Massage Therapy Schools

Massage schools are flourishing, even though massage therapy is as ancient as medical treatment itself. But with modern medicine and its scientific and logical base, massage therapy also has come into its own as a distinct form of treatment. There are numerous massage schools imparting the necessary knowledge and practice to thousands of health care professionals.

In these massage schools, the therapist is taught to manipulate the soft tissues of the body by stroking, kneading, squeezing and pressing. Various Massage schools are offering instruction in over 100 different types of massages, some general and some targeting specific problems. The therapies taught in these massage schools all relax the soft tissues like muscles, skin, joints, tendons and ligament. They all improve circulation, stimulate the lymphatic system and calm the nerves. The main benefit of the therapy is the easing of tension and stress in the body and mind.

To become a massage therapist the basic entry-level qualification required by a massage therapy school, is a high-school diploma. Currently, about 34 states have a licensing system for therapists. Some Counties and Cities set their own standards. Most states accept NCE (National Certification Examination) as a sufficient qualification for a therapist. Some states accept only COMTA (Commission on massage therapy Accreditation) certificates. There are five federally sanctioned accrediting boards: COMTA, ACCSCT, ACCET, ABHES and NACCAS.

The accredited massage schools prepare the students for the board examinations. Most massage schools have set a minimum attendance standard of about 500 hours of supervised classroom and hands-on instructions. The candidates with NCE, COMTA or other valid certificates are registered with the relevant professional massage associations and get their registration numbers. They are then ready to join any massage organization or start their own practice.

There are three massage therapist associations who set a very high standard of ethics and competency. They are NCTMB (Nationally Certified Board for Therapeutic Massage and Boardwork), AMTA (American massage therapy Associations), and AMBP (Associated Massage and Bodywork Professionals).

The tuition fee for a well regarded massage school is about $10 per hour. You need about $5,000 to complete a certificate in an average massage therapy school. There are loans and grants available for the students who enroll in federally accredited massage schools. There are other forms of financial assistance, as well. Veterans and disabled persons also have their federally funded administration to help them.