Massage Growing In Popularity

One of my friends remembers telling her mom she wanted to go to massage school in the 1980s. Her mom wept. She thought her college-educated daughter was giving up public relations for prostitution. Things are different these days, as shown by national consumer research released by Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) in Evergreen, Colorado. A full 33.6 million American adults aged 21 or older received at least one massage in 2006, up nearly 9 million people from the 2004 level. That means one in six Americans -- 16% -- got a massage last year.

Women are still the primary customers, but the market for men is growing faster. Thirteen percent of adult males reported getting a massage in 2006, compared with just 8% in 2004 -- an increase of 5.3 million men. And maybe my mom's friend wouldn't cry these days. Ninety-four percent of Americans express favorable feelings toward massage therapists -- 69% very favorable.