BY KRISTINE HUFFMAN

Throughout 2023 , Pulse will feature interviews with experienced practitioners whose insights about spa specialties will help facility leaders to recruit , engage and retain staff members .

Kristine Huffman for Pulse : The industry seems to be really struggling

with therapist recruitment . Do you experience that too ? CG Funk : We have about a thousand massage programs in the United States today , so we have enough

schools . What we don ’ t have is enough students . I think that ’ s mainly because we have not marketed and promoted it as a 21st-century career . When people think about massage as a job , folks still think about it as kind of a hippie thing . We ’ ve done an amazing job in the spa industry of promoting the benefits of our services to consumers . We have more consumers than ever before . And after Covid , it ’ s grown exponentially . But what we haven ’ t done is change the mindset what a massage career is . I also believe , as an industry , we are falling short on helping massage therapists create sustainable , long-term careers .

We haven ’ t approached this thing as a marketing and PR issue . The school I worked with had this ace marketing officer and he created an all-inclusive marketing campaign . We had ads running on radio , latenight television , print and social . We started the first online admissions department . The marketing was so strong that it pushed thousands of students to our campuses on an annual basis . I haven ’ t seen a strong campaign since then .

Pulse : What can owners or operators do to help schools to create a pipeline for students ? CGF : Because a spa may understand marketing and PR better than the schools , they can partner with schools to create better outreach initiatives . Having lunch-and-learn days to support the admissions efforts . Talking to prospective students . Having students come to their spas to tour when they ’ re still students . Doing classroom presentations . Offering financial support via student scholarships . For example , Massage Heights had a student scholarship contest this year and selected massage students who received $ 5,000 in financial aid .

Pulse : It seems to me there ’ s sometimes a perception that if you work for an organization , versus a private practice , it ’ s not a good place to be . How do you help create positive work cultures in your franchise locations ? What ’ s your advice for owners and operators to help that effort ? CGF : The first thing is to understand that massage therapists are not one category but rather are very diverse , much like any other workplace . Massage therapists come from all walks of life , varied experiences , demographics , ethnicities , interests , skill sets and life situations . Their needs are not a one-size-fits-all .

Second , recognize that the people working in the back-

40 PULSE n JULY 2023