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Massage SchoolsChoosing a Massage School can be an overwhelming process. Today there are over 1,500 massage schools in the US alone. There are so many different things to consider that it is often difficult to know where to start. If you are just looking for a list of the best massage schools you won't find one anywhere. There is no such thing as a best massage school. Learning about massage schools and what is in store for you when you decide to become a massage therapist is an important part of getting a good career start. Just like anything else there are good massage schools and bad massage schools. What is best for some people are not good for others. Choosing the best massage school is really more about finding out what is important to you and what you value so that you can find a school that can support you on your career path. In my ebook "The Massage Therapy Career Guide", you can find out more information on how to choose the massage school that is best for you along with information on how to get the most out of massage school no matter what school you choose. The thing to remember is that massage schools are marketing to you and making sales pitches to you to try to get you to come to their school. I have even seen TV ads locally here in Seattle advertising massage schools and making it seem like a great career saying that you can make lots of money and work your own hours. They have pictures of relaxing settings with massage therapists giving massages to beautiful women. While you can make money and have a more meaningful career by choosing massage, there is also another side to the profession. The other part of the profession is that you can't make $75 per hour - you have to subtract your expenses and taxes if you are a business. Few jobs pay that much per hour and the benefits are limited. (Read the Job Section on the left navigation bar.) Before you start looking into massage schools, you need to get some ideas of what is needed to practice massage in your state, city, town, and county. To become licensed to practice massage professionally you first need to check and see what is required as far as licensing. There are about 33 states that require state licensing and some states that are in the process of creating licensing. States such as California may not have any state requirements, but they will have various local requirements. It is important to know your state and local requirements as most will be creating some kind of licensing soon. Here is a list with the states massage therapy board and licensing information.
Massage Therapy State Boards
To begin with, most schools will teach basic Swedish Massage techniques along with many other classes. Most states that require licensing require 500 hours of education at minimum. Many schools offer more than that. This practice of requiring more hours of education really started because schools could get more in financial aid for you if they charged more. The number of hours that are really needed to be successful is highly debated and one of the major political issues (see Massage Politics)in the massage profession.
Finding and choosing the school that is right for you depends on you doing your research and getting in touch with your needs.
Your choice of a school is the first of many on the path of a massage therapy career so it is one of the most important steps on the path. You can also find listings for massage schools in your states on this site at the State Licensing, Massage School and Massage Job section. Until this site gets more massage school listings, you can find listings in your phone book or atwww.massagetherapy.comorwww.amtamassage.org
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