So, you googled “massage Kalispell” and the list seems endless! How is it possible that in our area there seems to be more massage therapists per capita than there are mormons in Salt Lake City? Within 5 square blocks of the mall here in Kalispell I can think of at least 17 massage therapists actively doing business. And the same goes for chiropractors, they’re on every street corner here.
The first reason, in my opinion, is the fact that there are currently 2 massage schools in Kalispell cranking out new therapists, and glutting the market! I am a product of one such school, there were 6 grads in my class. I feel that 60-75% of the grads from both schools start their own local businesses, or started working for a spa or chiropractor as soon as they finished. Taking into account the local economy, and what FVCC has to offer, going to school for 8 months and being able to make $60-$85 bucks an hour is pretty attractive.
Another possible answer could lie in the artsy, touristy, holistic kinda place we live in. Folks here seem to gravitate to self employment, being their own boss, and more and more seeking answers outside of traditional Western medicine. What’s a Whitefish ski bum to do for work to maximize their hill time? Until licensing came into effect for our state in 2011, anyone could open up shop, call themselves a massage therapist, put an ad in the Mountain Trader, and charge 80 bucks an hour.
Maybe gratitude is in order having so many possibilities of therapists to choose from, and creating healthy competition. Like chiropractors, every massage therapist is a little different, and may offer something the person next door doesn’t, like Cranial-Sacral therapy, Reflexology, or Cupping. Just like any business climate, the more similar stores there are on any given street, the smaller the piece of pie is for each. Only the strong survive, AND I AM STRONG. Visit my website https://www.johnnycmassage.com/ to schedule your session! Cheers,
Johnny C.
