The Joint plans to open 22 Dallas-Fort Worth locations

From the Dallas Business Journal: bizjournals.com/dallas

Developers behind the Massage Envy chain plan to open more than 20 chiropractic clinics called The Joint throughout North Texas in the next three to five years.

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based The Joint Corp. has named Anne and David Glover of Houston as regional developer and master franchisor for 50 outlets in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Austin. The couple plans to put 22 in the D-FW area, 20 in Houston and eight in Austin, David Glover said.

The franchise fee for The Joint is $29,000 and the total cost to open one runs $80,000 to $100,000, David Glover said.

The Glovers opened five Massage Envy locations in Houston and sold them a little more than a year ago, they said. The couple worked on that project with John Leonesio, founder and former CEO of Massage Envy and current CEO of The Joint.

Massage Envy has more than 700 locations nationally, including 27 in the D-FW area and 27 in the Houston area. Those locations cost $250,000 to $300,000 to open because they're more than twice the size of a typical 1,200-square foot The Joint location.

The Joint will look for existing space. Building the interior takes about three weeks.

Clients pay $49 a month for memberships and receive four adjustments monthly. Walk-in adjustments for nonmembers are available for $29. The Joint does not take appointments or accept insurance because doing so creates too much paperwork, Anne Glover said.

Like Massage Envy, The Joint will set up shop in retail centers, not medical office buildings, and will go into both urban and suburban areas, David Glover said.

Leonesio, who opened health clubs in Dallas, Houston and Austin before founding Massage Envy then joining The Joint, said he likes the Texas market because people in the state are healthconscious. The Glovers, who built their Massage Envy locations into the top revenue-producing locations in the chain, were the natural pick to grow The Joint in Texas, Leonesio said.

The demand for chiropractic care is increasing as baby boomers age, Leonesio said. Chiropractic care is an approximately $10 billion industry, compared to about $7 billion for massage, he said. The Joint's low cost adjustments, membership program, no-appointment policy and ease of use set it apart from other clinics, Leonesio said.

The projected annual revenue for a The Joint franchise is about $200,000 the first year and $300,000 to $400,000 in subsequent years, depending on population density and other factors, he said.

Increasing numbers of people are looking for ways to take care of their health problems without surgery or drugs, said Dr. Fabrizio Mancini, president of Dallas-based Parker University, formerly Parker College of Chiropractic. About 31 million Americans, or 8 percent of the population, use chiropractic care, he said.

While demand for The Joint's services will likely be strong, Mancini expressed concern that patients might not get individualized attention under the clinic's business model. Students