Elements Massage franchise unit economics
Elements Massage franchisees run therapeutic massage and skincare studios that sell monthly memberships and individual massage and skincare sessions.
Elements Massage in the news
- WellBiz Brands Announces Benjamin Marmor as Chief Financial Officer · Franchising.com ·
- WellBiz Brands Continues 2026 Momentum with New Market Growth and Development Milestones in Second Quarter · International Franchise Association ·
Each Elements Massage headline above is the publisher's own and links to the publisher. Averan Advisors checked these Elements Massage links on 11 October 2026. Franchise news lists news on 95 brands, including Elements Massage. Elements Massage is in the Massage and Facial franchise guide.
Elements Massage franchise at a glance
Across 234 studios open the full year the average was $981,430 of total sales on 7,953 client visits and 560 ending memberships, with a median of $897,288.
Elements Massage franchisees averaged $981,430 of sales in 2025, with a median of $897,288, according to Item 19 of Elements Massage’s 2026 FDD, issued 1 April 2026. The 234 in that group are 98%* of Elements Massage’s 239 locations. Fees paid to Elements Massage come to about 11%* of sales. An Elements Massage franchise costs $524,989 to $1,057,853 to open.
- An Elements Massage franchise costs $524,989 to $1,057,853 to open, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- Elements Massage charges a royalty of 6% of sales, a 2% brand fund contribution and a $600 monthly technology fee.
- On Averan's reading, Elements Massage's franchise fees come to about 11.18% of sales.
- Elements Massage reported 239 franchised locations in its 2026 FDD.
- Work out Elements Massage's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from Elements Massage's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- Membership conversion runs 21.1% at the top ten studios and 4.8% at the bottom ten. The top ten Elements Massage studios average $2,372,416 of sales and the bottom ten average $353,189.
- A member is worth about $1,753 a year wherever they join. That is $1,742 in the top third, $1,752 in the bottom third. Pricing is already the same everywhere.
- Members visit about fourteen times a year in every tier. That is 13.9 at the top ten, 15.4 at the bottom ten. The lowest-selling studios have the most loyal members and the fewest of them.
- The bottom ten studios shrank 1.1% last year while the system grew 4.5%. Both figures are same-studio revenue changes from 2024 to 2025.
- $31,200 of fixed fees lands before the 8% of receipts paid to the brand. Together that is 16.8% of the bottom ten's revenue against 9.3% of the top ten's.
How much does an Elements Massage franchise make?
The average Elements Massage unit reported $981,430 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $897,288. The brand’s disclosure document discloses revenue and not profit, so what an owner keeps depends on the cost structure set out below. Fees come off the top first, at about 11.2% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.
Membership conversion
Revenue, visits and membership by group, 2025
| Group | Studios | Sales | Client visits | Membership conversion | Ending memberships | Revenue per member |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10 | 10 | $2,372,416 | 18,332 | 21.1% | 1,318 | $1,800 |
| Top third | 77 | $1,437,351 | 11,367 | 16.2% | 825 | $1,742 |
| Bottom third | 77 | $613,375 | 5,150 | 7.3% | 350 | $1,752 |
| Bottom 10 | 10 | $353,189 | 3,339 | 4.8% | 217 | $1,628 |
| All 234 | 234 | $981,430 | 7,953 | 11.6% | 560 | $1,753 |
Revenue, visits, conversion and membership figures as the brand reported it.
Revenue runs 6.7 times higher at the top ten and conversion 4.4 times. Members run 6.1 times higher at the top ten Elements Massage studios than at the bottom ten. Those three numbers move together because each converted client stays and keeps spending. So a conversion gap this year becomes a membership gap next year and a revenue gap the year after.
A member is worth $1,800 a year at the top ten and $1,628 at the bottom ten. That is a 10.6% difference in member value at Elements Massage, against a 572% difference in revenue. The top ten Elements Massage studios convert 21.1% of new clients into members and the bottom ten convert 4.8%.
Each tier converts about four points more than the one below. The average studio converts 11.6% and holds 560 members. The top third converts 16.2% and holds 825, 265 more members and $455,921 more revenue on the same door count. That is worth roughly $99,000 a year for every point gained. That is the highest-return thing to work on in this model.
Revenue per visit by group
| Group | Sales | Client visits | Revenue per visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10 | $2,372,416 | 18,332 | $129.41 |
| Top third | $1,437,351 | 11,367 | $126.45 |
| Bottom third | $613,375 | 5,150 | $119.10 |
| Bottom 10 | $353,189 | 3,339 | $105.78 |
| All 234 | $981,430 | 7,953 | $123.40 |
We divided each group's disclosed average revenue by its disclosed average visits.
The average Elements visit is worth $123.40, and the industry average is $123.10. The brand sits exactly at the market rate. Pushing price is the lever with the least room in it.
The $23.63 gap between the top ten and bottom ten is mix. A studio converting 21.1% of clients has more members buying add-ons and skincare alongside their massage; one converting 4.8% is serving more one-off visits. So the small per-visit advantage at the top also comes from conversion.
