Do you want to study Abhyanga massage in an Ayurveda school, KuNye massage in Tibet, Thai Massage in Thailand, Balinese massage in Bali, or Shiatsu in Japan, but are not sure how to choose or search for a massage school?
Here you have 10 simple tips that will help you in your research. They look basic and easy, but are of great importance. During the last 18 years of my life I have come across all types of teachers and schools, from really professional ones, to those that are lead by someone who studied two months of massage and started giving classes, and even those who invented a massage technique and sell it as a Tibetan massage course, just to give an example. I have had these experiences because I am a heavy consumer of massage courses as my job as a writer and course-creator on traditional massage is to research and to try out everything that is new to me.
1. TIME
For how long are you able to study massage in Asia? You do not search the same way if you are able to study a University degree, that if you are looking for a one week intensive massage course. If you are going only for one or two weeks, then I recommend you not to travel too far…For example in India in some cases it can take at least a couple of days to get to the school, so do not spend loads of your precious time on buses and trains and use that time for something better.
2. OBJECTIVES
Is this massage course the only objective of you trip? Or do you also want to enjoy doing sightseeing? Are you travelling with someone who is not interested in massage at all, or with a fellow massage lover? Depending on your answer you have to choose one school or another, because if you travel with someone with no interest in the subject, you cannot choose a remote school in the middle of nowhere (which is where, unfortunately, they often are located…).
3. MONEY
How much money do you have for the entire trip? Because depending on that you will be able to choose one massage school or another, not only because of the price of the courses themselves but also due to the cost of transport, accommodation, etc. Believe me when I tell you that the most expensive are not always the best. They are normally the ones offering better commodities for foreigners and usually the ones providing fluently English speaking massage teachers o doctors, but this does not means that they have the best teachers.
4. MEDICINE
If the massage technique is part of a traditional medicine that means that usually there is more information about it, more contents and more sources to study. For example, if you want to study Ayurvedic Abhyanga massage, Ayurvedic Champi massage, or massage with Herbal balls, it will always be easier to find information, than if you want to study a massage technique that, even if it originates in a traditional medicine, is not included in University studies.
5. YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Do you already know something about what you want to study? Do you consider yourself an advanced student or a beginner? This is an important question, as depending on your answer you will demand a different type of massage course. If you already know about the massage technique in question and have been studying it in a school of massage in your own country but now want to study from the original sources, then try to ask your teachers, your colleges and try to look for a first hand recommendation. If, on the other hand, you are making first contact with the massage technique and the country of origin, and you do not want to spend too much money and time, then I recommend you to do it at some of the well-known schools, as – even if they might be very touristic and not offer the best quality – for a beginner, they tend to be the easiest and most comfortable massage schools.
I hope you found these tips useful! Read about the remaining tips: How to find the massage school? Before you Go! Different cultures-different teaching methods here!
Wishing you a meaningful day ahead,
César Tejedor
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