Massage Heights is a leading massage and spa franchise company today with nearly 150 locations in both the United States and parts of Canada. The company proudly reported a total generated revenue amount of $110 million for the last fiscal year. Future growth opportunities are looking promising as well, with the franchise company currently looking for new entrepreneurs and small business veterans to join its ranks.
Despite the success Massage Heights is enjoying today, it was not always on top of the world, so to speak. In a recent interview with Fortune Magazine, the company’s founder, Shane Evans, discussed her story, humble beginnings, and the hard work it has taken thus far to transform and empower Massage Heights throughout the years.
Service Dissatisfaction Makes for Opportunity
Shane’s story began back in 2003 after she had a massage at a local day spa, but found the experience to be less than satisfactory. In fact, she was so disappointed in her massage, she decided she had to start her own massage company to show the industry how things should really be done.
Four months and $250,000 later, she opened her first Massage Heights location in San Antonio. The massage company was immediately making waves, as it was built around a subscription membership service like a gym. The business model allows men and women alike to get fantastic, affordable massages on short timetables, avoiding the long waits in steam rooms most other spa services include.
The first steps were not all revolutionary, though, as Shane explained in her interview. For example, she recalled buying clocks for each massage room that were too loud, interrupting the tranquil space every second with an audible tick. She knew that hardship is a prime opportunity for growth, and kept working to improve Massage Heights — and it worked. Only nine short months later, they were opening a second location to accommodate for the demand. By the time the first year was over, the revenue they generated exceeded their initial investment in the first location by $110,000.
Turning Into a Franchise Changes Everything
Shane explained in her interview with Fortune that by 2007 the company was bursting for expansion, but continuing as it was would have been difficult. This is when she first sold franchise opportunities to friends and family members before ultimately recruiting a franchise expert to show them how to grow out of Texas and across the rest of the U.S. In 2008, she created their own supply business that made it simple for franchisees to open their doors. A truckload of supplies literally rolls up to new, soon-to-open locations with everything needed to begin business in a way that meets the high standards of Massage Heights.
Even more exciting business ventures were still to come, though. In 2016, Massage Heights partnered with the founders of The Gents Place, the first name in men’s grooming franchise businesses. The result was the creation of Elevated Brands, a franchising company with a multifaceted focus on “health, wellness and beauty” franchises. Thanks to her hard work and the success of Massage Heights, Shane can now enjoy making company decisions with a board of directors, taking some of the weight of running a franchise company off her shoulders and giving her more free time. In a way, she has realized the entrepreneur’s ultimate dream: building a brand that functions so well it practically runs itself.
Would you like to know more about Shane Evans and the story of Massage Heights’ beginnings? You can click here to view the full Fortune Magazinearticle about her. (Login information may be required.) If you are interested in becoming an owner of a Massage Heights franchise location of your own and joining a franchise with unmatched potential, you can call (763) 270-1001 at any time to request more information. We know you will be happy you joined the Massage Heights family.