Massage Therapy School in Fort Collins, CO
How much has massage entered the mainstream in Fort Collins? For an answer, one can look to the area’s academic medical centers and universities. A 2017 UCHealth article reveals how useful medical massage therapy can be for individuals who have orthopedic issues. Massage is also an evidence-based therapy for helping manage side effects of cancer treatment and diagnosis-related anxiety. At the Wellness Place of the UCHealth Cancer Center at Fort Collins, oncology massage is among the many integrative therapies available to people who are undergoing cancer treatment (https://www.uchealth.org/locations/uchealth-the-wellness-place-fort-collins/).
Massage therapy can also benefit those who have not been diagnosed with serious conditions. Like many campus recreation departments, the one at Colorado State University in Fort Collins offers massage therapy. The website includes bios for three massage therapists.
Massage Therapy Schools Near Fort Collins
The Academy of Natural Therapy in Greeley is accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA). The program is 750 hours and includes discrete courses in Swedish massage, sports massage, trigger point therapy, and chair massage. There are two courses in neuromuscular therapy. The Academy of Natural Therapy offers a number of courses separate from the basic 750 hours. Among the options: reflexology, perinatal and infant massage, medical massage, massage for special needs – even canine massage.
Front Range Community College in Loveland is a public school option. A student can earn a certificate in therapeutic massage. The school offers additional integrative health options. Some students may also want a certificate in an adjunct modality like Reiki; some may want an AAS in integrative health.
IBMC College is an organizational member of AMTA. The school touts the volunteer experience that a student can gain en route to earning his or her diploma in therapeutic massage. The program includes courses in Swedish massage, myofascial and neuromuscular therapies, and Eastern modalities.
Fort Collins Massage Practices
Another indication that massage has entered the mainstream: the number of established practices that have built a satisfied clientele and have positive ratings — sometimes tens, sometimes hundreds. One will find massage therapists operating solo in the Fort Collins area, but there are also some with quite a few practitioners onboard.
Living Arts Wellness, for example, has a dozen Licensed Massage Therapists, as well as some professionals who are certified only in adjunctive therapies. The practice offers a wide range of therapeutic massage styles including deep tissue, myofascial release, integrative, and cupping. Also available are structural integration and energy work. This is also a place people go for information about living a healthy lifestyle. Living Arts Wellness knows its sprouts.
The philosophy and overall experience are part of what draws clients to particular businesses. Amara Massage Therapy and Wellness notes that they are a blend of clinic and spa. They use locally made muscle gel, and they’ve got heat: heated buckwheat pillows, heated massage table, plenty of warm towels. The massage cream is vegan. The organization will proudly tell you some of their brands – like who made their relaxing and luxuriant linens.
Quite a few of the massage practices have a beyond-the-basics web presence; some even have a blog. They utilize marketing practices designed to secure brand loyalty and increase usage. It is not uncommon to sell memberships which provide patrons with discounted rates on services.
Massage practices carve out varying niches, for example, mobile massage. The Coloradoan profiled Kneaded at Home, a massage organization that brings the massage table to the client. The co-owner notes that for some having one’s massage at home is a matter of health and not just convenience.
Of course, there are also franchises, some known primarily for massage, others for spa services. Massage Heights is among those that have entered the Fort Collins market.
If one travels down to Boulder, they’ll find more exemplary practices. The Bodywork Bistro has more than 20 bodywork practitioners on board. Their bios note the modalities they are proficient in, and collectively, there are quite a lot: Thai yoga massage, structural integration, Fijian massage, Tui Na, reflexology, post-partum, oncology, shiatsu, medical massage, and trigger point therapy, among others. Bios note special training and certifications, and sometimes a little of who the therapist is and what brought them to therapeutic massage.
Third Party Payers
Medical massage may be prescribed for doctor diagnosed conditions. There are a number of massage therapists in the area that provide this service. The proprietors of Medical Massage of the Rockies note that the organization has played a part in helping people gain coverage for medical massage for auto- and work-related injuries. Medical Massage of the Rockies began in Fort Collins as a two-person team and has grown well beyond its original geographic and personnel base. LMTs who are interested in joining the team are invited to fill out a contact form.
Massage Therapist Income and Job Prospects
Both the concentration of massage jobs and the hourly rate are high in this region. In Fort Collins, the median hourly wage is $26.67, with those at the 10th percentile making $15.55 — well above the national 10th percentile rate — and those at the 90th percentile making $37.68.
In Boulder, the median is $26.79, with those at the 10th percentile making a much lower $9.62 but those at the 90th percentile pulling in $38.18.
Wages also reported separately for Greeley. They’re a little lower here, with a median of $23.38.
Boulder, notably, has the second highest massage therapist job concentration in the nation out of any metropolitan area in the country. Colorado as a whole is the second highest of all U.S. states.