Massage Therapy School in Greenville, SC
Those small cities add up to big opportunity! The greater Greenville metropolitan area is the largest in the state. Greenville is second only to Charleston when it comes to massage therapy opportunity. And that’s a good thing because Greenville is considered a very livable city, particularly the downtown. The Greenville downtown has been ranked in the top 10 nationwide, according to Livability.com. U.S. News has the city as a whole ranked #22 for best places to live.
Greenville residents are not strangers to holistic health! In mid-2019, there are employment opportunities for Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapists in spas, massage franchises, and small healthcare offices and wellness centers. Many LMBTs in the area are in business for themselves
Top Massage Schools in Greenville and Nearby
Greenville Technical College offers a 630-hour massage therapy program. Students receive a certificate; they may choose to apply courses toward an associate’s degree. The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
The Center for Massage and Natural Health in Asheville, North Carolina is COMTA-accredited. The school touts its high MBLEX pass rates and public outreach.
The Paradise Academy of Massage Therapy and Bodywork in Mauldin offers a 600-hour massage therapy program. The Paradise Academy is a school member of the American Massage Therapy Association.
The Role of Massage in Healthcare
Therapeutic massage has gained respect from even the major health systems. Prisma Health makes medical massage therapy available at its Life Center. Bon Secours offers massage as part of its oncology rehabilitation program.
Oncology massage is also available from professionals at small practices; a number of massage therapists in the Greenville area have the requisite training. Massage therapists here don’t have to travel far to get it. Oncology Massage of the Carolinas offers basic and advanced oncology massage training. The basic course, available to general massage therapists, teaches how to perform oncology massage safely.
Health practitioner offices are among the possible work settings. A healthcare office typically means a chiropractic office and sometimes a physical therapy office or multi-disciplinary wellness center. But Greenville has massage in at least one dental office. The dentist’s office is often a place of at least mild anxiety – sometimes severe anxiety. Enter Bijou Dental Spa. Not only do they have massage chairs for dental chairs, clients can schedule a massage beforehand. Not surprisingly, Bijou Dental Spa has garnered quite a bit of press (https://bijoudentalspa.com/about/press-reviews/).
Senior Massage
Massage is beginning to make inroads in the senior community. The Greenville News in 2018 announced a new senior living community, described as upscale, that would count massage therapy among its amenities (https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2018/06/16/holbrook-senior-living-greenville-sc/705374002).
Mobile massage services like Carolinas Mobile Massage Therapy can bring massage to elders in their own homes; Carolinas lists geriatric massage among their services.
Mobile Massage
Mobile massage has many applications, including corporate settings and events. Carolinas even advertises backstage massage for the entertainment industry: helping musicians, dancers, and other performers cope with repetitive motion injuries and other issues that may arise when they’re facing demanding performance schedules.
Massage Therapist Wages in Greenville, SC
Greenville massage therapists earned a median hourly wage of $20.51 in 2018. The range was narrower than in many cities, with 80% earning between $15.09 and $30.03. The 10th percentile wage of $15.09, though, was notably higher than in most parts of the country.
Massage Therapists as Entrepreneurs
Self-employments allows LMBTs to enact their own individual vision of healthcare. Healing Destiny Therapeutic Massage, Love Local Therapy, and Back in Balance of Greenville are among the region’s small massage therapist-owned practices. Each reflects a unique vision. The proprietor of Healing Destiny credits her daughter, who has special needs, with the inspiration behind her career. The practice provides a wide variety of modalities, including polarity, myofascial release, and a signature honey facial massage. The proprietor of Love Local credits her grandmother for instilling in her a deep respect for alternative healing. She is licensed as an esthetician as well as a massage therapist. Her bodywork training qualifies her as a stretch provider. The proprietor of Back in Balance, meanwhile, found her way to massage therapy from a career in cake decorating. She states that she has many interests, but massage is her calling; her blog reflects her professionalism and knowledge.
Greenville Fitness and Rehab, too, is owned by a professional with massage therapy training. She is also trained as a personal trainer; she draws from her own experience growing up as a ballet dancer and gymnast in South Africa. Her approach to functional fitness is described in the Greenville Journal. Greenville Fitness and Rehab has another team member who earned a bachelor’s in piano pedagogy before studying massage. She continues to teach piano students even as she puts her advanced treatment massage training to use; she has certification in sub-disciplines as diverse as performance taping and manual lymphatic drainage.
Massage therapists go into business by themselves or with friends, family, or others they meet networking. Greenville Massage is operated by three sisters, heralding from Russia. Pain relief is an area of focus. Greenville Massage offers an integrative therapy that combines techniques from medical and sports massage with stretching. Also available is Ashiatsu and basic relaxation and sports massage. The Greenville Massage therapists hold varying certifications. One is trained in integrative manual therapy, myoskeletal alignment techniques, and neuromuscular and orthopedic massage. Two have training in Ashiatsu oriental bar therapy.