Florida School of Massage

by Roy Cunningham
(Buffalo, NY)

I studied at the FSM starting in January 1999. At that time the school was on "the list" for New York state, so I could sit for the exam after a six month course. FSM has since (understandably) ceased jumping through the hoops put up by NY and is no longer an option if you want a NY license.

I could not be more pleased with the training I got. The focus was relatively more on how to be a really useful and compassionate LMT and relatively less on textbook pathophysiology and medical terminology. Several teachers made it clear that licensing exams would sort out those who did not take responsibility for the academic work. Instruction was emphatic, personal and fun. Standards were high.

One weakness of the program was that it appeared to overwhelm students with little or no academic background in biology, physiology and kinesiology. This part of the curriculum was review for me, but I saw other students struggle.

I passed the NY exam in August 1999 and have been in practice since in western New York. The teachers at the FSM were right; I walked out well prepared for basic work as a Massage Therapist.