Utah College of Massage Therapy Inc

08/22/2008 Posted by UTbodyworker

I have read the reviews here and must agree that UCMT is like Massage School Boot Camp. The raving reviews about UCMT als read like marketing ads, something they've had their staff do. UCMT staff, in the school and in their corporate office (called "Corporate"), are mostly from the ranks of their own graduates. It says a lot about the industry and the school that UCMT graduates would prefer to work for Steiner Leisure Ltd. (Steiner Education Group). Another question: why with an equal amount of poor reviews does UCMT still receive a four star rating at this site? Corporations have a lot of power. Do they have the power to manipulate the reviews and the ratings at sites like these? UCMT is Utah Culture pure. Norm Cohn, the founder, spent years living in India, in Osho's ashram in Pune. He had a master's degree in psychology. He became a structural bodyworker and believed in the transformational potential of massage and bodywork. He then started a massage school in Utah in the 1980s. I'm glad he did. But this is another example of how powerful cultures are. UCMT did not change Utah culture, instead Utah culture changed UCMT. This school has nothing to do with transformation. It's all about sports massage. But if you really want to be good at injury and rehabilitative massage, you need to do their Master Bodyworker program for another $5000 (add to the initial $12,000 tuition). They sell both programs well. That's all they do. If you love Utah culture, if you want to spend 7 months in massage school boot camp, if you love "military" culture, then this is the place for you. If you're interested in holistic bodywork, then go somewhere else. The weekend clinic is not such a bad deal for students. You get the chance to work on a lot of different bodies. It's a valuable experience. It's the school and the staff's attitude that spoil it. Clinic was a day of hell because the building is so ugly, and I was treated so poorly by the staff. Indeed, I felt like a cow in a herd.

08/20/2008 Posted by HonestA

I recently attended Utah College of Massage Therapy and graduated with a 4.0. A warning about the student massage clinic on the weekends: Don't go if your immune system is weak or compromised. This school insists that sick students attend clinic. A classmate was giving massages at clinic even though she was on the verge of throwing up. Other classmates had very bad colds, i.e. runny noses, sore throats, coughs, and were giving massages, doing their best not to breathe or cough on their clients. The clinic manager boasted that she went to work even when she had pneumonia. Go figure... And beware! For prospective students, I think the $12,000+ tuition is only worth it if you are interested in rehabilitative massage. Otherwise look elsewhere, for instance, at College of Myotherapy. UCMT has been purchased by the Steiner Corporation and profit, not quality is apparently top priority. They just march as many students through the door as they can. Classes can be up to 60+, which is unheard of. Worse still, the quality of the instructors is very uneven. The acupressure, craniosacral therapy, shiatsu classes are very poor in quality. The anatomy class with visits to the U of U anatomy lab is the only highlight of the program. Many of the instructors, especially their "star" instructors, are bullies. And the school encourages no feedback, offers no opportunities to evaluate their instructors. I felt like I was in massage school boot camp. The only "transformation" you'll undergo in this program is the transformation recruits might be expected to undergo in a military boot camp. Depending on who you are, and especially if you are over 18, it can be a humiliating experience. The program turns out massage therapists who can do a somewhat decent job at injury, but not massage therapists who know anything about the value of diet, nutrition or healthy lifestyle. Don't expect to have instructors who know anything about tai chi, qi gong, yoga, martial arts, etc.

Pros: Great if you're interested in learning some Structural and Injury

Cons: Some instructors are bullies, and quality of instruction is very uneven