Firm readies for more Gulf Coast rubs

Massage Heights, a national franchise chain of massage retreat centers, seeks to reach new peaks in store locations, with much of the growth coming in Florida.

The San Antonio-based company, built on a monthly membership model, has nearly 100 locations, from Phoenix to Pittsburgh. Now the firm, according to co-founder and COO Shane Evans, will specifically look for franchisees in two parts of the Sunshine State: Jacksonville and the Gulf Coast. On the latter, the markets the company wants to enter over the next few years include Dunedin, Oldsmar, St. Petersburg, South Tampa, Fort Myers and Naples. The chain currently has Gulf Coast locations in Brandon, east Manatee County and Sarasota.

“Florida is a big market for us,” Evans tells Coffee Talk, “It's where the focus of our money and resources are going.”