QuickBooksIntuit
Mandatoryand software before you open for business, and maintain them during the term of your Franchise Agreement: (i) a designated point-of-sale system of hardware and software, and (ii) QuickBooks software.
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Relax The Back
Retail non foodSoftware purchasing at Relax The Back is controlled at the corporate level by Interactive Health, Inc., with key decision-makers including CEO David Wood and President Andrew Cohen. The franchise currently mandates QuickBooks by Intuit Inc. for financial management. With 79 total units (77 franchised, 2 company-owned) and an average unit volume of $911,108, the addressable market is compact but concentrated, particularly in Texas.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
79
77 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-2.532%
vs prior filing
AUV
$911K
Item 19, 2023
Royalty
5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$30K
per unit
Investment range
$195K–$420K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
3 years
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
7%of gross sales (FY2024)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 9 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You must establish and maintain at your own expense a bookkeeping, accounting (including our standard chart of accounts), recordkeeping, and records retention system conforming to requirements reasonably prescribed by us from time-to-time.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
within 30 days after the end of each fiscal quarter (or otherwise as reasonably determined by us), a period profit and loss statement and a balance sheet for your Relax The Back Store, together with a report showing amounts spent by you for local advertising and promotions (with detail of how spent, including…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Except as noted above with respect to inventory from Human Touch, neither we nor any affiliate is an approved supplier of any products or services, though we may be in the future.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
The Franchisee Association is the association representing a majority of RELAX THE BACK franchisees.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We may change the list at any time.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
9822983Item 8
During our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023: (1) we derived $21,866 in revenue from franchisee purchases, which is 0.27% of our overall 2023 revenue of $8,205,554; and (2) our affiliate Human Touch derived $9,762,057 from sales to franchisees.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We may receive payments from vendors and suppliers based on your purchases, but during our last fiscal year, any such benefits or funds were remitted directly to the Marketing Fund or to the franchisees
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
50Item 8
The estimated proportion of the required purchases from approved suppliers and purchases in accordance with our specifications to all purchases in establishing the business is 80% to 90% and in the operation of the business is 50% to 65%.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
Except for products and services that are available from a single source, you may request approval of alternate suppliers.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
You hereby appoint us and any officer of ours, as your attorney in fact, to direct the telephone company, listing agencies, website hosting company, domain registrar, social network, and any other third-party owning or controlling any Contact Information to transfer the same to us or as we direct if you do not comply…
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 1
You also must comply with all payment card industry (“PCI”) Data Security Standards.
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
You will present to your customers such evaluation forms as are periodically prescribed by us (but not more than once each calendar year) and will participate and request your customers to participate in any surveys performed by or on behalf of us.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
We (and our designees) will have the right at any time during business hours, and without prior notice to you, to inspect and audit the properties, assets, premises, business records, bookkeeping and accounting records, sales and income tax records and returns (you waiving all privileges with respect thereto), cash…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We may, in our Business Judgment, modify any aspect of the Manuals, our System Standards or otherwise, to, among other things, specify brands, types and/or models of equipment which must be used by you, to specify changes in the Products and Services used and/or offered by you, and/or the decor, format, image…
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You must receive our approval of any site for the premises of your RELAX THE BACK Store.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
You will not be permitted to use any website, domain name, email address, social media account or use, streaming media account or use, username, other online presence or presence on any electronic, virtual, or digital medium of any kind (each an “Online Presence”) to promote your RELAX THE BACK Store or use any of…
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
You will spend at least $10,000 on a grand opening marketing program during the first 90 days of operating your RELAX THE BACK Store, for which you will only use marketing, advertising and public relations programs, media and materials consented to by us.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesFranchise agreement
Beginning during the month in which your first payment of the Continuing Royalty Fee is due and continuing during each month thereafter for the full term of this Agreement, you will spend for local advertising and promotion of your Relax The Back Store (including paid online search, direct mail programs, and online…
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
You are required to contribute 2% of Adjusted Gross Sales to the Digital Marketing Co-Op, and comply with the rules, regulations, and procedures of the Digital Marketing Co-Op.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
As of the date of this Disclosure Document, you must purchase certain seating and massage chair products from Human Touch.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must lease and/or purchase equipment, fixtures, furniture, trade dress items, supplies, inventory, computer hardware and software, and back-related products meeting our standards and specifications from our approved suppliers.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must purchase the hardware, software, training, technical support, and other services, as further specified in the Manuals or otherwise in writing, from a supplier approved by us.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We have independent and unlimited access to the information regarding your franchise operations generated and stored on your computer.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
We may charge a fee for such additional training.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
Attendance by you at the Relax The Back annual convention (and/or any other meeting where attendance is designated by us as required) is mandatory.
