Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Massage Therapists
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Heritage and Community College of Denver.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Colorado School of Healing Arts.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Community College of Denver, Otero Junior College, Trinidad State Junior College, and Pueblo Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Morgan Community College, Trinidad State Junior College, Pueblo Community College, and Otero Junior College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Colorado Northwestern Community College, Trinidad State Junior College, Otero Junior College, and Heritage.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Colorado Northwestern Community College, Trinidad State Junior College, and Otero Junior College.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Colorado Northwestern Community College.
Spotlight Schools Search
Spotlight Colorado Schools Related to This Career
- Locations: Aurora
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Diploma
See these schools on a map
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Sort Reviews By:Sorting by: • Show All Details • Hide All Details
The Healing Arts Institute • Fort Collins, CO
Studying Neuromuscular Rehabilitation (completion in 2006)
• 5/2/2011
"This school trained me to not only physically apply massage but how to emotionally center myself. I learned much more than simple massage there. It was a very spiritually-freeing school and to me, that is priceless."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Most definitely, yes, go to The Healing Arts Institute on Automation Way (I have to give the street name because there is a second, nonaffiliated school also called healing arts in the area). The training you will receive at my school will fit most other state requirements for massage licenses, and they do also offer a national certification class curriculum. This school's massage therapy reputation is excellent as well. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | I chose this school based on its excellent reviews. The Body Insight Program still stands out as a top notch program. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Neuromuscular active rehabilitation, which was called the Body Insight Program at this school, has given me a huge edge on students from less intensive training programs. A lot of schools in the Maine area only teach basic massage. I usually always stand out because my training when trying to land jobs. |
| Instruction | 10 | They always took extra time to make sure everyone understood exactly how to apply what was being taught. The school also had very well-rounded teachers with years and years of experience. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I picked up massage moves pretty well after a lot of practice during the class sessions. The workload itself was actually pretty intensive because our classes met at 8am and went until 4pm five days per week. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The only times we used books were in business courses, half of our body insight training courses, anatomy, and physiology, but it was more hands on than anything else. We also used our body insight books, which were written by the the school owners, to view multiple picture step procedures and postures which were to be applied. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Slightly flexible. if I missed a class, I could sit in on a night class with a totally different study group. We could also pay for class tutors to teach us what we missed on the weekend. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | All the rooms were very large with high ceilings and folding massage tables. They well heated or air conditioned, depending on the season. Instructors were always easy to find if we had any questions. There was always a well stocked inventory of oils, lotions, massage table accessories, books, and videos which we could sample or buy, depending on the product. The tutors were always available and flexible when figuring out times to meet. Our group support always went well. It was always very easy to call a classmate to ask questions or to meet to have a study session. |
| Social Life | 10 | We were a very tight knit class of 22 people attending this program at the school. Since our classes were like full time work weeks, we all became very good friends. |
| Placement Services | 1 | Once all of us in the classes finished school, we were very much just left to fend for ourselves. Job placement was close to nonexistent unless you happened to meet someone passing through the school or personally knew an instructor at the school previous to attending. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | It was a little below average. Former students rarely made visits, and names of past alumni were barely ever mentioned. The only alumni we ever knew of were people who worked there as instructors. |
Denver School Of Massage Therapy • Aurora, CO
Studying Professional Massage Therapist (completion in 2006)
• 11/18/2011
"I feel my school set me up well in terms of the education and modalities taught. I think my cadaver classes were the most important and am amazed at the schools who do not offer these classes. I do believe that they weren't up-front about the saturation of the massage therapist market and the possibility of making millions in just a few years."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I think the classes they offered (Swedish, acupressure, shiatsu, deep tissue, anatomy/cadaver lab, trigger point, cranial sacral, reflexology, Russian massage, and chair massage) was very well rounded and gave me the opportunity to "try-out" a variety of techniques before choosing which ones felt more natural to me. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Another massage therapist recommend my school to me and I would do the same. After doing research and talking with other therapists, Denver School of Massage Therapy seemed to offer a more well rounded education that other schools. |
| Program Quality | 9 | We were taught a variety of Western and Eastern modalities. We got to experience cadaver classes. |
| Instruction | 9 | I believe the curriculum was very well rounded and I'm able to use a variety of manipulation techniques but also incorporate energy modalities. I feel very educated on the body and how it works. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I would say the workload was above what I received in college classes. The program was 7 months long, so I received a lot of information in a small amount of time. But the program was organized in a way that made it easier to connect everything. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was split very evenly between each. Each class was 3 hours long. We usually did 1 to 1 1/2 hours of lecturing/book learning, usually 30-40 minutes of a demo from the teacher, and the rest was spent trading. We usually had about 45-50 minutes per trade, per classes. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I did not research all the opportunities, but I know they offered classes in 3 different schedules. You were required to do a 5-6 hour clinical shift either Saturday or Sunday. For my 7 month program, I went to class 3-4 days a week, 8 hours a day. I was in the fast-track program. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Class sizes were small - each had around 20 students. It was very easy to have access to instructors and TA's. They offered review classes for tests and extra help when needed. |
| Social Life | 9 | We didn't have many parties or athletic gatherings, but the community and family built within the classes was very supportive. I gained many friends and confidantes and was able to grow more as a person then I had ever before. I believe it's hard to not create strong bonds when you are consistently exchanging massage with the same people. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I know they have recruiting visits and they will help set-up interviews for you. They did help me greatly with my resume before leaving. They set me up with 3 interviews after graduating. I have not sought out their services in 3-4 years. |
| Alumni Network | I have not been involved with the alumni network at my school. I rely on ABMP for support and networking. |
Review your current or past school and help others make better career decisions.