Reflexology services are commonly found throughout Asia from shopping mall kiosks in Singapore to the small, hidden streets of Taiwan. But it's the wildly successful Chinese-style reflexology service that has created a booming business in mainland China and has now spread to the West Coast of the US. East has come West with the migration of Chinese style "foot massage (reflexology)" to Los Angeles where it's started a price war with $9.99 reflexology services. Reflexology, the archetypical idea and theory, is now propelled by a business model proven to be successful in the two countries. It's a tale of two countries and one service with a lot more in common than you'd think: the practice itself, the aspirations of the customers, and the problems of the business.
There's no question that reflexology is a growth industry in China. What puzzles even those who have prospered in the burgeoning business is the answer to the question, Why? The basic tenet of reflexology and hence the business is established in the culture. Some date the start of the practice to 400 B. C. while others date it to the Shang Dynasty (1600 to 1100 BC) with an interruption during the Cultural Revolution when it was banned for being "bourgeoise."(1) "Chinese believe every part of the human body corresponds to a part of the foot sole and that a skillful foot massage can relieve ailments in corresponding areas elsewhere in the body."(2) It's the "Changes in people's traditional concepts of foot massage" as represented by the current popular service as well as the phenomenal growth that's created the surprise.
From up-scale spa-like settings near embassy row to open-air stalls, a ten-year growth spurt in the traditional practice of foot massage or reflexology has created employment for some 5 to 20 million. The rise in reflexology business has been fueled by the influx of young people from poor farming communities seeking the chance of "a gainful vocation in the burgeoning trade."(3) The maturing industry is not without its problems: the quality of service, cleanliness of establishments, and on-going struggles with illicit services. Also, health risks are created for the front-line working reflexologists by: working conditions and body position as well as exposure to the foot soak which some claim includes chemicals. Many retire by the age of 30.
Service ranges from 45 to 100 minutes in length. Prices span from 30 to 138 yuan (US$16.65). At the larger emporiums, customers sit in a large room filled with sloping beds or specially designed reclining chairs. Practitioners sit on low stools facing the feet. The service starts with a foot soak and immersion of feet in a wooden barrel of hot water containing "28 kinds of Chinese herbal medicine." The feet are then washed and dried. A thick layer of lotion is applied to the feet and calves. Pressure is then applied to the 62 "reflection points" on the feet. (4) A hand, upper back or shoulder massage is sometimes available as an added service. Treating for a specific disorder or diagnosing are discouraged. Relaxation is emphasized as a goal of the service with avoidance of the concept of curing disease.
Large franchise operations, one with 700 outlets and another with 200, provide training and even dormitory-like accommodations for workers. Zhu Guofan founded China's first professional foot massage enterprise Liangzi in 1997 after noticing "the popularity of local (Xinxiang) foot masseuses,who worked in rundown shops and (Liu) decided to offer an upscale version of the service" (5) "In the first year of business Zhu lost so much money on his two massage centres that he had to sell some other businesses to support them ... The next year, (1998) fortune smiled in the form of a major government crackdown on prostitution. Almost all the foot massage centres in Beijing, which Zhu estimates as more than 3,000, were closed down... Zhu's massage centres almost met the same fate but he managed to invite officials to come to his centres so that they could see there was no hankypanky... In a masterstroke, he hung a sign at the entrance promising a 20,000-yuan (US$2,500) reward to anyone who could find any form of prostitution in his parlours.
A 2004 Business Week story notes that Zhu had 430 stores employing 20,000 young masseuses all trained at the company's school in Xinxiang with revenues of US$18 million in 2003. "In recent years the promising sector has attracted tremendous interest from profit-driven business people. Now there are hundreds of thousands of foot massage outlets throughout China note sources at The China Foot Health-Care Industrial Association... The centres are eyeing the huge market potential that is coinciding with the galloping economy, improving living standards and greater health awareness." Zhu himself "claims his massage revolution has helped employ 20 million around the country. (6)
One store located close to a Beijing embassy area, served more than 30,000 foreigners in 2004. "An increasing number of power brokers and business people in the Chinese mainland are negotiating, and finalizing deals over one-hour -style foot massages which aficionados believe have almost-magical healing power and traditional Chinese medicine ... "In fact, there has been a proliferation of foot massage parlors in various mainland cities." ... "'If you care about my health, you'd better entertain me with foot washing, not a feast.' has become one of the most common phrases heard in many Chinese cities. ..."35 year-old entrepreneur Zhao Xin frequents Liangzi store, buying a VIP card. 'I come here with my business partners, for comfort and relaxation induced by a massage, to make negation easier and milder,' Zhao admits He regularly treats his parents to foot massage. ... "'Although they are not accustomed to such services several years ago, and they thought the price was not worthwhile, they regard it as an investment in health, and they are delighted to receive a foot massage about once a week," Zhao says." (7)
"Changes in people's traditional concepts of foot massage have surprised Zhu Š He never expected massaging feet would grow into an industry in China, let alone the world. "By 2005 Zhu's chain had grown to 700 stores with a profit of 30% and he has plans to down-size to a more manageable 50 stores. "'Brand copying is a headache dampening our reputation. I also find unchecked expansion, via franchises, leaves stores with little to do with our central office, which means we cannot guarantee strict supervision," Zhu says. He notes that finding and training skilled and talented individuals is not easy. He is expanding overseas principally in Korea but with outlets in Turkey (Sheraton Istabul Maslak) and Italy with potential partners in France, Spain, the US, Tunis and Cyprus.
