The Elements Massage Brand Remains Focused on Franchisee Support and Maintaining Membership Base During Difficult Time

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the day-to-day lives of many consumers and prevented them from enjoying their usual activities. As customers anticipate businesses reopening, many are asking: When can I get a massage again?

No one has a definitive answer, but that doesn’t mean the Elements Massage® brand isn’t staying on top of its game. The health and wellness franchise is working hard to support franchisees during this difficult time and assessing how pent-up customer demand will be met when the crisis is over.

The brand has two things going for it that will help: a solid membership model and the support of parent company WellBiz Brands Inc., which also oversees the health and beauty concepts Fitness Together® and Amazing Lash Studio®. Not only do these two factors help from a consumer retention standpoint, but they’ll also help make the Elements Massage franchise opportunity more attractive than ever. The solid infrastructure helps with everything from marketing efforts to massage therapist recruitment and retention.

“The trends of years prior have shown that economic downturns and recessions lead to a greater demand for franchise opportunities,” Senior Director of Development Lauren Wanamaker said. “I don’t see any difference here. The types of industries that will excel may be different from what they were in the past. All three of our business concepts are people-focused ,and having that infrastructure in place to attract and retain teams could be one of the silver linings of all that is happening right now.”

In terms of current support for franchisees, the brand is focused on helping Elements Massage franchisees understand the economic situation in their specific markets and making sure they have the resources they need. This help includes providing rent relief resources and tools and templates for reaching out to landlords, as well as for navigating the CARES Act and the SBA relief loan program. The brand is also holding regular webinars and reaching out to individual franchisees.

“Our first step was to figure out what to provide franchisees in terms of navigating their market,” Wanamaker said. “Every market and every state is handling this pandemic differently, so we want to make sure we provide franchisees with the right tools. The primary focus  right now is helping them get through this time.”

That said, the Elements Massage brand is also focused on the future and on what the business will look like on the other side of COVID-19. One thing is for sure: There is pent-up demand for massage services, especially during this stressful time, and loyal customers keep the leadership team and franchise system optimistic about the future. The leadership team attributes this high level of customer loyalty to engaged franchisees who have a pulse on their business and interact with their customers. Customers appreciate the fact that the business they patronize has such a human touch.

“It’s been really refreshing to see so many members in all three of our concepts really step up and say ‘Please don’t freeze my membership. I want to continue supporting you,’” Wanamaker said. “They insist on using their appointments at a later time.”

In order to survive this COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic downturn, the Elements Massage brand knows it will need to be flexible. The brand is already leaning in that direction and has started by offering virtual training for new franchisees, which the brand plans to continue even when everything is back to normal. The brand is also reevaluating its membership model and thinking of ways in which it can provide even more flexibility to members.

“As studios reopen across all brands, we will need to be flexible in terms of what membership looks like going forward and be responsive to what consumer demand looks like on the other side of this,” Wanamaker said. “That’s why it’s more important than ever to work with a franchisor who has a solid support infrastructure in place and who can help franchisees be nimble and flexible. Alternative membership and package options will be key to coming out of this pandemic with loyal members again.”

By providing top-notch franchisee support, capitalizing on its membership model and focusing on health and wellness, the Elements Massage brand proves itself as a franchise system and a business that can remain steady in any economic climate.

With a single-unit investment range between $251,950 and $491,350*, the Elements Massage® franchise was recently named one of the Top 10 Best Franchises to Buy in the medium investment category by Forbes® magazine. To learn more, visit https://elementsfranchise.com.

*As stated in the March 30, 2020 Franchise Disclosure Document. 

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. THESE FRANCHISES HAVE BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE FRANCHISE INVESTMENT LAW OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.  SUCH REGISTRATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE APPROVAL, RECOMMENDATION OR ENDORSEMENT BY THE COMMISSIONER OF CORPORATIONS NOR A FINDING BY THE COMMISSIONER THAT THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HEREIN IS TRUE, COMPLETE AND NOT MISLEADING.  Each Elements Massage® studio is independently owned and operated.  Elements Massage®, and Elements Massage + design are registered trademarks of Elements Therapeutic Massage, LLC.