503.233.6500   Call Today to speak with an Admissions Rep!

Is a Career in Massage Therapy Right for You?

Take the Free Quiz

Click Here to Speak with an Admissions Representative

The Benefits of Volunteering Your Massage Therapy Services

2015-06-04T20:25:37-07:00June 4th, 2015|

Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.” LMTs have many opportunities to volunteer, from providing hospice massage to providing massage therapy for homeless youths. But why would you want to practice your craft for free, when you can get paid for it? Well, that’s a totally legitimate question. Read on to discover some of the many benefits massage therapists can enjoy from volunteer work.

Portland Massage Therapy School’s Top Benefits of Volunteering:

Volunteering Zaps Stagnation.

Every profession includes boredom from […]

Client Populations: Working with Elderly Patients


2015-05-14T20:20:57-07:00May 14th, 2015|

Massage careers can take practitioners all over the world, to all manner of settings. However, when envisioning a post-massage certification career path, the common image is that of a healthy middle-aged person receiving a basic Swedish massage. Reality is much larger in scope. In this series we will be discussing how to work with different client populations- in all ages and stages of life. We kick things off with a discussion of geriatric massage, including its challenges, effective techniques, and benefits.

Challenges Massaging Elderly Clients

Elderly clients can often be intimidating to massage, due to their unique health conditions and physical needs. Older […]

Tui Na: Introduction to this Modality

2015-04-24T22:49:06-07:00April 24th, 2015|

West coast massage schools including East West College offer instruction in a variety of massage modalities. To give our readers insight into different types of massage, we have written on trigger point therapy, cranio-sacral therapy, and Thai massage. Today we’re looking into Tui Na, a Chinese form of manipulative therapy.

Introducing Tui Na: Ancient Chinese Massage Therapy

Tui Na features some manual methods found Western massage styles, but adds acupressure to remove blockages in muscles and energy pathways (called Meridians in Chinese medicine). This massage approach dates back thousands of years to ancient China. It may be used in tandem with acupuncture and […]

Why Breathing is so Important During Massage

2015-04-03T22:44:20-07:00April 3rd, 2015|

Deep breathing supports and enhances the goals of massage therapy as taught in massage training school. Often called abdominal breathing or belly breathing, deep breathing promotes blood flow, increases the effectiveness of the lymphatic system, and supports organ detoxification. Moreover, abdominal breathing lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, and can be used at any time to decrease stress and tension. Deep breathing promotes physical relaxation, the goal of every massage client.

Implementing Deep Breathing into Massage Therapy

Teaching and modeling deep breathing for massage clients can benefit them on and off the table, potentially leading to a life of less pain and […]

Massage Therapy Modalities: Trigger Point Therapy

2015-03-27T21:45:14-07:00March 27th, 2015|

Muscle pain is one of the most common medical complaints, whether it’s chronic low back pain, or sore muscles from working in the garden. In fact, according to a recent AMTA survey, 30% of respondents have used massage therapy for pain relief. When working with clients who experience pain, it’s helpful to have many different strategies for helping them recover. Trigger point work is often an effective way of decreasing or eliminating pain. Our massage school in Portland, Oregon offers trigger point therapy as an elective course in our 800-hour massage therapy program. In this blog, we’re introducing […]

East West College Hosts the AMTA-OR Conference

2015-03-17T21:44:06-07:00March 17th, 2015|

Our northwest massage school is proud to have hosted this year’s American Massage Therapy Association of Oregon conference! On April 24th and 25th, licensed massage therapists from across the state attended the AMTA-OR conference to earn message therapy continuing education credits, and to polish their skills. An East West College instructor contributed to the conference by facilitating a session on spa modalities.

The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) is the nation’s largest non-profit organization serving massage schools, massage therapists, and massage students. Among the many roles that the AMTA serves, the organization promotes massage to the general public; lobbies for just massage […]

Benefits of Prenatal Massage

2015-02-27T19:47:52-08:00February 27th, 2015|

After earning a massage therapist certification or license, how does a massage therapist go about creating a strong practice? Specializing in a certain niche can guarantee more work, both from private clients and from massage businesses. Prenatal massage is an enjoyable and fruitful specialization. Prenatal clients are happy to spend time nurturing themselves. And may spas pay LMTs more if they have additional prenatal massage training beyond a basic massage therapy license. When working with prenatal clients, massage therapists should emphasize the many benefits of prenatal massage.

Prenatal massages do more than just relax the a pregnant woman’s aching muscles Given the […]

Sports Massage: Tips for Landing a Gig with a Professional Sports Team

2015-02-06T19:39:55-08:00February 6th, 2015|

Molly Verschinegel, of Northwest Sports Massage, is an experienced LMT specializing in Portland-area sports massage for teams and individuals. We asked her to provide insight into how sports massage therapy enthusiasts can land a job working with a professional sports team. Her first response was to alert LMTs that such jobs are scarce, for several reasons.

First, many athletes and organizations are accustomed to receiving massage on a volunteer basis. They may expect therapists to provide free massage as a way to beef up their LMT resumes. She reflects, “Working at an event or with […]

Funding your Massage Therapy Education through Financial Aid and Scholarships

2021-09-14T09:44:30-07:00January 25th, 2015|

When it comes to financing your massage therapist schooling, it pays to be prompt. Get the financial aid ball rolling early, to prevent headaches later on. In today’s post, we’re reviewing several funding avenues for attending accredited massage schools such as East West College. Read on to learn how to apply for financial aid.

Financial Aid Process for East West College of the Healing Arts

  1. Complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The first step when seeking financial aid is to fill out a FAFSA. Before filling out a FAFSA, you will need to apply for your student aid […]

Massage Therapy Continuing Education: Online or In Person?

2014-08-14T16:26:16-07:00August 14th, 2014|

Given Oregon’s continuing education requirements for massage license renewal, all active massage therapists must regularly add to their professional knowledge. As a leading massage therapy school in Oregon, East West College offers continuing massage therapist schooling for alumni and non-alumni alike. Our continuing education (CE) courses are offered in person, on our NE Portland campus. However, many Oregon LMTs complete their CE hours through online courses. Today we’re comparing the advantages of in-person vs. online courses for massage therapy continuing education.

Advantages of In-Person Continuing Education for Massage Therapy

—Support and Accountability. When facing a room full of fellow learners, people are […]

Go to Top