Are you stuck inside of the chain membership trap? Do you have an abundance of massage credits yet can never seem to schedule an appointment? Would you like to terminate your membership, but are afraid of losing the money you have invested into your membership? If you have answered yes to these questions you are caught in the chain membership trap.
I believe the circumstance you are facing is a trap created by the chains to keep you engaged with the sunk cost fallacy.
Depending on the state you live in there are various regulations that govern how massage businesses function. These can be found if you search for the Board of Therapeutic Massage, and your state. Other search terms may include “Massage Regulations”.
I am not an attorney, but many of the regulations include something like: “A licensee shall conduct business with honesty and integrity” or it may even state the business must “Advertise massage therapy services or instruction that is accurate and free of deception“.
These may be details you could present to an attorney when discussing your issue. I believe there is a reasonable expectation to have the ability to schedule and receive a massage each month when you are paying monthly to receive a massage.
If they do not have enough availability to schedule any appointments for existing members, are they still booking appointments with new customers? If they do not have enough massage therapists to meet the monthly demand of their current members, are they selling new memberships? If they are, how is that fair to the public?
The purpose of the board of therapeutic massage is to protect the public. This is why I think they are probably the first people you would want to talk to. At first they might not do more than investigate the issue, but if enough people complain they will have to invest more time and resources into the issue.
The Sunk Cost Fallacy and Chain Membership Trap
What is the sunk cost fallacy?
“The Sunk Cost Fallacy describes our tendency to follow through on an endeavor if we have already invested time, effort, or money into it, whether or not the current costs outweigh the benefits.”
–Decision Lab
In the context of your massage membership, you will typically accrue one massage a month, and if they are unused each credit will roll over to the next month. These credits will remain available as long as your membership remains current. If you choose to cancel your membership all of your banked massages will be lost. Your fear of losing the money you have invested in the membership prevents you from canceling, leading you to pay more to protect what you have already paid for.
I believe it is a reasonable expectation for every client to believe they would have the ability to schedule and receive one massage each month.
Due to the labor shortage most cannot get in for a massage each month. Even though the chains cannot meet the demand of their current customers they continue to sell memberships. If they cannot accommodate their current customer base, why are they compounding the problem with memberships? How many massage therapists would the leading massage chain need to meet the demand of their membership customers each month?
The chains present their labor shortage as a new problem, but it is not. A lack of licensed massage therapists has been an issue for a considerable period of time (pre-2020). Learn more about the estimated number of massage therapists in the United States.
I believe the sunk cost fallacy is the customer retention model of the chains. The massage chains are not in the business of selling massages, they are in the business of selling memberships.
They will remain in operation as long as they can present the appearance of serving as a massage business. Once these facilities fall below the minimum number of massage therapists required to operate they must close their doors and redistribute their membership base to other franchise locations.
We Need to Help Consumers Escape the Chain Membership Trap
Whether we like it not, the chains are the face of the massage industry. People who have never performed a massage are making decisions that dictate the direction of our profession. The business decisions of these massive organizations are reducing the confidence and trust the public has for our industry. The experience of a massage should be magnificent, the public shouldn’t feel indebted to it. They shouldn’t experience fear and regret when they think about massage. Those who are able to break free from the chain massage membership trap might never seek out the services of a massage therapist again out of fear of being pulled into another membership. Those who do seek a massage may fall into the dark pit of a BDAMB and be treated or touched inappropriately. As massage therapists we have a responsibility to the public, they are unaware of the pits and traps of our industry. We must come together to help them on their wellness journey. We are their lantern bearer and we need to illuminating their path to peace.
What can Consumers do?
This is something I am still exploring. The first two ideas that come to mind is to seek out the advice of an attorney. The second is to reach out the Board of Therapeutic massage in their state. If the public draws enough attention to this problem, we can work together to protect the public, our industry, and its practitioners.
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney, and I do not offer any legal advice. Please consult with a lawyer if you require answers to any legal questions or need advice.
