Does the Therapist's Sex Affect the Psychological Effects of Sports Massage?-A Quasi-Experimental Study

The Indonesian consumer perspective on the massage industry: A conjoint analysis approach

The massage industry has been in the market for more than thousands of years. Consumers purchase massage services to treat illnesses, alleviate pain, or improve well-being. Despite the popularity of this industry and the benefits it entails, consumers' preferences vary and massage parlors' stakeholders have inconsistent market segmentation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate consumer preferences toward massage services offered by massage parlors in Indonesia through conjoint analysis. Conjoint analysis' orthogonal design concentrated on stimuli preferences and it was further supported by generating 1.000 consistency and reliability based on Kendall Tau's holdout. A total of 212 respondents answered the online questionnaire voluntarily. The results showed that the Google rating was the most important attribute (68.5%), followed by the gender of the massage therapist (12.4%), the type of massage (9.6%), the type of room (4.5%), the duration (3.6%) and the price (1.4%). Moreover, this research assessed 27 stimuli and found that the best combination was employing female massage therapists, IDR 100k-150k price every session, 90 minutes massage duration, couple room with two beds, acupuncture and cupping massage type, and massage parlors with greater than 4.6 Google review rating. This present research was one of the first studies that explored unique and holistic massage services through conjoint analysis. Unlike the previous studies that only focused on one massage service attribute or did not provide specific levels for evaluated attributes, the conjoint's orthogonal design delivered a new perception of prioritizing both consumers and the business side as some would only focus on one or the other. Also, the findings could be useful for massage parlors' stakeholders in developing marketing strategies, enhancing operational strategies, and promoting customer satisfaction. Marketing tactics such as promotional discounts would inspire customers to provide an optimistic Google review. Business owners were encouraged to focus on giving the best experience starting with a well-trained massage therapist, clean and hygienic rooms, and quality materials. These theoretical and practical implications aid in building the massage parlor's credibility that could be perceived positively by consumers.

Differential Effects of Classical vs. Sports Massage on Erector Spinae and Upper Trapezius Muscle Stiffness: A Shear-Wave Elastography Study in Young Women

Classical and sports massages are commonly used interventions, but their comparative effects on muscle stiffness remain unclear. Classical massage is more general and uses light to moderate pressure, and its main purpose is relaxation. Sports massage, on the other hand, is more specialized and targets the unique needs of massaged individuals using moderate to firm pressure. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of classical and sports massages on the stiffness of the erector spinae (ES) and upper trapezius (UT) muscles. Fifteen recreationally active young women, aged 22.9 ± 1.2 years, underwent a randomized cross-over study (with three conditions). Participants received either a five-minute classical or sports massage or a passive rest as a control on distinct days. Muscle stiffness was assessed using shear-wave elastography. The ES shear modulus displayed a significant time effect (p < 0.001; η2 = 0.515) without noticeable differences between the conditions, and the time × massage-type interactions approached statistical significance (F = 2.014; p = 0.073). There was also a large and statistically significant effect of the time on the UT (F = 11.127; p < 0.001; η2 = 0.443). We could not prove that classical and sports massages reduced muscle stiffness. The absence of significant differences might be attributed to the specific intervention parameters (massage duration of 5 min) and the small, only young women sample size. Given some tendencies towards significant effects, larger sample sizes are needed to further investigate this research question.