Massage Therapy School in South Bend, IN

Massage is on the rise around the country, and one can find evidence in the South Bend-Mishawaka metropolitan area.

One area of focus here is cancer care. Another is orthopedic care. Of course there’s good old-fashioned relaxation, which is itself becoming more of a science.

Best Massage Therapy Schools in South Bend or Nearby

American College Massage School (Elkhart) has been educating massage students for more than 20 years. The current catalog lists 650 and 1,000 hour options. The longer program includes more coursework in the anatomy/ physiology and kinesiology curricular area as well as more clinical/ hands-on training; one course is titled anatomy and physiology research projects. American College Massage School is a school member of the American Massage Therapy Association. The school has several other courses available, including a sports massage course for advanced massage therapists.

Additional Learning Opportunities: Massage Therapy Schools in Indiana

Massage Practice in the South Bend Area

Massage therapists in the South Bend area can be found in salons and spas, healthcare offices and wellness centers, and private studios. Hair Crafters and Bangs Salon and Spa offer far more than hair services. Patrons can indeed have their hair styled; they can also have services as diverse as massages and facials.

By the same token, some chiropractic offices include far more than chiropractic services. Spine & Joint Associates has a massage therapist on a team that includes primarily chiropractors (one of whom is also credentialed as an acupuncturist). Amberwood Terrace Chiropractic (Elkhart) has a massage therapist and a health coach. A chiropractic office just across the border in Michigan offers medical massage, noting that it can be covered by insurance.

Beyond Zen is a diverse acupuncturist-owned studio that offers massage as well as yoga.

New You Oasis represents a modern conception of the spa, one that’s springing up around the country. Services include halotherapy (salt therapy) and infrared sauna as well as the traditional massage and esthetician fare. Massage is complemented by cupping, a bodywork practice that has become popular in recent years. Cupping can be added to any of multiple massage styles, including full body, upper body, and sports.

Healthcare systems are recognizing the value of massage. Memorial Regional Cancer Center offers massage therapy to oncology patients.

Popular Massage Specialties

Among the most common bodywork styles and services are Swedish, deep tissue, prenatal, and customized therapeutic massages; customized massages may blend styles. One can’t judge apractitioners’ skill base from the length of the massage menu. A therapeutic practice does not necessarily need a long menu if they don’t have price differentials for different modalities.

Some massage therapists offer something outside the norm: modalities that aren’t common in this part of the country. An example is Ashiatsu, a gentle deep tissue modality that is performed with the feet while the therapist supports himself or herself by bars. Another is lymphatic massage designed to reduce edema. One LMT in the South Bend area offers multiple variants on Hawaiian Lomi Lomi.

There are still niches left to be developed (or more fully developed) here. Massage therapists in metropolitan areas around the country pursue specialized training to help people with pain and function issues.

Practices Owned by Massage Therapists in South Bend

Many LMTs work for themselves. Some operate alone. Some hire others or build teams.

Therapeutic Indulgence Massage & Wellness Center is owned by a massage therapist with lymphedema therapy certification – and vision. She has four additional LMTs on her team. She also has several estheticians; notably all are oncology trained. An acupuncturist, medical hypnosis therapist, and yoga instructor round out the team — or did at one moment in time. A note on the website invited massage therapy applicants and also applicants in other disciplines. Massage therapists, it stated, would receive hourly rate and commission. They would also receive benefits. The practice notes reimbursement/ discounts for NCBTMB-approved continuing education completed onsite, with a potential for commission increase. Therapeutic Indulgence offers NCBTMB-approved continuing education in manual lymphatic drainage and Kinesio Taping.

Discover Massage Therapy is also owned by a massage therapist. This practice, too, is expanding. A note on the website in 2019 invited independent contractors to join the team, both massage therapists and professionals in related disciplines. Those who joined were welcome to maintain other gigs – no non-compete.

American Health Muscular Therapy Clinic (Mishawaka) is yet another very small practice with a massage therapist at the helm – and yet another that recently sought new massage talent. The director holds a number of advanced training certifications. Medical massage is on the menu here – this is massage that is designed as therapy for a diagnosed condition. One can also find Active Isolated Stretching, a modality designed to increase flexibility.

Granger Massage Retreat, also LMT-owned, has several massage therapists on the team, one dually credentialed as an esthetician.

South Bend Massage Therapist Wage Information

Massage therapists in the South-Bend/ Mishawaka metropolitan area earned a mean hourly wage of $18.56 an hour in 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most made between $11.22 (10th percentile and $30.23 (90th percentile).