Massage Ranks Among Best Methods to Improve Self-Confidence After Pandemic Dip, Survey Finds

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. (April 1, 2021) – Today, Massage Envy, the nation’s No. 1 provider of massage and skin care services in the U.S. across its franchise network, revealed its findings from a national survey of 2,000 American consumers. The survey, conducted by OnePoll, examined the evolution of respondents’ relationships with their bodies since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

According to the survey, 51% of respondents revealed that the pandemic has negatively affected how they feel about their bodies. The survey also uncovered that massage ranked second only to taking a vacation as the most necessary method to regain pre-pandemic self-confidence.

“This pandemic has taken a mental and physical toll on so many of us,” said Beth Stiller, Chief Executive Officer of Massage Envy. “With so many people spending most of their time at home juggling home schooling with working from home at their kitchen table or living room floor, it’s important that we’re taking care of our bodies. Incorporating self-care rituals like therapeutic massage or regular skin care into our routines is key to boosting self-confidence and keeping your body working. You've only got one body, right? So, you need to take the best care of it that you can and committing to taking care of your body on a regular basis is so important.”

Additional highlights to emerge from consumers surveyed include:

• 40% say that they’ve passed a mirror and not recognized their reflection at least once since the pandemic began.
• 49% say they don’t have the same level of confidence as they did prior to COVID-19.
• 51% revealed the pandemic has negatively affected how they feel about their body.
• 42% confessed to not feeling “at home” in their bodies anymore.
• 47% say their body has been aching in brand new and different ways since March of 2020.

Many of the consumers surveyed are hopeful to make improvements when it comes to their self-confidence and physical well-being:

• 37% said they'll need a massage to regain their pre-pandemic confidence.
• 67% want to improve their energy levels and 46% want to improve their flexibility.
• 44% percent of those polled want to improve the back pain they’re experiencing while 43% plan to improve posture.
• 58% said their daily routine since the start of the pandemic is inflicting major wear and tear on their bodies.
• 50% admitted to feeling physically drained on a daily basis from the general stress of the pandemic alone, while 46% blamed the general “sameness” of the passing days for feeling drained.
• 45% have experienced chronic pain prior to the pandemic, and of those, 66% have  experienced an increase in their chronic pain during the pandemic. 
• Meanwhile, of those polled who have never experienced chronic pain before (55%), one in four (30%) respondents said the stress from the pandemic has made them afflicted with chronic pain for the first time in their lives.
• 40% feel they’re going to need professional help to get their body feeling like its pre-pandemic self.

¹ A random double-opt in survey of 2,000 Americans was conducted by OnePoll, a market research company and corporate member of ESOMAR and adheres to the MRS code of conduct.