Starting a massage therapy business is an excellent idea. Health and wellness are massive trends. The $2 trillion global wellness market has never been valued so high as millennials and Gen Z lead the charge with their matchas and red light therapy masks. Younger consumers have started to conceptualize wellness in new ways, and wellness is showing up in new places.
McKinsey & Company estimates wellness is an industry growing at 4 to 5% annually, and we think that of them all, one trend that will never die is a love for a massage. It’s a complete sense of relaxation. But as the masseuse and business owner, that relaxation goes out the window if you don’t have the correct levels of protection and something goes wrong.
Read on to find out more.
How a Massage Business Can Go Wrong
Massage therapy feels low risk compared to some other industries. Still, things can and do go wrong.
Clients can suffer an injury if you use the wrong pressure or if a pre-existing medical condition is aggravated. And if you aggravate a pre-existing medical condition without asking your clients to sign a waiver stating their medical history, it’s your issue. They could claim your treatment caused long-term pain.
That’s the main risk. As a client, you think a massage is a holistic treatment that your aching, poor-postured back needs. As a business owner, the risk of injury is high if you’re not correctly trained or don’t follow the correct protocols for identifying risks and medical history; then the massage experience is far from relaxing.
There’s also the business side:
- Floods or fires could destroy your equipment.
- Equipment thefts
- Small accidents and incidents
- An injury to yourself that prevents you from working
The Business Protection Requirements
Insurance is the best way to protect yourself. We’ll cover what we think are essential policies.
Commercial Insurance
Commercial insurance is a broad category that can protect your business from everyday operational risks. This can include everything from accidents to damage to your property. Commercial insurance can also include protection for business interruptions.
Professional Liability Insurance
This is one of the most important types of cover for massage therapists. Professional liability insurance, sometimes called malpractice insurance, protects you if a client claims you caused them injury or harm during a treatment.
Even the most skilled therapists can face complaints. Your client can file a claim even if you’ve followed the best practices, but they leave with unexpected pain.
Tools and Equipment Insurance
Your massage table, oils, towels, and other tools are essential to your work. If something happens to them, you can’t operate. Tools and equipment insurance covers the cost of repair or replacement. This includes damage from accidents, theft, or unexpected events like water leaks.
For mobile massage therapists, this cover is even more important. Your tools travel with you and are at higher risk of being lost or stolen. Make sure your policy covers items both at your home base and on the move.
Commercial Property Insurance (if applicable)
Well, we’d argue it is always applicable. Whether you’re working from an outhouse in your garden (so popular right now) or you’ve hired a commercial space, you need commercial property insurance. A standard home insurance policy, if you’re working from home, won’t cover you. This protects the structure itself against risks like fire, flood, or storm damage. If you rent your workspace, you may not need building cover, but you’ll still need to protect the contents.
Starting a Massage Therapy Business in 2025
The wellness industry has endless opportunities in 2025. Clients are looking for more than just a quick massage. They want lymphatic drainage (a massive trend now), they want facials that take 10 years off, and they want holistic, spiritual experiences. There’s room for innovation, and there’s always a new trend. The lymphatic drainage trend, for example, appeared out of nowhere, and a lot of massage therapists are adding it to their treatment list.
But alongside opportunity comes responsibility. You’ll need to register your business, follow local licensing rules, and meet health and safety standards.
Massage therapy can be a rewarding and profitable business. People will always need stress relief and pain management, and many will expend enormous amounts for it (us included). But we’d argue protecting your business is just as essential as the experience you offer.
also read: How Personal Injury Settlements Are Calculated in Gainesville