MASSAGE THERAPIST PROGRAM & TRAINING

A Fulfilling Career as a Massage Therapist Starts Here

Massage Therapist Program Overview

Your journey towards a fulfilling career as a massage therapist starts here. At Healing Hands, our program does so much more than simply preparing you to become a State-Certified Massage Therapist in California. It’s designed to give you the comprehensive skills, hands-on experience, and reliable professional community that lets you truly thrive long after graduation.

Our highly respected professors and staff take a holistic approach to your education, aligning learning outcomes with a strong focus on your mind/body connection. You’ll learn powerful healing techniques that also support your ability to remain relaxed and open as you work.

Our program graduates have gone on to have successful careers in every corner of the massage therapy industry – from professional sports to medical rehabilitation and everything in between. We maintain strong relationships with employers in the field because we recognize that our relationships become your career opportunities. We’re proud of our 80% post-graduation placement rates.

The Massage Therapist Program is institutionally accredited by the Accreditation Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). One of the top accrediting agencies in the country! This program goes through reviews by ABHES in order to insure top-quality education for our students.

Massage Therapist Program - 600 Hours

Over the course of our 600-hour Massage Therapy Training Program, you’ll learn proficiency in all of the essential massage modalities, and you’ll gain the additional skills necessary for a successful career.

Interested in becoming a Certified Holistic Health Practitioner? We have a program for that!

 

Holistic Health Practioner Option

Program Duration

  • 600 Hours
  • Part-time & Full-time
  • Options Available

Related Information

  • Course Descriptions
  • Enrollment information for a program
  • Tuition information and payment plans

Campus Locations

  • Escondido (Main Campus)
  • Laguna Hills (Non-Main Campus)
  • San Diego (Kearny Mesa) Separate Education Center San Diego

Start Your New Exciting Career Now!

(800) 355-6463

Gainful Employment Disclosure

Highlights of the Program Learning Outcomes Include:

  • The Fundamentals: core knowledge of anatomy and physiology.
  • Body Mechanic Training: how to protect your body and prepare for a long, healthy career.
  • Hands-On Experience: practical training under the supervision of highly skilled instructors.
  • Communication Techniques: how to effectively assess your clients’ needs and help them reach their health goals.
  • Business Tools: the skills you’ll need (beyond the table) for a successful career.

Massage Therapy Certification Courses

Required Courses

Circulatory Massage - 100 Hours

Circulatory Massage is the most commonly requested type of massage in the spa setting. Also known as a Swedish Massage, this technique involves lubricating the skin with massage oil and performing a variety of strokes to increase circulation and smooth muscle knots. Through lecture, group discussion, and supervised hands-on practice, this course teaches students how to give a full-body Swedish-style massage. Techniques learned include gliding (Effleurage), kneading (Petrissage), and cross-fiber friction (Fanning). Special focus is given to the body’s anatomy and proper body mechanics used by professionals. In addition, students will learn “draping” techniques for assuring their client’s privacy. By the end of this course, the student will be able to deliver a full-body Swedish massage that promotes relaxation, lowers blood pressure, detoxifies the system, relieves pain, and facilitates many other health benefits.

Please note: This course is required for the Massage Therapy Program and the Holistic Health Practitioner Program.

Anatomy for Body-workers - 100 Hours

This course takes a deeper look into the fascinating world of the human body. The instructor presents a detailed exploration of its many systems including: Muscular, Circulatory, Skeletal, and Immune Systems. Students learn how these systems serve the whole body while performing their individual functions. Through a greater understanding of the body’s systems and how they interact, the student becomes aware of the many ways the body responds to and benefits from massage therapies. Anatomy for Body-Workers is designed to increase the student’s knowledge of anatomical terms and concepts, while improving their ability to communicate with the medical community, such as Chiropractors, Physical Therapists, Osteopaths, and Fitness Managers.

Please note: This course is required for the Massage Therapy Program and the Holistic Health Practitioner Program.

