Program Overview

The massage therapy program at the Ashland Institute of Massage is designed to develop massage practitioners with a deep appreciation of the human body, a solid foundation in the fundamentals of both relaxation & therapeutic massage, an awareness of energetic and Eastern approaches to bodywork, and a greatly enhanced understanding of Self.

Our hands-on classes emphasize a clinical approach to massage therapy. Our students are trained to appropriately assess & treat clients who present with symptoms of discomfort or dysfunction or to refer them to more suitable health care providers. Clinical assessment and treatment skills are essential, regardless of the setting in which a massage therapist practices, be those medical, spa, sports, or private.

We introduce students to Eastern and energetic approaches to bodywork, recognizing that traditional Western approaches to massage may not serve all clients or practitioners. Students therefore have an opportunity to experience various approaches to massage & bodywork, which they can develop more deeply through continuing education following their completion of massage school.

Finally, our massage training emphasizes and supports students in developing a more conscious awareness of who they are and how they want to be in the world. Massage therapy requires an ability to develop trust, intimacy, and rapport with clients, as well as a keen awareness of boundaries and how to establish a safe “container” in which clients can receive work. Because practitioners’ relationship to these issues begins in their personal experience, AIM approaches these topics not from an academic perspective but “from the inside out,” looking to see how students’ personal history, attitudes, and patterns of behavior reflect their beliefs and may affect their massage therapy practice.