Zen MassageFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Zen Massage franchise requires a total initial investment of $296K – $363K, including a $39K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $477K[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $296K – $363K
- 55th pct Healthcare
- Avg gross sales
- $477K
- 12th pct Healthcare
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 5th pct Healthcare
- Units
- 9
- 28th pct Healthcare
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Healthcare · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Healthcare avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- Total investment $296K – $363K including a $39K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $477K/year (median $391K).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 60/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Zen Massage Franchising, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- NC
- HQ
- 19911 Zion Avenue St. D-1, Cornelius, NC 28031
- Auditor
- Scharf Pera & Co., PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $264K
- vs $257K prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate massage therapy clinics providing services such as Swedish, deep tissue, hot stone, and specialty wellness treatments. Day-to-day operations involve managing licensed massage therapists, scheduling clients, maintaining HIPAA/health compliance, inventory management, and delivering customer service in a professional spa environment.
- CEO
- Keith Larson
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2006
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 5
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $39K | $39K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $25K | $50K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $232K | $274K |
| Total initial investment | $296K | $363K |
Source: Zen Massage 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$86K
18.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
23%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.3 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $296K – $363K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $39K – $39K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Weekly Receipts · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $400 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $477K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $391K
- Item 19 type
- Gross Receipts
- Sample size
- 9 units
- vs category median 12
- Range (low → high)
- $320K→$813K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 201 Healthcare brands
vs Healthcare averages
How Zen Massage Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 9
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 78%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- Outlier
- Reported value implausible. See FDD Item 20
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 25 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- $594K
- Median loan
- $125K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Zen Massage's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 1 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 1 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Zen Massage presents elevated risk due to undisclosed profitability data, micro-scale franchise system, going concern status, and high capital requirements relative to unproven unit economics.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Scharf Pera & Co., PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 60 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (Average Net Income) disclosed — cannot verify actual profitability despite $476.5K average revenue
- 02MEDOnly 9 units system-wide indicates extremely limited scale and growth potential; unit growth trajectory unknown
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests financial instability at corporate level or unresolved operational issues
- 04MEDHigh initial investment ($295.5K–$362.5K) relative to system size creates concentration risk and limited support infrastructure
- 05MINORMassage/wellness sector highly dependent on local licensing, staffing, and client retention — difficult to scale consistently
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Population |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | North Carolina |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 17 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 20 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at Restaurant
- POS system
- Mindbody
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Mindbody
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
33 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Zen Massage · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Zen Massage franchise?
The total investment to open a Zen Massage franchise ranges from $296K – $363K, with an initial franchise fee of $39K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Zen Massage franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Zen Massage FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $477K. The median is $391K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Zen Massage's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Zen Massage (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Zen Massage franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Zen Massage has 9 total units in the United States, including 7 franchised units and 2 company-owned units.
Is Zen Massage a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Zen Massage as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 60 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.