Massage Therapy School in Las Cruces
The Massage Therapy Training Institute in Las Cruces notes the 300+ days of sunshine people enjoy here and how it facilitates their getting out and enjoying the culture. In short, massage therapists may be drawn to this part of the country for reasons other than massage. But there’s a lot going on in the massage therapy world that’s positive, too.
Massage practice in the Southwest can have a local feel. It can also draw from traditions around the world — and from the most recent research. One will find a number of massage therapists in the Las Cruces area touting their specialized trainings. A person can learn to apply clinical massage with various populations without leaving the area.
MTTI states that its graduates have gone on to work in diverse settings and with a variety of special populations, including athletes, elders, veterans , and even horses — that last group would be termed ‘equine massage therapists’.
With El Paso, Texas just down the road, a massage therapist has potentially a fairly large metropolitan area at his or her fingertips. The job concentration not as high as in some parts of the nation, but massage is on the rise. 17.6% occupational growth has been projected for New Mexico across the 2016-2026 decade, fully 30.6% for Texas.
Massage Schools in Las Cruces
The Massage Therapy Training Institute in Las Cruces offers a 750-hour program. Students treat and chart 120 clients during their student clinic days. They can complete the program in just six months. There is also a 12-month part-time option.
Massage therapists may also opt for advanced medical massage certification or advanced sports certification through this school. Each program involves 250 hours of training. MTTI cites clinical partnerships with a hospital and a rehabilitation hospital/ assisted living facility.
Western Technical College in El Paso also boasts a 750 hour program, which it describes as half classroom and half hands-on. The program includes 100 hours of clinicals. Here, too, there are full-time and part-time options; the timeframe is similar to that of MTTI. Western Technical College is a school member of both the American Massage Therapy Association and Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals.
Las Cruces and El Paso Massage Practices
Chiropractic offices commonly affiliate with massage therapists. Smith Wellness is among the chiropractic offices that has LMTs on its team.
Millennium Health and Wellness is a pain management clinic that utilizes professionals from multiple disciplines. The organization solicited applications in early 2019.
UnKnot Thai and Wellness Center in El Paso blends styles from different parts of the Earth. Thai here comes in more than one form: traditional Thai massage performed on a mat and table massage adapted for table (and for use of massage cream). This wellness center offers massage styles familiar to the spa-going American public — including deep tissue, hot stone, and prenatal –in addition to treatments such as Thai poultice compress and a signature massage that combines table Thai, reflexology, and a choice of therapeutic scents. A note on the website in 2019 stated that the wellness center was growing and looking for additional massage talent; applicants should be prepared to demonstrate their Swedish and deep tissue massage skills through a practical interview.
Massage franchises frequently hire new grads. There are multiple franchises in the area. The Las Cruces Massage Envy has positive client ratings; the average Google rating is 4.4.
Massage therapists here as elsewhere are often in business for themselves. Among the long-term success stories: The proprietor of Kneading to Heal has been in the business of providing customized massage, tailored to the needs of the client, for 15 years (https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/life/sunlife/2015/12/13/meet-your-neighbor-patrizia-gregory/76626296).
The local news includes multiple other stories of massage therapists who are innovators, promote healing, and/ or market themselves in savvy ways. El Paso Inc. reported on one El Paso massage therapist who was doing all three (http://www.elpasoinc.com/lifestyle/local_features/heart-and-sol-studio-fuses-massages-tinctures/article_97d26462-7281-11e8-8ff3-7766c78ea2e5.html). The proprietor of Desert Sol is also in the Apothecary business, designing tinctures that include local plants and sustainably sourced nonlocal ones. His massage sessions can be soothing for the senses on multiple levels, from the cup of tea offered to the client to the playlist in the background. A key ingredient to the massage therapy session, though, is one that can’t be bottled: being present with the client. He is very aware of the stress people carry in their bodies and the toll it can take. He is also active in the community. One group that he has reached out to is teachers. He has given free massages to teachers and other staff members.
Successful massage therapists around the nation apply some of these same strategies. They target particular markets, educate people, and give them the opportunity to experience massage.
Those who have their own businesses may still have professional affiliations. Reclaim Wellness has two massage therapists on a team that includes a nurse practitioner and a fertility consultant. One massage therapist is listed as owner of Soothing Tortoise Massage, the other as owner of Sanus Vita Massage & Bodywork.
Massage Therapist Wages
The median salary for a massage therapist in the El Paso area was $17.39 in 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The range was quite wide, with those at the 10th percentile earning $9.33 but those at the 90th percentile earning $46.50. Approximately 25% topped $40.
Resources
The New Mexico Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association is a professional resource.