Located on Florida's warm west coast, the Sarasota School of Massage therapy offers a three semester training program which qualifies students to work as licensed professionals. The program requires 730 credit hours of study, encompassing topics like first aid, hydrotherapy and Swedish-style massage techniques. The school also has students work in volunteer positions to gain professional experience, donating their time at senior homes and hospice centers to lend their healing touch to those needing it most. Tuition for the program is $11,375 and students should budget an additional $750-$1,000 to cover the cost of books, exams, massage accessories (like oil) and licensure fees.
Describing itself as the "leading institution for advancing knowledge in massage therapy and bodywork," the Northwest Academy for the Healing Arts offers two massage programs which qualify grads to work in Washington. Those who can commit full time to studying massage can opt for the seven month weekday course and those with fuller schedules can attend on the weekend for a year to complete 644 credit hours. Students at the academy study differing massage techniques in addition to business management and CPR, preparing them to run a massage business and respond to emergency situations which could arise during a treatment. Both the seven month and year long programs cost $8,500 in tuition and an additional $850 for textbooks and a massage table.
The Maui Academy of the Healing Arts, set in beautiful Hawaii, belongs to the American Massage Therapy Association Council of Schools and has been licensed by the state department of education since 1988. The academy offers a year long, 600 credit hour massage program, as well as continuing education for massage professionals and workshops for those interested in studying on a casual basis. The certificate program teaches students "diverse modalities stages of massage and bodywork therapies," according to the school and tuition costs $5,148 in addition to several hundred dollars in related expenses. Military veterans are welcome to use their GI Bill benefits to study at the school as well.