The best Swedish massage course will offer hands on training from an accredited education facility, fit your budget, and fit your schedule. There are many types of schools which offer Swedish massage courses, from community colleges to private institutions. There are also a variety of delivery formats, including traditional semester long courses in a face to face setting, online courses, and weekend workshops.
Before you apply for a Swedish massage course, determine your budget. Most courses are billed by the credit hour, and private institutions are often more expensive that publicly funded schools, like community colleges. If you intend to pursue a degree in massage therapy, remember that you will have to pay for dozens of credit hours, so consider the overall amount, even if you can afford one or two classes. There are also fees and equipment you may have to buy, but you will have to check with each school to find out individual requirements.
When you understand how much you can spend on a course, take a look at your schedule. Unless you are a single student with independent finances and no family, you probably have outside responsibilities. Consider everything that you must accomplish during a week, including spending time with family, working, exercising, and attending clubs, religious services, or other events, and write it down. Don't forget that you also spend time on personal hygiene and sleeping.
After all of these responsibilities, what you have left is the time you can devote to a Swedish massage course. Sometimes, the only time available is during weekends and weeknights, or perhaps, a few hours during the day. You will need to find a class that can accommodate your schedule.
If you find that you don't have enough time in a given week to pursue a full time, traditional Swedish massage course, consider taking a weekend course. These are intensive classes, usually lasting two to four days, eight to ten hours a day. They are often designed to accommodate massage therapists who are already practicing but need a refresher course or recertification.
With your budget and schedule in mind, being searching for accredited massage therapy programs. The school you ultimately choose needs to be accredited because most massage therapists are also required to take a national exam and to obtain government licensure. In many cases, licensure will not be granted if the courses were not from an accredited school. In the United States, the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation is the organization which oversees massage therapy educational facilities.
After you've found an accredited educational facility, read the course descriptions to determine which of them specialize in Swedish massage. Sometimes the course is not labeled with a name as obvious as "Swedish Massage 101," so double check the descriptions. If you find one that seems promising, contact the instructor and request a syllabus.
The syllabus should be clear and well organized. It should give you the overall idea of what will be addressed during the class and the teacher's expectations for the students. An important part of any Swedish massage course is hands on practice. Typically students practice on each other, but it is also important that you work with other individuals so that you can gain experience working with clients. Swedish massage courses should also include topics like ethics, attracting and retaining clients, and preparing for examinations and certifications.
You should also ask the instructor what he or she expects from students. Ask him about his availability outside of class for discussion of assessment grades or other concerns. If you get the impression that the instructor is not helpful or concerned with how well students learn the material, keep looking.
