Massage therapists shocked by sudden Massage Envy closures in Chico, Redding - KRCR

[massage]

CHICO, Calif. — "Nobody knew what was going on, they’d just been told we’re closing," said Valorie Plummer.

Plummer is one of a group of massage therapists, formerly employed by Massage Envy franchise locations in Chico and Redding, who learned suddenly that they had hours to pack up their belongings at work last Wednesday.

The Chico Massage Envy location on Mangrove Avenue, as well as the Redding location at E Cypress Avenue, were locked with no prior notice.

"We didn’t have time to prepare, we didn’t have any chance to let our clients know what was happening," said Tori Goff. "That was upsetting because we care about people, we’re not just there to make money, we’re there to help people."

Former Massage Envy therapists who spoke to KRCR said that over Memorial Day weekend they received an email from Human Resources at Nevada-based Cambridge Spa Group, which owns several Massage Envy locations, notifying them of an upcoming acquisition.

The email, obtained by KRCR, reads in part:

As part of the upcoming acquisition, we want to ensure a smooth and efficient onboarding process for everyone involved. To facilitate this, we will be sharing essential employment information with the acquiring company. If you do not want your data shared or if you do not plan to stay on through the acquisition, please communicate your decision to your Regional Director (RD) by Monday, May 27, at 5:00 PM PT.

Cambridge Spa Group's website has since been made private. It did not respond to requests for comment, along with Massage Envy corporate.

Many massage therapists say they plan to try to go at it on their own now.

"I have my own tools at home, I have my own massage table," said Angela Peccorini. "Kind of just word of mouth, friends of friends, friends of family, and then see if unemployment will do anything for me."

Peccorini says she received two weeks' pay, which she believes, did not include Paid Time Off.

"We were a place of healing but the company that owns it really just cares about making money and gutted it at the last minute," Goff said.

Former employees say they're working to compile some of their former customer base, as they were not able to obtain contact information prior to the closures.

Contact information can be found online here.

Adblock test (Why?)