Top performers
What separates the top Elements Massage performers
Elements Massage splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The top group averaged $1,437,351 a year. The lowest averaged $613,375. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $897,288. The average was $981,430. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.The top band sells 2.3× the bottom band. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Capacity.Capacity is the floor space, times the hours it is open, times how full it runs. The build sets how much you can sell.
- Territory.This model sells from a territory, with no storefront. Population density sets how much driving sits between jobs.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $524,989 to $1,057,853, a 2.0× range inside one brand.
Live operating levers
- Membership drives the model.Track how many members join, how many cancel, and what each member spends beyond the plan.
- Gift cards.Gift cards are sold before the service is delivered, and sales peak around the holidays. A gift card is deferred revenue until it is redeemed, so cash and earned revenue arrive in different periods.
- Fees.Elements Massage’s fees run about 11.2% of sales, and Elements Massage sets no minimum royalty.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 234 of 239 locations. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded.
- What the filing does not include.Item 19 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations, no attainment figure. Ask the franchisor or current owners for cost and profit figures.
Visits & members
Visits per member by group
| Group | Client visits | Ending memberships | Visits per member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10 | 18,332 | 1,318 | 13.9 |
| Top third | 11,367 | 825 | 13.8 |
| Bottom third | 5,150 | 350 | 14.7 |
| Bottom 10 | 3,339 | 217 | 15.4 |
| All 234 | 7,953 | 560 | 14.2 |
We divided disclosed visits by disclosed ending memberships.
The lowest-selling studios have the most visits per member. That is 15.4 visits a year at the bottom ten against 13.9 at the top ten. Whatever is wrong at a $353,189 studio, it is happening before someone becomes a member. The people who join stay and come back; there are just 217 of them instead of 1,318.
The gap at low-selling studios is at the first visit. Retention programs, rebooking scripts and loyalty offers all work on the part of the funnel that already works. The numbers point at the first visit: how a new client is greeted, what they are offered at the desk, and whether anyone asks for the membership.
Moving up a tier
| Move | Members to add | Revenue it adds | Conversion points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom third to system average | 210 | $368,055 | 4.3 |
| System average to top third | 265 | $455,921 | 4.6 |
| Bottom third to top third | 475 | $823,976 | 8.9 |
We took the difference between the disclosed group averages for ending memberships, sales and membership conversion.
Each Elements Massage tier converts about four points more than the tier below it. Conversion rises from 7.3% to 11.6%, then from 11.6% to 16.2%. Put in front-desk terms, a studio seeing 100 new clients a month is converting seven of them in the bottom third and twelve at the system average, five more conversations going the right way.
210 net members at the system average is worth $368,055 of annual revenue. It arrives one signature at a time against whatever you lose each month. A studio holding 350 members has the same fixed fee bill as one holding 1,318.
Same-studio revenue change, 2024 to 2025
| Group | Same-studio revenue change |
|---|---|
| Top 10 | +4.6% |
| Top third | +4.0% |
| Bottom third | +3.9% |
| Bottom 10 | −1.1% |
| All 234 | +4.5% |
As the brand reported it, comparing 2025 to 2024 for studios open at least a year before 1 January 2025.
The bottom ten lost 1.1% while the other groups grew 3.9% to 4.6%. Three of the four groups moved between 3.9% and 4.6%, tightly clustered, and then the lowest-selling ten lost 1.1%. That is a small group in real trouble, and it matches the six studios that closed during the year.
The bottom third grew 3.9%. That is 0.6 points behind the 4.5% for all 234 Elements Massage studios, so only the bottom ten fell. Measure yourself against the tier growth rate.
Discounts available
- Elements Massage takes 20% off the initial franchise fee for U.S. veterans and active-duty members holding at least 51%.
- Elements Massage takes 20% off the initial franchise fee for minority owners (Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, or American Indian/Alaska Native) holding at least 51%.
- Elements Massage area development pricing is $25,000 per studio for three to five studios, $20,000 for six to nine, and $15,000 for ten or more ($80,000 for two).
From Item 5 of the Elements Massage 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
Fees and the network
Royalty and required marketing by group
| Group | Revenue | 8% of receipts | Fixed fees | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10 | $2,372,416 | $189,793 | $31,200 | $220,993 | 9.3% |
| Top third | $1,437,351 | $114,988 | $31,200 | $146,188 | 10.2% |
| Bottom third | $613,375 | $49,070 | $31,200 | $80,270 | 13.1% |
| Bottom 10 | $353,189 | $28,255 | $31,200 | $59,455 | 16.8% |
| All 234 | $981,430 | $78,514 | $31,200 | $109,714 | 11.2% |
We applied the disclosed rates to each disclosed group average.
