Nestled into a retreat like setting, Carlson College of Massage Therapy offers a campus located on acres of beautiful land consisting of majestic woods, groves of evergreen trees, deer, a variety of birds, an outdoor volleyball court, a basketball court, a quarter mile track surrounded by trees and a lovely herb garden planted and maintained by the students. Our desire is to not only provide our students with an exceptional education in Massage Therapy and being of service to others, but we also encourage them to first of all, take care of themselves. Our campus provides them with the opportunity to breathe fresh air, exercise or just bask in meditative moments with nature.
We believe it is of paramount importance that our students have a full understanding and awareness of the human body in order to apply their massage therapy education effectively and professionally; therefore the Anatomy/Physiology portion of the program is college level and emphasized.
We offer a strong foundation in intermediate and advanced Swedish Massage. Once this is learned we introduce "Specific Techniques" that teach the student how to release contracted, adhesive soft tissue that can create pain and discomfort in people's bodies. Our students are also introduced to many forms of bodywork such as Sports Massage, Chair Massage, Polarity, Therapeutic Touch, Reflexology, Shiatsu and Myofascial work - We encourage them to use their Swedish foundation and incorporate portions from the related bodyworks ultimately creating their own personal style and approach to Massage Therapy.
Clinic Internship
The internship portion of our program is very significant in preparing the students for their own practice once they graduate. Time spent in clinic allows the student to experience pathologies and conditions of clients, to learn charting of their client's progress, scheduling of appointments and record keeping of income/expenses for business practices. Carlson College of Massage Therapy is pleased to offer the students the opportunity to earn money while they are in school. Money earned from clinic can be used to pay for licensure and examination fees, provide startup costs for business, or travel expenses for interviews upon graduation.
In herbology the students plant herbs in the garden, harvest the herbs and makes preparations that can be used as an adjunct to their massage therapy practice. The students are also introduced to wildcrafting where they learn to identify herbs in their own natural habitat.
We offer three programs per year:
- Spring full-time program which consist of 775 hours and takes 6 months to complete
- Fall full-time program which consist of 775 hours and takes 6 months to complete
- A part-time program that totals 635 hours and takes 11 months to complete
Carlson College of Massage Therapy is:
- Accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA).
- Approved by The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education provider under Category A.
- Curriculum is approved by the Iowa Board of Examiners for Massage Therapy.
Faculty
Most important is our faculty. Our faculty is a team of dedicated, educated caring people who bring years of expertise and practice to help guide and support our students through their journey. Our goal is to assist students in becoming a professional, ethical, skilled massage therapists with respect, concern and caring for others. In order to accomplish this we must be in harmony together with the faculty and students. We work together, we play together, we cry together, and we laugh together. We learn from each other, we learn about ourselves and along the way, we even learn Massage Therapy.