From stand-alone business to inclusion in beauty salons, profit-driven business people offer reflexology services at independent small businesses throughout Beijing.
"Inspired, no doubt, by his success, the number of foot massage centres is growing in the city ... "Mao Yuxiao and his friends have recently set up Joy Club, a luxury spa and foot massage centre within the Eastern Third Ring Road ... "'Most people in China are under great work pressure, and there are not many choices which combine relaxation and health," he said. "People need to take a break and learn to relax ... "Mao aims at high-income groups, foreign diplomats, artists and successful business people. To make the centre different, he introduced traditional Chinese medicine consultation, provides food and modern facilities to make the venue comfortable. ..."'The market will definitely become more specialized," he predicted. "Health will become everybody's concern.'" (8)
In other parts of Beijing, "Half a dozen foot massage parlors have opened among the apartment blocks and hotels between downtown and Beijing's high-tech district. Three parlors compete on one block in the upscale Inner Dongzhimen neighborhood ..."Similar clusters, as well as individual shops, mostly two-to-three room spaces on the ground levels of apartment blocks operate all over Beijing ... "The parlors compete on details such as types of herbs used in the foot-soak water, the interior decor - from wood-paneled walls to well-lit art-deco atmosphere - and legitimate extra services such as bull-body rubs."
"The college-trained masseuse at the Red Room Time foot massage parlor and beauty salon, which opened last year on the ground floor of an apartment building, competes with other women her age for customers at seven foot massage parlors over three blocks of a common northeast Beijing residential area ..."The parlors opened over the past year or two to attract guests from the adjacent Yuyang Hotel but mostly for weary and increasingly wealthy local Chinese people ... And customers need not remove their socks for service. The female duty manager at Red Room Time whispers ''We can do other things,'' into male customers' ears as they prepare to leave and offers them a mobile phone number... "Virtually eliminated by police in 1998 in a prostitution crackdown, these half-legit, half-illegal massage parlors have mushroomed throughout Beijing again to offer foot muscle therapy to tired workers as well as service on the sly to locals, travelers and expatriates. Mostly registered as beauty parlors or bathhouses, about 26,000 massage shops are now licensed in Beijing." (9)
By one Chinese government estimate there are more than five million reflexologists in China. A booming reflexology industry has been created through a unique combination of cultural tradition, popular fad, and improved incomes. While one group of China's reflexologists practices on a therapeutic level with extensive training, a recent report highlights the working conditions of the larger portion of the country's reflexologists. One article notes that the average reflexologist retires at the age of 30, worn out by the strenuous work.
"Health hazards among foot massage workers in China" is the title of an assessment by X Ye and H Fu of the School of Public Health, Fuzan University, Shanghai and O Wong of Applied Health Sciences of California. It is also a snapshot of the reflexology industry in China. (The authors use "reflexology" interchangeably with "foot massage.") The authors estimate that some 30,000 workers in Shanghai are employed at 1300-2000"foot massage facilities." In Shenzhen, just north of Hong Kong, it is estimated that 40,000 workers are employed at 3000-4000 facilities. The workers range in age from 18 to 25 and are recruited from the ranks of young women seeking employment away from small home towns.
Workers earn the equivalent of US$121 per month. They are paid for actual hands-on work and time is spent waiting for clientele, as few a day as three at some facilities and as many as 10 to 14 at others. Many live in dormitories with fellow workers. While some establishments are small storefronts others are multi-story facilities, honeycombed with dozens of cubicles. For the one hour session workers receive 10-40% of the US$2.50 - US$12 fee.
The authors state that "Foot massage workers are exposed to not only biological, chemical, and physical hazards, but also emotional and psychological stress. The health problems associated with foot massage workers are not limited to China. Foot massage is also popular in other regions inn Asia, such as Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore In addition foot massage facilities can also be found in Asian Communities in large cities in America and Europe."
