Massage school planning to open in Derby - The Derby Informer

[massage]

Two veteran massage therapists are opening a massage school in Derby.


Alicia Dale and Susan Looney have started Body Wellness Academy of Massage at 301 E. Madison in the Body Wellness Center of Health.


They require a minimum of four students to get their first class started and will keep the maximum enrollment to between 10 and 12 students.


“We want to keep our classes small so they get our individual attention,” Looney said.


They plan for the class to run for 10-1/2 months, starting in April. The classes will meet from 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.


That’s so the students can still hold down a job and have some free time on the weekends.


Tuition is $8,100 and books will cost about $200. Along with teaching all aspects of massage therapy, the two will teach business practices, such as how to run one or work in another person’s office or in a chiropractic setting.


The two both have years of experience. Looney has been in the profession for 22 years and Dale for 14 years. Both have taught before.


The two believe their school, which took several years to form, will fill a niche.


Setting up the program has been a lot of work, they say.


“It’s all very regulated,” Looney said.


That includes submitting their curriculum plans to the state where officials went through it carefully, she said.


They do believe the regulations, which include a recent requirement by the city of Derby for massage owners and employees to be licensed, is a good thing.


“It will help to cut down on human trafficking and make it better for everyone,” Looney said.


Not just a job


Looney said it’s vital for those in the field to work to overcome the mindset that it involves any illegal activity.


She believes a lot of progress has been made in that area.


“When I first started, I could not get a woman client on my table,” she said.


That’s changed and women seek out massages. Also, the male clients who implied that they were looking for something more than a massage were quickly cleared out.


“I’ve grown to have a very good reputation,” Looney said.


Working in the field provides a living, but it’s not a get-rich endeavor, they say.


How much income therapists will make depends on where they live, but an average is $18 an hour. Massages will cost $65 to $75 an hour locally, sometimes more in other states, but much of that has to go back into the overhead costs.


Dale said the industry has a solid future, projected to grow 23 percent during the next 10 years.


They also say it’s a calling with a lot of job satisfaction.


“This isn’t just a job, it’s a career,” Looney said. “You’re changing people’s lives.”


When clients come in feeling badly and leave feeling better, there’s a lot of internal reward in that, Looney said.


People who want to get into the field should have the “heart” for it, Looney said. Along with techniques to learn, they need to be empathetic and able to relate to others.


“When someone is on the table they become family and you learn a lot about them,” she said.


The approach of their education is more medically and athletically minded as opposed to teaching students how to run a day spa, where clients are “pampered.”


The two say the depth of their school will set them apart.


“A lot of places skim the top, but we’re not going to do that,” Looney said.


They also plan to have continuing education and weekend seminars.


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