Massage Therapy is part art and part science, but certainly a serious endeavor. In the U.S., 37 out of the 50 states require a certification for massage therapists and can levy significant fines on individuals who lack such certification. Especially if you wish to practice in more than one state, it is imperative that you select a massage therapy school that is nationally accredited. Here is how you can find out whether a school is nationally accredited.
Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation
COMTA stands for Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation. Here is a partial list of schools accredited by this major organization. For a full list, please refer to the Reference link.
Arizona
Arizona School of Massage Therapy
9201 N. 29th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85051
866-331-HEAL/602-331-HEAL
www.arizonasmt.com
Arizona School of Massage Therapy
1409 W. Southern Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85282
877-969-BODY/480-983-2222
www.arizonasmt.com
California
International Professional School of Bodywork
9025 Balboa Ave., Suite 130
San Diego, CA 92123
858-505-1100
www.ipsb.edu
Mueller College of Holistic Studies
4607 Park Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92116
800-245-1976/619-291-9811
www.mueller.edu
Mueller College of Holistic Studies
6160 Mission Gorge Road
San Diego, CA 92120
800-245-1976/619-291-9811
www.mueller.edu
Colorado
Academy of Natural Therapy
625 8th Avenue
Greeley, CO 80631
888-211-9097/970-352-1181
www.natural-therapy.com
Denver School of Massage Therapy
14107 E. Exposition Ave.
Aurora, CO 80012
888-869-HEAL/303-366-HEAL
www.denversmt.com
Denver School of Massage Therapy
8991 Harlan Street
Westminster, CO 80031
866-301-JOB1/303-426-JOB1
www.denversmt.com
Massage Therapy Institute of Colorado
1441 York St., Suite 301
Denver, CO 80206
303-329-6345
www.mtic.edu
Rolf Institute
5055 Chaparral Court, Suite 103
Boulder, CO 80301
303-449-5903
www.rolf.org
Connecticut
Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy
75 Kitts Lane
Newington, CT 06111
877-282-2268/860-667-1886
www.ccmt.com
Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy
25 Sylvan Rd. South
Westport, CT 06880
877-292-2268/203-221-7325
www.ccmt.com
Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy
1154 Poquonnock Rd.
Groton, CT 06340
877-295-2268/860-446-2299
www.ccmt.com
Delaware
The National Massage Therapy Institute
1601 Concord Pike, Suite 82-84
Wilmington, DE 19803
800-264-9835
www.studymassage.com
District of Columbia
Potomac Massage Training Institute
5028 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20016-4118
202-686-7046
www.pmti.org
Florida
Educating Hands School of Massage
120 S.W. 8th St.
Miami, FL 33130
800-999-6991/305-285-6991
www.educatinghands.com
Florida College of Natural Health
2001 W. Sample Rd, Suite 318
Pompano Beach, FL 33064
800-541-9299/954-975-6400
www.fcnh.com
Florida College of Natural Health
616 67th St. Circle East
Bradenton, FL 34208
800-966-7117/941-744-1244
www.fcnh.com
Florida College of Natural Health
2600 Lake Lucien Dr., Suite 140
Maitland, FL 32751
800-393-7337/407-261-0319
www.fcnh.com
Florida College of Natural Health
7925 N.W. 12th St., Suite 201
Miami, FL 33126
800-599-9599/305-597-9599
www.fcnh.com
Florida School of Massage
6421 SW 13th St.
Gainesville, FL 32608
352-378-7891
www.floridaschoolofmassage.com
Sarasota School of Massage Therapy
5899 Whitfield Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34243
877-613-7768/941-957-0577
www.sarasotamassageschool.com
Georgia
Academy of Somatic Healing Arts (ASHA)
7094 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Norcross, GA 30071
770-368-2661
www.ashamassage.com
Illinois
Cortiva Institute-Chicago
17 N. State St., 5th Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
312-753-7900
www.cortiva.com/csmt
Cortiva Institute-Chicago
McHenry Community College
100 S. Main St.
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
815-479-7590
www.cortiva.com/csmt
Elgin Community College-Massage Therapy Program
1700 Spartan Drive
Elgin, IL 60123-7193
847-214-7323
www.elgin.edu
Kishwaukee College-Therapeutic Massage Certification Program
21193 Malta Rd.
Malta, IL 60150
815-825-2086, ext. 259
www.kishwaukeecollege.edu
Morton College-Therapeutic Massage Program
3801 South Central
Cicero, IL 60804
708-656-8000, ext. 412
www.morton.edu
National University of Health Sciences
200 E. Roosevelt Rd.
Lombard, IL 60148
630-889-6545
www.nuhs.edu
Solex Medical Academy
350 East Dundee Road, Suite 200
Wheeling, IL 60090
847-229-9595
massage.solex.edu
Indiana
Alexandria School of Scientific Therapeutics
809 S. Harrison St.
P.O. Box 287
Alexandria, IN 46001
800-622-8756/765-724-9152
www.assti.com
Iowa
Carlson College of Massage Therapy
11809 County Road X28
Anamosa, IA 52205
319-462-3402
www.carlsoncollege.com
Louisiana
Moore Career College
6160 Perkins Road Suite 200
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
225-757-3770
www.moorecareercollege.com
Maine
Downeast School of Massage
99 Moose Meadow Lane
P.O. Box 24
Waldoboro, ME 04572
207-832-5531
www.downeastschoolofmassage.net
New Hampshire Institute for Therapeutic Arts
27 Sandy Creek Rd.
Bridgton, ME 04009
207-647-3794
www.nhita.com
Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
Another major accreditation body is the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools. The ABHES database of accredited schools is quite large, but is easy to search by school. The entire database can also be downloaded at the ABHES link in the Reference section. The full list will include massage schools as well as other education centers, so be sure to check if a particular school you are interested in offers massage education.
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) is yet another prestigious organization. The school's searchable database is quite user-friendly. If you wish to view a list of all accredited massage schools, simply go to the link in the Reference section, and select "Holistic Arts and Sciences" in the last drop-down menu. When you then click on "Search," the database will display a list of accredited massage schools. Just like the ABHES database, this list too will contain massage schools as well as a few other education centers, so make sure to check with the individual schools to see if they offer massage education.
Tags: Massage Therapy, School Massage, Massage Therapy, School Massage Therapy, College Natural