The one-hour session includes: soaking the feet in warm water with Chinese herbs and other chemicals; washing the feet; drying the feet; massaging the feet with oil or lotion; and applying pressure with the knuckles. Infection is seen to be the "most serious health hazard ... resulting from handling clients' feet, soaking solutions, massage oils, wet towels and nail cutting knives (the traditional cutting tool of choice)." In addition, "As a result of constantly applying pressure using their fingers, knuckles, and palms, most foot massage workers develop progressive digital and palmar cornification." Also, musculo-skeletal stress results form: working from the position of a low stool; repetitive motions of the hand, wrist and fingers; and prolonged sitting. Workers consider arthritis to be inevitable.
Since "Foot massage workers represent a fast growing workforce in China and other regions in Asia," the authors encourage a series of reforms including "recognition of the health problems as compensable occupational disease."
(X Ye, O Wong, and H Fu, "World at work: Health Hazards among foot massage workers in China," Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2005;62:902-904) (Originally published as "The Chinese reflexology industry," Barbara & Kevin Kunz, Reflexions, Vol. 27, No. 2, February 2006)
Foot reflexology has long been provided as a therapy at local hospitals in Shanghai but it's only now that it's become a stylish pursuit. "As young Shanghainese discover the health benefits of foot reflexology, this ancient traditional Chinese treatment is coming back into vogue in a big way, writes Xu Wei ... "Image conscious Shanghainese have traditionally focused on hairstyles, while feet have been forgotten. Today, however the benefits of foot therapy are attracting even the most stylish. ..."
"At the spacious room of Shu Ya Ilang Zi Foot Therapy, a professional health care chain, customers enjoy a 90-minute, 88 yuan (US$10.60) service which includes soaking the feet in a special bath steeped with 28 kinds of Chinese herbal medicines and a hand and foot massage. It's a therapy that leaves customers in a state of utter relaxation, both physically and mentally... "'Foot therapy is an ideal treatment, advocated by the World Health Organization," says Li Xueren, director of the chain. "'With people's rising awareness of the quality of our lives, we have witnessed a considerable increase in our customers, who are eager to gain the health benefits from the bottom of their feet... "The majority of its 22,000 permanent customers, according to Li, are white-collar workers who are observed with the pressure of work and eager to find out a an outlet for release."
Senior masseuse Feng Jilai notes that "this method has gained in popularity primarily because it is a "green" and natural treatment, as compared with a cure that would require medication." ("Best Foot Forward,"Shanghai Daily, English.eastday.com) (Originally published by Barbara & Kevin Kunz, Reflexions, Vol. 27, No.62, April 2004)
"... While the focus on China's growth has been on its massive factories that churn out shores and other parts for the world, Beijing is filled these days with rural entrepreneurs from the poor countryside. Set apart by their thick country accents, they set up stalls to fix bicycles, wash cars, cut hair, roast chestnuts and offer foot massages." It is estimated that "By 2020, more than 200 million people are expected to move from the countryside to China's cites. Most will drift into factory jobs, stitching buttons and assembling toys, but many will end up running their own small businesses. Private businesses are the fastest growing part of the Chinese economy, and so vital to its health that entrepreneurs now find their place in the Chinese Communist Party's ranks." (Browne, Andrew, "In the Land of Bok Choy, Spam Hits the Spot, "Wall Street Journal , February 8, 2005, p. B7) (Originally published by Barbara & Kevin Kunz, Reflexions, Vol. 26, No. 1, March 2005)
Across the Pacific Ocean ... "Shortly before midnight on a moonlit corner of Valley Boulevard in San Gabriel (California), a crowd waited patiently outside a store with a yellow banner advertising one-hour foot massages for $9.99." (10) The west coast American version of Chinese-style reflexology is playing out in some twenty to thirty foot massage businesses found along one stretch of road in a suburb of Los Angeles. The price and density of businesses has caught the attention of news media and the general public as well.
LATimes.com reports that a price war has broken out in the "hotly competitive world of foot massage." The long lines form for the weekend and after the 10:30 pm price drop to $9.95. The average price is under $20. Three years ago prices were at $70.
Customers come from the area, "home to the nation's largest Chinese American community," but others are flooding in as well. At midnight "There was a poker dealer from a nearby casino who needed the tension lifted form her muscles after a day on her feet, a nail salon worker who visited because he believed the therapy boosted his fertility and an investment analyst who injured himself jogging and wanted the scar tissue rubbed. ... "'It's cheaper than my insurance co-pay,'" he says.