The vendor opportunity at Relax The Back
Relax The Back operates 79 locations—77 franchised and 2 company-owned—making it a compact but specialized target for software vendors. The average unit volume sits at $911,108, and the system is concentrated in a handful of states, led by Texas with 5 units, followed by New York, Washington, and Utah with 1 each. Year-over-year unit growth declined by 2.532%, signaling a mature, stable footprint rather than rapid expansion. For a vendor, the opportunity lies in penetrating a small, centralized network where a single HQ relationship can influence the entire system.
Who controls software purchasing
All franchised locations operate under Interactive Health, Inc., the parent company. The 2024 FDD lists five executives in Item 1: David Wood, Director of RTB and Chief Executive Officer of Interactive Health; Robert Chartener, Board Member and Consultant; Christopher Daniel, Director; Pamela Sheiffer, Director; and Andrew Cohen, President. No separate CIO, CTO, or VP of Technology is named, which suggests that technology decisions likely route through Wood or Cohen at the parent level. Vendors should prepare to engage these executives directly, as the franchisee base consists entirely of single-unit operators with no multi-unit owners, giving franchisees little independent purchasing leverage.
Mandated and current tech stack
The only technology system explicitly mandated in the 2024 FDD is QuickBooks by Intuit Inc. No point-of-sale, inventory management, CRM, or ERP platforms are listed as required or recommended. This narrow mandate leaves significant whitespace for vendors offering complementary tools—provided they can demonstrate integration with QuickBooks and value for a retail non-food concept focused on ergonomic and back-care products. Because the FDD is silent on other operational software, the existing tech stack beyond accounting remains unknown to outside vendors without direct discovery.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD does not include an Item 8 extract, so the formal procurement model—whether designated supplier, approved supplier, or open—is not publicly disclosed. Renewal terms, however, are clearly defined in Item 17: franchisees may renew for an additional 10 or 5 years, provided they give notice at least 12 months before expiration, cure all deficiencies, satisfy monetary obligations, execute a general release, and pay a renewal fee. These renewal windows, tied to individual unit agreement cycles, create natural moments when operators may reevaluate their software stack. With an initial term of 10 years and a 5% royalty rate, the system’s contractual rhythm is slow, favoring vendors who can build long-term relationships rather than chase quick wins.
How to read the Relax The Back FDD
The full 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. It contains the complete Item 1 executive roster, Item 11 technology obligations, Item 17 renewal conditions, and unit performance data cited throughout this page. Reviewing the FDD directly is essential for verifying the scope of mandated systems, understanding the parent company’s control points, and identifying any supplemental obligations not summarized here. For vendors building a ranked target list of franchise systems, FranCloud can help prioritize opportunities like Relax The Back based on tech gaps, decision-maker concentration, and unit economics.
Questions vendors ask
Relax The Back, answered from the filing
Purchasing authority sits with Interactive Health, Inc. Key executives include David Wood (Director of RTB; CEO of IH) and Andrew Cohen (President). No dedicated CIO or CTO is listed in the 2024 FDD.
The 2024 FDD mandates QuickBooks by Intuit Inc. No POS or other operational systems are disclosed as mandated or recommended in Item 11.
79 total units: 77 franchised and 2 company-owned. The operator footprint is small, with 8 mapped operators concentrated in Texas (5), New York (1), Washington (1), and Utah (1).
The 2024 FDD does not include an Item 8 extract specifying designated or approved suppliers. The procurement model is not publicly disclosed in the most recent filing.
Initial franchise terms are 10 years, with renewal options for 10 or 5 years. Renewal requires 12 months' notice, creating potential windows tied to unit-level agreement cycles. Unit count declined 2.5% YoY.
The 2024 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can review it using the embedded PDF viewer below for full details on obligations, fees, and system standards.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Relax The Back files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
8 operators run 8 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit8
Top states by locations
| TX | 5 |
|---|---|
| NY | 1 |
| WA | 1 |
| UT | 1 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Relax The Back
unknown of interactive health.
Related Retail non food brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.