About Elements Massage:
Company Size: 65+ employees
Where: Arizona and nationwide
Client Industry: Massage therapy
Joined OnPay: January 2023
HOW IT ALL STARTED
The right elements: How massage therapy sparked a career change
For Elements Massage franchisee Carlos Vanegas, the journey began years ago as a client suffering from severe lower back pain. After massage therapy saved him from surgery, he realized he wanted to be part of the industry that gave him his life back.
Launching his first Elements Massage location in 2019, he set out with a clear mission: to share the life-changing wellness benefits he had personally experienced. Since then, he has grown his business to three locations, employing a team of more than 65 people.
“I really love the services we provide and how we can literally change lives through massage,” Carlos says. “Driven by that passion, I knew this was a business I wanted to be part of so I could help others on a larger scale.”
That dedication is validated every day in each of his studios. Carlos loves hearing clients’ stories about their improved mobility, and notes that it’s common to see clients hugging their therapists after a session. For Carlos, those moments bring everything full circle: “I love seeing that most of all — because I was one of those clients once.”
THE CHALLENGE
How a trusted recommendation became a roadblock
In the very early days of the franchise, Carlos went with a payroll vendor based on a trusted recommendation, skipping the research phase. Fast forward a few years when he purchased another location from an existing owner, and Carlos began experiencing a lot of frustration with their payroll provider.
Scaling to multiple locations made managing health benefits and 401(k)s much more complicated. The payroll vendor quickly became a source of frustration. Instead of saving time, Carlos found himself dealing with unhelpful support, confusing invoices, too many features — and lots of hidden fees.
Running a scaling business without an HR department meant Carlos had no time to waste on administrative friction. To save his sanity and his bottom line, he set three non-negotiables in his search for a new provider:
- End-to-end automation: Taking the guesswork out of tax filings and payroll tracking
- Transparent pricing: Eliminating the unexpected invoices and hidden fees for good
- Simplicity first: A streamlined system built for a busy franchise owner to run independently
THE SOLUTION
Streamlining franchise payroll operations with OnPay
Recognizing the need for a change, Carlos evaluated several payroll alternatives, vetting roughly 10 different providers. Two things mattered most: cost and customer service. The goal? Find a solution that offered automation, easy-to-understand pricing, and simplicity without the messy, fragmented feel of his previous vendor.
After reading all the ratings and reviews he could find, Carlos chose OnPay — and it’s proven to be one of his best business decisions since becoming a franchisee.
While his previous provider offered a lot of features, the system was so disconnected that getting help felt like a full-time job. In contrast, OnPay delivered a seamless, unified platform and backed it with exceptional support. Switching was so easy that Carlos jokes he barely even remembers the setup process — finally giving the business the reliable partnership it had been missing for years.
Franchise and chain review
“OnPay is allotting us more time — less time working on payroll and more time spent growing the business. You should try OnPay. It will save you a lot of money and you will have a great experience.”
— Carlos V., Franchise Owner, Elements Massage
THE RESULTS
Big savings and peace of mind
Since switching to OnPay, Carlos has cut payroll costs by more than half, saving thousands of dollars while gaining more accurate tax filings and expert support. The days of hidden fees have been replaced by clear, upfront pricing, and OnPay even serves as the franchise’s Broker of Record for health insurance plans. Because everything is in one place, Carlos and his operations team can easily collaborate without stepping on each other’s toes. Backed by an intuitive interface and simplified reporting, running payroll is no longer a chore — giving Carlos time back to focus on marketing and growing his business.