The fixed $31,200 costs the bottom ten seven and a half points more of revenue than the top ten. That is 8.8% of $353,189 against 1.3% of $2,372,416. The same two invoices land on both, and the studio least able to absorb them has them heaviest. At the lowest-selling studios disclosed, $155,358, the fees paid to the brand reach 28.1%.
The local spend and the local advertising fee are separate obligations. That is 2% of receipts as a spend requirement, plus $2,000 a month payable on the fifteenth. On the average studio that is $19,629 plus $24,000. So a little over $43,600 a year goes to marketing before you make any decision. That is another argument for putting the conversion effort at the desk, where the only cost is attention.
Units opened and closed, 2023 to 2025
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminations | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 245 | 9 | 10 | 244 |
| 2024 | 244 | 4 | 9 | 239 |
| 2025 | 239 | 6 | 6 | 239 |
As the brand reported it.
Nineteen studios opened and twenty-five left over three years. The count went 245, 244, 239, 239, a system holding position. That is a different proposition from the brands opening fifty a year. It changes what you should expect: the franchisor's attention goes to existing studios, and new territory is scarce.
Colorado alone saw 13 transfers over two years. A transfer lets an Elements Massage owner buy a second studio that is already open, without a build.
Questions we get asked
How much does an Elements Massage franchise make?
Elements Massage franchisees averaged $981,430 of sales in 2025, with a median of $897,288, according to Item 19 of Elements Massage’s 2026 FDD, issued 1 April 2026. The 234 in that group are 98%* of Elements Massage’s 239 locations. Fees paid to Elements Massage come to about 11%* of sales. An Elements Massage franchise costs $524,989 to $1,057,853 to open.
What separates a high-selling Elements Massage studio from a low-selling one?
Membership conversion accounts for nearly all of the difference. The top ten studios convert 21.1% of new clients into members and the bottom ten convert 4.8%. Revenue per member is $1,800 against $1,628, and visits per member are 13.9 against 15.4. The lower-selling studios' members are slightly more loyal. All the difference is in how many people join in the first place.
What is an Elements Massage member worth?
About $1,753 a year, or $146 a month, and the figure changes little between tiers. At an average of 14.2 visits a year that is roughly $123 a visit, which is also what the whole US spa industry averaged in 2025. Set your acquisition spend against $1,753 a year for as long as the member stays.
How many members do I need to reach the Elements Massage system average?
An Elements studio averages 560 members, against 350 in the bottom third and 825 in the top third. Moving from the bottom third to the average is 210 net members and about $368,055 of annual revenue. That comes from roughly four points of conversion, seven of every hundred new clients becoming twelve. The base builds one signature at a time against whatever leaves each month, so it is a two to three year project.
What does the Elements Massage system cost me every year regardless of sales?
Elements charges $31,200 a year in flat fees (the $2,000 monthly local advertising fee and the $600 monthly technology fee) before the 6% royalty, the 2% brand marketing fund and the 2% local spend requirement. On the average studio the royalty, fund and flat fees come to $109,714, or 11.2% of receipts, and the 2% local spend adds $19,629. On a studio at $353,189 they are 16.8%, and the fixed portion alone is 8.8% of the top line.
Who does bookkeeping for an Elements Massage franchise?
Memberships bill monthly ahead of the massage, and unused sessions accumulate. So part of your balance is service you still owe. That balance grows with the membership base you are working so hard to build. Total sales, which the royalty is calculated on, include gift card sales and redemptions and exclude tips paid to therapists, so both need separating cleanly. Track membership conversion and ending memberships alongside revenue every month, because those two predict next year's top line better than this year's revenue does. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.
- The filing gives no profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.
- The filing breaks out no cost lines. Wages, rent and cost of goods are not broken out, so margin cannot be rebuilt from the document.
- The filing gives no attainment figure. The filing does not say how many locations reached the average it publishes.
Questions worth putting to Elements Massage
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- What do locations at the median spend on wages and rent as a share of sales? The filing reports sales only.
- Which factors does Elements Massage see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many Elements Massage locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. It checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →Run these numbers against your own studio.
We review your unit economics, cash forecast and reporting, so you know where you stand against the disclosed tiers.
Talk to AveranWhere these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from Elements Therapeutic Massage, LLC's 2026 FDD, issued 1 April 2026 and covering the 2025 calendar year. The document is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. The figures describe past performance at other studios. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear. This page is an educational summary and is not legal or tax advice. ELEMENTS MASSAGE® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: Elements Therapeutic Massage, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 1 April 2026.
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Elements Massage reads against the rest of the massage and facial group: Hand & Stone · Heights Wellness Retreat · Massage Envy · MassageLuXe · The NOW Massage. The massage and facial guide compares all of them on the same figures.
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- Money arrives before the service does. How should that be booked?It explains deferred revenue and why the bank balance and the profit line disagree.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- I run several locations. Which ones actually make money?It shows each location's contribution to profit and the reporting it takes to see it.
- How much of Item 19 can I rely on?It explains what an Item 19 financial performance representation tells you and what it leaves out.