RVCs-Massage-Therapy-Program-Celebrates-10-Years-of-Success.php

RVC's Massage Therapy Program Celebrates 10 years of Success

• Students
• 02/27/2025

By Jamie Fanara, Massage Program Director

 

RVC's Massage Therapy program is celebrating 10 years of serving students and the community with an open house and information session on Wednesday, March 5, from 2 to 6 p.m. at RVC's main campus, CL II, room 127.

At the heart of our Massage Therapy Program is a passionate, experienced team of instructors who bring a wide-range of expertise from the worlds of exercise science, physical therapy, and hands-on massage therapy. With over 36 years of combined experience in physical therapy and nearly 20 years in massage therapy, our instructors are not just teachers—they are active practitioners who live and breathe the work they teach. This unique blend of real-world experience and academic knowledge creates a dynamic learning environment where students get the best of both worlds.

Our instructors are a tight-knit group with a shared commitment to quality education. Unlike many programs, we emphasize hands-on learning, ensuring that our students don't just study the theory of massage therapy—they practice it in real-world settings. Our approach is simple: we don't just teach massage therapy; we live it. Students have the opportunity to practice massage techniques on all our instructors and fellow licensed massage therapists (LMTs), giving them direct, professional feedback from experienced practitioners. Hands-on training is a key part of our program that sets us apart from others. Many programs do not permit students to practice on their instructors, and online-only models lack the essential tactile, in-person experience needed for effective massage therapy training.

What further distinguishes our program is our commitment to diversity in instruction. We bring in a variety of guest instructors with specialized expertise from across the United States. These guest instructors include some of the biggest names in the massage therapy industry, such as Nathalie Cecelia, Karry Wolf, Earl Conner, Chuck LaFrano, Jim Funk, Erik Dalton, and Doug Nelson, all of whom are advocates for the ongoing development and advancement of our profession. Their experience, alongside our instructors, ensures students get exposure to cutting-edge techniques and industry-leading practices.

Our program doesn't just focus on technique—it helps our students build confidence and find their niche in the industry. We offer a broad range of modalities and specialties, from traditional Swedish massage to deep tissue, trigger point therapy, myofascial release, lymphatic drainage, prenatal massage, and much more. This diversity allows students to explore different approaches to massage and fine-tune their skills based on their personal interests and career goals.

Our student body is just as diverse as our curriculum. Whether students are coming to us for a career change or are dual-licensed professionals—like estheticians, nurses, physical therapy assistants, or personal trainers—our program provides the flexibility and depth to meet a wide range of needs. Whether someone is looking to add a new dimension to their existing career or start fresh in the field of massage therapy, our program is designed to help them succeed.

Our Massage Therapy Program is a community that values real-world experience, personalized instruction, and diversity in learning, all of which contribute to a higher level of education. We're more than just a school—we're a professional family committed to nurturing the next generation of massage therapists.

To learn more about RVC’s Massage Therapy program, visit https://rockvalleycollege.edu/academics/programs/massage-therapy