Massage Therapy Classes
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Massage Therapy Classes
Oct 2009
I'm interested in becoming a massage therapist and the archived
recs are pretty old for Bay Area massage therapy schools. Does
anyone have any fresh experiences to share? Thanks!
Touchy feely mama
The McKinnon Institute in Oakland is excellent. I found them to be very
organized, the instructors are great, lots of different scheduling
options, lots of great specialty classes/continuing education, and an
easy location to get to by BART if that is important to you. Feel free
to email me if you have any further questions.
Nicole
I did my massage training at Mckinnon- now McKinnon Body Therapy Center
in Oakland. It is a wonderful school, I also work in the clinic there.
They have information nights pretty regularly and if those don't work
for you, you could call and set up an appointment with Carl Johns to
talk about the School and programs. They have it set up so you can take
the initial 100 hours of Swedish massage as either an intensive 2-week
program or sessions that run during weekday mornings or weekend
classes.
They offer a lot of modalities and have some really wonderful
instructors.
http://www.mckinnonmassage.com/index.php
Marion
May 2006
The postings on this school are 4 years old, so I was hoping
for more recent experience on the quality of instruction and
job prospects after completing the program. My daughter wants
to attend National Holistic Institute massage therapy school
this summer right afer high school. She is not very mature for
her age and has some learning problems. It seems like a very
reputable school, but I wonder how thorough their screening
process is on identifying students who have a good chance of
successfully completing the program and finding employment. We
visited the school and had an informational interview, and the
person we spoke to said she thought my daughter would be a good
fit for their program, but I'm not so sure, at least not for a
few years. I am wondering if our ability to pay the tuition
made her a better fit. Also, I am wondering how academic the
program is as it includes anatomy and physiology, and how much
support students get with the academic part of the
instruction. It would be great to hear from someone who has
actually attended the school.
NHI...I currently attend NHI and really love it! The majority of
the instructors are great. (that was also my opinon of the UC
when I was in college- ALL instructors are never ''great''). I
think like with any school for anything the students make or
break their success. NHI offers so many tools for success!
Externship- this throws you into the ''work force''. You not only
get experience to put on your resume (which they make you write
while attending school) but also gives you a feel for how the
real world will be without the pressure of being paid. Teaching
clinic hours- allows you to get over the massaging a stranger
fear in a safe environment. All the marketing/business classes
give you a realistic idea of what is to come. You learn so many
modalities of massage! The anantomy/phys/kines classes are a huge
part of what sets NHI apart from the quicker/less hours schools.
Knowing where the muscles are and what they do takes your skills
and massages to the next level! No, it is not easy. For one of
the kinesiology tests my group took a few people actually failed
the test. From what I could tell the teacher immediately set them
up for tutoring so they could pass. These students should have
signed up for tutoring on their own before the test. As well as
the tutoring that is always available we also have group
tutoring/class type study groups before major tests that they
could have participated in. So, yes, the test was hard but the
students who failed didn't participate in the resouces available
to them. Is your daughter ready to be pro-active? If not, maybe
she should wait. I agree that if you can pay the tuition then NHI
considers you ''great for the program''.
-can't wait to start doing work I love!
April 2003
I am looking for a class to learn massage by giving it and
receiving it, sort of for fun, not professional. I am also
looking for a class in meditation guided by an instructor. I
have looked at some community centers but found little so far.
Have you been to any classes like these?
Laura
For meditation, look at the Spirit Rock website-
www.spiritrock.org
James Baraz teaches a class in Berkeley, which is listed through
Spirit Rock, and it's really good. For massage, you probably
need to go through a training program, where you do lots of
practice and exchanges. ReSource is great if it's still around.
me
You might want to check out Yogalayam at 1717 Alcatraz in
Berkeley. I've taken the pre-natal and post-natal yoga classes
there which I've really enjoyed, and I know that they have a
variety of other classes and one-time workshops. Also, you might
be able to arrange an individual class with Saraswati -- I know
she's done that with other people. The number at Yogalayam is
510/655-3664.
Good luck!
anon
YOGA MANDALA has some very talented massage therapists of all
kinds. The place is very beautiful and the massage rooms very
clean and aesthetically planned. I also know that the massage
therapists trade massages...so I would recommend that you call
there and see if you can hook up with someone. The phone number
is 486-1989. Website yogamandalastudio.com
Best of luck
cb
July 2002
Does anyone know of any reputable massage therapy schools in the
East Bay? Also I would like any recommendations on types of
classes to take in regards to becoming a massage therapist.
Thank you.
You may want to look into National Holistic Institute & Teaching
Clinic at 59th and Powell in Emeryville. One of my former co-
workers trained there and was pleased with the program.
Apparently they have a very high placement rate for graduates.
What I, as a non-student, like best about the school is they
operate a massage clinic so students get hands-on experience:
the public can make appointments for Swedish or shiatsu massages
with students who are in their final semester. It's been about 2
years since I last made an appointment there; at the time it
cost $25 for a 50 minute appointment. I was very pleased with
the quality of the massages I received, and you can't beat that
price! Their tel # is (510) 547-6442.
Hannah
You asked for Massage Therapy schools in the East Bay, but I'm
going to recommend a school in San Anselmo, Alive and Well
Institute for Conscious Bodywork. You didn't say where you
live...I live in Richmond and it takes me 25-40 minutes to get
there depending on time of day and traffic. It takes me the same
amount of time due to traffic to get to NHI in Emeryville, so
for me A and W was a more attractive choice of schools.
Alive and Well has a great program of classes and really
wonderful teachers. It's not a huge school so I always felt like
I was getting a lot of personal attention.I made a lot of
friends there.
They have free introductory evenings for the various programs
and classes. They have a basic CMT program which is I think 120
hours including clinic hours, and 2 other higher hour programs,
570 and 1000 hours.
I've been a massage therapist for about 20 years with a career
change in the middle. I went to Alive and Well 3 years ago to
continue my education and get the 570 hour certificate (CBW-
Conscious Bodyworker). They have several payment plans and a
workstudy program.
I'd be happy to talk to you further about the school and also
about my opinion (some good some negative) about some of the
other east bay schools.
June Kamerling, Massage Therapist
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