Austin, TX 78757
737-256-2161, texts preferred
737-256-2161, texts preferred
The massage schools in town are:
-A New Beginning School Of Massage
-The Lauterstein-Conway Massage School & Clinic
-Avenue Five Institute
-Austin Massage Academy and
-Austin Community College
in no particular order.
Personally, I attended the 8 month part-time program at A New Beginning School Of Massage.
BEFORE GRADUATION
The 2 biggest challenges of being a massage therapy student are:
1) Building strength / Self-care
and
2) Learning all the muscles (and bones) of the human body
Before, during, and after massage school I recommend a consistent fitness routine with weight lifting or isometric strength exercises, and stretching/yoga. 3-6 days per week. You can also use grip and finger strengthening tools.
Also, I recommend purchasing flashcards of all the muscles in the human body and memorizing one per day. Ex. "Trail Guide to the Body Flashcards: Muscles of the Human Body" with Action, Origin, Insertion and Nerve innervation (AOIN) of each muscle. The MBLEX (Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination) for getting your license will test you on these, and anatomy knowledge helps you work smart instead of hard.
AFTER GRADUATION
Another consideration is self-employment through your own private massage practice VS working for someone else, without free reign. My massage instructors told us the income from a solo practice is much higher than working for a branded spa/someone else. However, building up clients can be a challenge when you're fresh out of school and competing with LMTs with 4-20 years of experience. If you already have a large network of friends/acquaintances, you might have enough clients. But most people work for a spa or other established massage business to build up experience first. Or, they keep their day/desk job and slowly build up a personal massage practice as a side job.