HILLIARD, Ohio — The pandemic has created economic woes for many industries and businesses in Ohio, but for some, the burden is the need to hire more people.
Lisa Zucco is getting the massage bed ready for a new client.
“Beforehand in the industry, it was normal for you to change out all the linens, but you didn’t spray down every surface before because the client typically didn’t come into contact with any of these surfaces,” explained Zucco.
As the Elements Massage owner sprays down the bed, she’s happy to be open after being closed from COVID-19 shutdowns.
“I have five studios. So, to have probably close to 100 employees essentially laid off for a time frame is very frightening.”
As she steps outside, she says since reopening, message therapy has been in demand and has the need to hire more therapists.
“We were really pleasantly surprised at how the community really embraced returning to massage. I think that quarantine for everybody just really increased everyone’s stress level.”
She says same-day appointments are getting hard to book for customers, and she needs to hire over 20 therapists between her Ohio Elements Massage locations.
The demand for massage therapy jobs also growing nationwide. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, positions for massage services are expected to grow by 21 percent by 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.
And it’s a demand Zucco is already feeling.
“Between the stress of the pandemic and just the health issues that people are having, it’s going to be a constant need. People are more and more focused on their wellness in general, and I think this pandemic has really driven that home to a lot more people, so I think it’s here for the long haul.”
But a problem she’s happy to have.
“Being the owner, I get to see a lot of change in a lot of people. So, I really like that fact that we’re helping so many people,” said Zucco. “We’re very big on it being kind of a family, teamwork approach in the studios. So, I like people, and that’s the part of this that I really love is being able to connect with them and make a difference.”
