to ensure that the Elements Massage brand brings something new to the industry.

“Stress may be the culprit for a variety of mental, emotional and physical health effects including headaches, insomnia, obesity and stomach issues,” said Stephenson. “Stress hormones trigger your body’s fight or flight response, causing your heart rate to elevate and your breath to shorten and quicken, along with an overall contraction of your muscular system. If this stress stays heightened, the response continues and can be problematic for all of the body’s major systems. Anxiety and depression can be triggered by stressful events of an acute or chronic nature.”

In addition to massage, Stephenson points to diet and exercise as powerful tools to help reduce stress. Other activities include meditation, yoga or sitting and listening to a relaxing piece of music will help to reduce stress.

“Another one of the brand’s service enhancements is the AromaRitual®, using essential oils to affect the olfactory (smell) system to stimulate the client's relaxation response,” said Stephenson. “There’s purposeful space in this massage where the practitioner is completely present with the client but not directly stimulating their musculoskeletal system. This allows a client to integrate the input coming into their nervous system and hopefully, encourage their body to move back towards balance or what we would call homeostasis.”

As the Chief Wellness Officer, Stephenson has also prioritized professional development for Elements Massage studio’s massage therapists, increasing value for clients. “We work very hard to differentiate the Elements Massage franchise opportunity from the competitors in the massage segment. We were started by a massage therapist, and our culture was founded on that singular therapeutic massage focus. I work with our learning and development team to put together meaningful career advancement tools for franchisee’s massage therapists.”

In 2019, Stephenson helped launch the Elements Massage therapist online university to promote the advancement and development of the massage therapists, both professionally and personally. The massage therapists develop intrapersonal skills to create a more successful workplace as well as stronger therapeutic relationships between the client and the therapist.

Prioritizing massage therapists’ expertise and professional development allows the Elements Massage brand’s practitioners to feel truly valued and satisfied in their positions. Therapist satisfaction may contribute to higher retention rates, smoother operations for franchisees and better customer experiences for loyal members. Stephenson also runs workshops on creating a drama-free work environment for studio owners.

“At the Elements Massage brand, we are passionate about helping people,” said Stephenson. “As CWO, my job is founded on creating a safe and trustworthy massage experience for the client, massage therapist and franchisee.”

For more information on franchising opportunities with Elements Massage, please visit https://elementsfranchise.com/our-brand/. 

Elements Therapeutic Massage, LLC. 9780 S. Meridian Blvd, Suite 400 Englewood, CO 80112

This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only. Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. If you are a resident of one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction. MN File No. F-5517. This advertisement is not an offering. An offering can only be made by a prospectus filed first with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Such filing does not constitute approval by the Department of Law. Each Elements Massage® studio is independently owned and operated.  Elements Massage® is a registered trademark of Elements Therapeutic Massage, LLC.