20 Years of Mobile Massage: A Look Back at the Journey
By Dan Melmed, LMT | Founder, Body Well
Today
Today marks the 20-year anniversary—to the day—of the founding of Body Well Mobile Massage. I thought I’d take this chance to reflect on the past two decades of mobile massage in America.
When I started the company in 2005, there were just a couple of local businesses offering any kind of mobile massage service, where a therapist would travel to your home or place of business.
In fact, the entire massage industry was quite different. Massage Envy was only just getting started, so most people who got massages went to either an independent therapist or a fancy spa.
Generally speaking, the level of professionalism in the massage business was on the low side. There wasn’t a lot of organization. If you managed to find five massage therapists to call for an appointment, you were lucky if even one answered the phone.
As for mobile massage, there were a few small local operators here and there, but none were advertising online at all. Back then, visibility meant being in the Yellow Pages or having your ad in print—if you wanted to be found.
Starting the Business
I had wanted to get into the massage business since I was a teenager, before college. I predicted that massage would grow to be a much bigger business in the U.S., and I also noticed that the competition wasn’t well developed or particularly fierce. That gave me the confidence to believe I could build something valuable and meet demand wherever it existed.
My first concept for Body Well was actually more of a physical spa—something in between a Massage Envy and a more traditional small spa with a sauna. But I was also drawn to the idea of coordinating therapists to provide services off-site. I explored focusing the business on serving the many retirement communities in Florida, sending massage therapists to provide services in their clubhouses.
There was definite interest in that concept, but the communities weren’t willing to pay enough to cover management fees on top of the regular massage price. Again and again, it became clear that the economics just didn’t work—even though everyone liked the idea. That led to the decision to become an exclusively mobile service.
In the early days, my biggest challenge was distinguishing Body Well from massage businesses that were… let’s just say, less than therapeutic. If you know what I mean. It was always tricky to find the right wording so people didn’t try to twist what we were offering into something else entirely.
Technology was obviously very different back then too. Google Ads was just getting started, and we got in pretty early. But everything else was basic. I used an Excel spreadsheet to track appointments.
There was no Google Maps yet. I had a huge map of South Florida pinned to the wall of my first tiny office, with thumbtacks marking where my therapists lived. When a client called, I’d look at the map to figure out who was nearby.
The very first therapist I hired in 2005—who is still the best I’ve ever had—didn’t even own a cell phone when she started. She never learned to use Google Maps, so for years, we’d call her and give turn-by-turn directions to every appointment.
Slowly, the company began to grow. We started taking on corporate chair massage clients and people injured in car accidents. I also hired my first customer service help. The two young women I brought on in 2007 to answer phones and coordinate appointments in the evenings and on weekends are still with us today!
Growth, Challenge, and Staying True to Our Mission
Things got pretty rough for massage businesses around 2008–2009 during the Great Recession. People and companies cut back on non-essentials, and massage wasn’t seen as a necessity. Fortunately, Body Well had begun doing more medical massage, which was covered by insurance and therefore less affected by the downturn.
We weathered the recession and began rebuilding, expanding into other parts of Florida and eventually the Washington, DC region in 2011.
Over the years, I struggled to find software that could connect therapists and clients easily. Around the mid-2010s, apps began popping up for everything—including on-demand massage. It became clear that these apps existed because there really wasn’t a good system on the market for small businesses like ours.
So I teamed up with a software developer friend and built our own custom system. It took longer and cost more than expected, but it gave us a working platform we’ve used ever since. Ironically, by the time it was done, I realized how fast technology was continuing to change—apps could be obsolete in just a few years. What mattered most was staying true to our core service: massage for those who truly need it, delivered with a human touch.
By 2018, things were going great. But of course, we all know what happened next.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and devastated the massage industry, shutting down many businesses for good. Understandably, people were not eager to be in close contact with a massage therapist when no one was quite sure how the virus spread.
We hunkered down and managed to make it through intact. It did take a toll, and we’ve been steadily rebuilding ever since.
Since then, not much has changed in the massage therapy world. Apps are still around, but we made the conscious choice not to try and compete with tech platforms. That’s not our game.
Instead, we’ve leaned even further into our strengths—working with disabled and homebound individuals nationwide who need massage at home, and who often want personalized human service rather than an app. We also continue to serve injured clients whose treatment is covered by insurance, whether from a car accident or workplace injury.
One of our ongoing challenges is helping more doctors and providers know that we’re here—that there is a reliable, professional mobile massage company they can refer patients to with confidence.
I’m proud that the office staff I’ve hired over the years have stayed with me through thick and thin. Many of our massage therapists have been representing us for more than a decade, and I’m truly grateful for their dedication.
Massage wasn’t always seen as a necessity—only 14% of Americans received a massage that year, according to AMTA. However, the perception has shifted significantly over time, with the AMTA’s 2025 Massage Therapy Industry Fact Sheet reporting that 45% of U.S. adults received at least one massage in the past 12 months.
Looking Ahead
Body Well is looking forward to another 20 years—the best is yet to come.
What changes might we see in the massage business over the next two decades? Will robots replace massage therapists? I doubt it. Sure, massage devices like Theraguns may become more common in certain settings, but when it comes to real, healing touch, there’s no substitute for a human being.
So stay tuned—and I’ll report back in 2045 to let you know how things turned out.
In the meantime, thank you for your support. And stay well.
– Dan Melmed, LMT
Owner & Founder, Body Well
