Award winning company, The Massage Company, opens its first franchise in Tunbridge Wells

The Massage Company (TMC) have continued their mission to ‘bring massage to the mainstream’ and are excited to announce the opening of the first franchisee location (2nd UK centre) in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

“Taran and Sophie Bassi, our first franchisees, have found a terrific property on Monson Road near the centre of the town” explains Elliot Walker, Founder and Commercial Director. “The building is based over 2 floors, with space for 14 treatment rooms, including 1 duo room. The whole design has been copied across from the pilot centre in Camberley, giving consistent quality and customer experience within the centre. We are delighted to have found a location with such visibility and potential for local customers.”

When asked about the build process, and pre-opening, Taran was particularly drawn to the recruitment and team development that is so crucial in building the business. “We started recruitment in early May and I have been hugely encouraged by not only the quality of our massage therapy team, but also the volume of response generated by our recruitment partners. We have started by employing 8 therapists, along with 2 front desk membership supervisors, and will be recruiting again soon!”

The massage therapist team have all had to undergo and pass the TMC Training Programme, designed and assessed by John Holman, Director of Massage Training. Through a combination of techniques designed to be both highly effective and highly protective (to the therapists), TMC are confident they have a massage experience that is 50% better than the average in the UK, whilst simultaneously giving the therapists the best possible protection for a long career ahead in massage therapy.

Tunbridge Wells has a diverse market catchment, with a combination of residential, commercial and transient people making up the potential customer base. An area TMC has really focused is in pre-sale, to drive business through the doors from day 1. Taran and the team were present at many local events, including ‘Local and Live’ a long weekend of music in the centre of the town, to launch the business, and together with the central TMC sales and marketing support, over 5 weeks’ business was already booked and paid for prior to the doors opening on 7th September.

Building local partnerships and relationships will be key to TMC in Tunbridge Wells, and it was exciting to have the local Mayor Len Horwood formally open the centre, in front of the team and other business leaders.

The Mayor and Mayoress were impressed with the facility, the scale and investment, and delighted that a new business concept has arrived in the town to bring more footfall and long-term employment.