Massage Therapy School in Baton Rouge
In 2016, two companies, Sparefoot and Thumbtack, put together a list of the top ten cities to begin a career as a massage therapist. The results were summarized in Massage Magazine (https://www.massagemag.com/best-u-s-cities-massage-therapists-38500). The team was looking at it from a pragmatic (and entrepreneurial angle): What’s the going rate for a massage session? What’s the average rent? How much does it cost to rent space for a massage studio (by the square foot).
Popular Massage Therapy Schools in Baton Rouge
Unitech Training Academy is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE) and is a school member of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). The massage therapy program provides an introduction to Eastern modalities as well as common Western modalities like Swedish, deep tissue, and sports massage.
Medical Training College offers day and evening programs. Students learn neuromuscular techniques, sports massage, hot and cold stone massage, and chair massage, among other modalities. They also learn adjunct spa therapies such as salt glow and paraffin treatments.
Moore Career College is also COE-accredited. The prime focus is on Swedish, deep tissue, and neuromuscular therapy, though students gain some foundation in a number of other modalities.
Baton Rouge Spas and Massage Practices
Baton Rouge has a number of spas and massage practices. Some are sole proprietorships while others do a fair bit of hiring. The following is a look at some of the city’s popular practices.
Ability Massage offers various common massages in half hour to two hour blocks. Clients can opt for massage add-ons from a paraffin dip to a multi-faceted sinus and headache soother that includes steamed towels, aromatherapy, and a focused cold stone massage. The organization also offers Thai Mat Massage. In early 2019, Ability Massage sought a new member for the massage team.
The Massage Emporium offers a basic therapeutic massage and allows clients to upgrade for services like hot stone massage, deep tissue massage, and cupping. Specialty massages cost a little more and may not be available from all therapists. Clients can also opt to lengthen their session by adding a focused massage like carpal and cubital corrective or foot reflexology. The Massage Emporium website lists 13 massage therapists as of early 2019. It also states that resumes are reviewed on an ongoing basis!
The Retreat Spa also advertised in early 2019. The Retreat Spa boasts many therapies including sports/neuromuscular, scalp, neck, and shoulder massage, and even a signature Sweet Dreams massage that includes aromatherapy, music, and hot towel compressions. Cupping is considered an add-on.
Vida Pura offers multiple specialized and signature massages including one that incorporates heated shells and stones and another that incorporates hot stones, aromatherapy, and hot towel neck traction. Guests can experience migraine, sinus, and headache relief massage that blend multiple bodywork modalities and essential oils. They can buy packages that combine massage with other spa treatments. Vida Pura is involved with a number of nonprofit organizations.
Some massage therapists work in the suites of chiropractors or holistic wellness providers. Fitness centers are another possibility. The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report recently reported on the expansion of Future Fitness, a move that would allow the business to add services like massage therapy and private yoga (https://www.businessreport.com/business/future-fitness-goes-cramped-old-space-modern-inviting-location).
Some businesses combine massage therapy with sale of specialty products like lotions, bath salts, and body butter. An example is Massage Garden Mobile Therapy, with massage provided by a very experienced licensee. It’s not unusual for a massage studio to do outcalls. Massage Garden Mobile Therapy, though, offers quite a selection: even lymphatic drainage and Thai yoga massage.
Renew and Heal Wellness serves a similar market with multiple services that can be brought on-site. Renew and Heal sought a new team member in 2019, noting that the practice was “increasingly busy”. Among the clientele: professionals who suffered from tension headaches.
Massage therapists sometimes incorporate other modalities. The Advocate describes a Baton Rouge massage and yoga practitioner instructing spa-goers in aerial yoga, a specialized movement modality that may take pressure off joints and help people avoid misalignment (https://www.theadvocate.com/nation_world/article_c75101b8-9bfe-5adf-a69c-0dde39c9c500.html).
Therapeutic Massage in Healthcare
Some Baton Rouge massage therapists are providing comfort to people with very serious illnesses.
Women’s Hospital and Mary Bird Perkins-Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center collaborated in creating a women’s cancer pavilion. The pavilion has cutting edge treatments available like immunotherapy and very precise forms of imaging and radiation. It also offers integrative therapies like massage and yoga (https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/04/30/1490153/0/en/Woman-s-Hospital-and-Mary-Bird-Perkins-Our-Lady-of-the-Lake-Cancer-Center-Open-Breast-and-GYN-Cancer-Pavilion.html).
Baton Rouge General Medical Center was among the organizations that advertised for an LMT in early 2019. A visit to the Baton Rouge Medical Center finds massage already being used in innovative ways.
Massage and bodywork can help with life’s big stresses, including natural disasters. WAFB9 reported on a bodywork modality used to treat victims of the 2016 Baton Rouge floods (http://www.wafb.com/story/32939653/healthline-reflex-integration-to-relieve-stress). The article delineated two professionals who would be practicing the modality, reflex integration, in Baton Rouge on an ongoing basis. The two are speech language professionals who routinely assist people with conditions like autism. However, massage therapists are among the professionals who can be certified in this modality.