Business & Professional Practices - 50 hour

Business & Professional Practices gives students the skills they need to pass their licensing state exam [MBLEx] and supports the professional decisions graduates will make upon entering the field. This is a homework-intensive course. Students should be prepared to talk about test anxiety, testing skills, and learning habits and tools, and they will work to develop a rigorous study habit in preparation for the exam. The course will include benefits and contraindications of massage, ethics, boundaries, and laws, as well as techniques for compassionate but firm communication skills. Business practices topics include: career development, basic budgeting and financing skills, business operations, record keeping, and security. This course includes clinical terminology for a review of Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Pathology. The ABMP Exam Coach is required for homework. Students are highly encouraged to plan on paying for and taking the MBLEx at the end of this course.

Please note: This course is required for the Massage Therapy Program and the Holistic Health Practitioner Program.

Clinical Practicum for the Massage Therapist - 50 Hours

The 50-hour Clinical Practicum is designed to give the Massage Therapy student extended experience in clinic. Students practice their hands-on massage therapy skills, their professional communication skills such as client intake and basic paperwork procedures, draping techniques, and on-the-job work ethics. This course prepares the massage therapist for real-world job interviews and job expectations.

Please note: This course is required for the Massage Therapy Program and the Holistic Health Practitioner Program.

Choose 3 Elective Courses

Advanced Circulatory & Sports Massage - 100 Hours

Advanced Circulatory Massage introduces students to new ways of using their thumbs, fingers, and palms as well as tools such as elbows and knuckles to take Circulatory Massage to new healing heights. The Sports Massage portion of the class teaches techniques to treat a variety of clients ranging from the moderately active to the competitive athlete. Students also learn deep, invigorating massage techniques to enhance the performance of athletes during sporting events or prior to weight training. Special focus is given to cross-fiber techniques that release old adhesion's and scar tissue thereby promoting better performance and faster healing. This class equips the student with a whole new range of massage techniques that enhance their body-work and its impact on their clients.

Deep Tissue Manipulations - 100 Hours

In this course students will discover the Deep Tissue Techniques of Muscle Sculpting and Structural Organization, as pioneered by Ida Rolf. Students learn how to manipulate “fascia” – the collagen web-like network that permeates the entire body – to create more balance (as it relates to gravity) and ease of movement in the body. This work requires client participation, and special emphasis is given to the mind-body connection. Students are taught effective communication skills to facilitate the emotional awareness associated with this kind of deep bodywork. Benefits of Deep Tissue Manipulations include dramatic improvement in their client’s posture, flexibility, range of motion, and energy level, while simultaneously providing relief from tension, aches, pains, and stiffness.

Shiatsu Techniques - 100 Hours

Shiatsu is form of therapeutic bodywork that comes from Japan that is based on the Chinese Five Element Theory. The intent of Shiatsu is to enhance overall health, increase blood and lymph circulation, heal injuries, and balance the energies of the body, mind, and Spirit. Treatments are given on a mat with the client fully clothed and without the use of oil. In this course, students learn about the energy channels (meridians) that flow through the body and examine how the body’s organs correlate to the Five Elements. Through demonstration and guided, hands-on practice, students learn how to access “Acu-points” along these meridians and practice applying finger pressure, palm pressure, stretches, and other massage techniques to balance the “life-force energy” or “Chi” that these meridians carry. By the end of the course, students will be empowered to give a full body Shiatsu massage that facilitates healing and restores vitality for their clients.

Tui Na: Chinese Massage Techniques - 100 hour

Tui Na is a massage modality based on Traditional Chinese Medicine. It involves stimulation of acupressure points to directly affect the flow and balance of “chi” (or life energy) through “meridians” (or channels in the body). In this course, students learn manipulation techniques to move chi through ill and injured areas of the body, where blockages tend to occur. They will practice specific treatments to address chronic pain, common illnesses, and disorders of the spine and joints, such as sciatica and rotator cuff problems. Through demonstration and hands-on practice, students will master both oscillating techniques to increase energy and the traditional presses and pulls that are characteristic of Tui Na.