The practice became popular three years ago after George Liu, an entrepreneur from Beijing, opened "Tibetan Herbal Feet Soak" with foot soaking herbs imported from Tibet for the purpose of removing toxins from customers' feet. "At first the city did not know what to make of Liu's business application. Asian massage parlors had developed a seedy reputation, and foot massage sounded like an exotic variation. Liu said he won City Hall by offering an official a massage."
San Gabriel became the first city in Los Angeles County to issue permits for "foot massage spas." Foot massage spa employees are required by the city to hold a state manicurist or cosmetologist license. The feat was quite an accomplishment considering the difficulty reflexologists have encountered when attempting to practice in Southern California. Anti-prostitution massage licensingwith police background checks is common among cities in the area.
Following the success of Liu's business, others opened with as many as three to a strip mall. Services replicate those available in China: foot soak followed by a foot massage. Some include or offer head, upper back, arm, hand, and shoulder massages during the foot soak. "Some of the newcomers built swanky spaces resembling mini-spa, with plasma TV's and plush chairs. Others were cheap and dingy."
Then came Ching Lau, an immigrant from Hong Kong who aims to "build a Chinese foot-massage empire in California and Nevada." Liu opened Oriental Natural Treatment Center a year ago with custom-made chairs from China and 35 workers hired from Chinese-language massage schools in the area. "... not only (to) steal customers from the competition but also (to) attract people who thought foot massages were too expensive," Lau dropped his price to $15 from the area's typical $30. The price war was on. "His store was a sensation. Lines formed on weekends and most weekdays after 10:30 pm when Lau drops his price to $9.99. His staff gives about 5,000 massages a month and he said a quarter of his customers are non-Chinese."
"As the competition grows, Lau and Liu agree that some parlors are cutting corners. Two masseuses at a Rowland Heights parlor recently filed suit against the owner, accusing him of witholding back wages and creating an abusive work environment ... "The lawsuit also claimed the masseuses were forced to work in unsanitary conditions. Officials at the L. A. county Department of Health said they've received no complaints about the massage business ..."
Internet bloggers express amazement over the literal dozens of foot massage establishments along a 2 1/2 stretch of Valley Boulevard in the city of San Gabriel. As with restaurants or tourist attraction reviews, advice is posted for a visit to the city for entertainment with the cheap, feel good and health-enhancing foot manage services. What to expect and reviews of the various establishments are posted. Also underway is discussion about how long the foot massage spas will survive with such low prices.
LATimes.com states that "There are no studies proving that foot massage - also known as reflexology- benefits overall health ..."It's for relaxation," said (Dr.) Ka-Kit Hui, director of the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, who travels once a week from the Westside to San Gabriel to get a massage. 'There 's very little science so far, even in China.'" (See www.reflexologyresearch.com for information about the 100 controlled studies in reflexology conducted in China, Denmark, the UK, the US, Austria, Italy, Singapore, Thailand, and India.)
LATimes.com quotes San Gabriel City Planner Mark Gallatin: "It's amazing how people can make a living as prices continue to drop. You would think it would be better to open up where there's less competition."
Part of the answer for the concentration of foot massage businesses could be the law. The typical massage and massage establishment laws of Los Angeles County and its cities are written and enforced for anti-prostitution concerns. They include extensive requirements such a "police permit." The city of San Gabriel requires both foot massage and massage establishments to meet the far less stringent requirements of the state's cosmetology and barber licensing board. In addition, individuals who work at the foot massage establishments are required to hold a cosmetology or manicurist license from the state. Those practicing at a massage establishment are required to under-go a police background check.
1. "Foot massage key to overall health (www.btmbeijing.com)
2. "Beijing sees boom in foot massage parlors," Asian Economic News, August 8, 2005
3. Kazuto Tsukamoto, "Asia: Foot massage vocation giving young Chinese a leg up in life, "The Asahi Simbun (Japan), May 31, 2007
4. Liu Jie, "Happy feet makes for good business," China Daily, March 25, 2005 (www.chinadaily.com)
5. "Putting His Best Foot Forward, "Business Week, November 8, 2004
6. "The world at your feet," Ye Jun 2006-03-10 08:25 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2006-03/10/content_530668.htm
7. IBID, China Daily
8. Ye Jun, "The world at your feet," China Daily, March 10, 2006, (www.chinadaily.com.cn)
9. "Beijing sees boom in foot massage parlors, "Asia Economic News, August 8, 2005
10. Pierson, David, "Archrivals in foot massage," Los Angeles Times / LATimes.com, July 31, 2007
©2007 Kunz & Kunz