When people come into the spa at Old Palm Golf Club's fitness center in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, it's most likely that they're coming in for a massage. And nine times out of 10, even when members and nonmembers schedule a traditional Swedish massage, they're looking for more.

Shayne Kohn, spa and fitness director at the facility, says that the “more” they are looking for is improving their golf games.

“Sports massage is probably our No. 2 or No. 3 most popular offering on our menu,” Kohn says. “Traditional is most popular, but we're a golfing community, and we hire massage therapists that have extra training in deep tissue massage and sports massage just for that.”

Although the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) reports that fewer clubs are offering massage (45.5 percent of IHRSA club members offer massage today, down from 50 percent in 2001), experts say that sports massage is becoming more popular in the clubs that do offer massage. Forty percent of all massage therapists in the United States offer sports massage, according to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), a nonprofit professional association for massage therapists. Sports massage is a specialized form of therapeutic massage that focuses specifically on muscles that are used most during a client's sport or regular activity.

Health clubs and massage go hand in hand, says Robert King, founder and past president of the Chicago School of Massage Therapy and past national president of the AMTA.

“Since health and fitness clubs promote exercise, weight training, and group sport and exercise activities, it stands to reason to have massage therapists on staff who specialize in repetitive strain and other types of injury as well as myofascial or deep tissue massage, which is anatomically precise to specific areas of breakdown in the athlete,” King says. “The always popular relaxation massage does not adequately address soft tissue adhesions or tendinitis injuries. Nor does it offer the specific stretches or techniques to maximize peak performance.”

As more health clubs offer sports-specific personal training and programming, the demand for sports massage in fitness facilities is even greater. Sports massage can offer another dimension of service to a health club, King says.

“[Sports massage] receives tremendous acceptance and approval from athletes in all major sports,” he says. “Many baseball, football and basketball teams now have their own sports massage therapist on staff. Why shouldn't a premier membership club?”

Here's the Rub

Part of the reason that massage — including sports massage — is becoming more popular is that many members no longer see massage as a luxury item. Many members treat sports massage as an essential part of their sports training or as the key to better workouts in the gym, experts say.

Many of the members of the Old Palm Golf Club get sports massages to increase their flexibility and have a quicker recovery from games, Kohn says.

“Getting a massage used to be for only the high end — an indulgence — but we're seeing more [members who see massage] now as something they need to incorporate in life for health and wellness,” she says.

Sports massage sessions have picked up in popularity at Zenergy Health Club and Day Spa, which is located in a resort community in Ketchum, ID. During the facility's peak usage times of summer and December, sports massage therapists provide 30 to 40 sessions a week. During slower times of the year, the spa provides about 10 sessions a week, says Elizabeth Furuiye, day spa manager for the facility.

“Our clientele includes former professional athletes, as well as former Olympians — all the way down to those who simply live here to experience the outdoor environment to the maximum,” she says. “In order to accommodate the needs of these people, we have found that sports massage is a fantastic fit for the high-end athlete, as well as the weekend warrior.”

Club One's 13 locations in Northern California have offered sports massage since the inception of its massage program in 1991. About 2 percent to 3 percent of the facility's members use the Club One spas, says Phil Okazaki, regional spa director for the club company.

The clubs' spas are open to both members and nonmembers and have seen a marked improvement in revenue in the past few years, Okazaki says. The facility offers traditional therapeutic massage for acute and chronic injury rehabilitation, pre-event sports massage 48 hours to 20 minutes before a client's athletic event or competition, post-event sports massage at least 20 minutes after an athletic event, and maintenance sports massage.

Club One locations, which include Frog's Fitness facilities in San Diego, charge $70 to $95 for 60-minute massages and $95 to $120 for 90-minute massages. The charge varies depending on the location and whether or not the client is a member.

Sports massage has “absolutely been profitable” at Zenergy Health Club and Day Spa, Furuiye says. Pricing is in line with other massages offered, she says.

According to the AMTA, an average 60-minute massage costs $60, although this can vary widely from city to city, experts say. Many facilities charge a bit more for sports massage, too. Old Palm Golf Club charges $80 for a 50-minute traditional massage and $120 for 80 minutes. For sports massages, the club charges $90 for 50 minutes and $130 for 80 minutes.

New Markets

Sports massage isn't bringing in just additional revenue. It's also bringing in more men than traditional massage, which typically draws a female crowd.

At Mill Valley Health Club & Spa in Mill Valley, CA, the demographics for sports massage is diverse, says Karsson Bartlett, certified massage therapist at the club.

“I see women and men, old and young, new athletes and those that have been athletes their whole lives,” she says. “The one commonality, however, is that each person realizes the positive effects that sports massage can have on their particular workout, as well as the overall success associated with taking care of your body as a whole.”

Although there are no statistics on sports massage specifically, AMTA research shows that Baby Boomers pay for more traditional massages than other age groups. Those surveyed between the ages of 45 to 64 years old had an average of seven massages during the last year, compared to an average of five massages for people 18 to 44.

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