To valued members and guests,
I, like so many of you, continue to be sickened and so disheartened by the stories that have recently been published about sexual misconduct at Massage Envy franchise locations. We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior and to those who suffered, I am deeply sorry.
The safety of members and guests has always been and will always be paramount. And, we are always looking for ways to do more.
Our initial reaction after reading the media reports was to respond immediately. But, we felt it was important to first talk directly to victims and victim rights groups, industry associations, and sexual violence experts to help define our plan. Early next week, we’ll share the details of a comprehensive and transparent path forward [Read updated statement from 12/5/17]. To make meaningful change in this industry, we have to do it thoughtfully and we cannot do it alone. Thankfully, there are many others that feel like we do and are anxious to help.
In the meantime, we are not standing still.
- Each location was required to review, recommunicate and, in no uncertain terms, recommit to our safety and reporting policies.
- We have just completed an additional review of all massage therapist files to ensure they have a completed background check and professional reference checks as well as to ensure their licensure/certification is current and annual training requirements have been met.
- Our accredited third-party background screening company has begun rescreening each and every one of the 20,000 licensed massage therapists within the Massage Envy network.
Let me be clear: this is just the start and these first steps are not the complete answer. We are taking a hard look at ourselves and at the additional changes we must make. Next week, we will announce those changes and begin to put them into action.
We will never stop working to earn your trust.
Sincerely,
Joseph C. Magnacca
CEO Massage Envy Franchising, LLC