Utah College-Massage Therapy

I am currently a night student of Utah College of Massage Therapy and graduate in December. I love going here and have learned so much. I feel like I will definitely be prepared to have a massage career. I would defiantly recommend going here if you want an amazing experience and career more

I am currently attending the night classes for the Professional Bodyworker program at the Salt Lake Campus. \r This school is a joke. Do not go here even if you think it's a good idea because of the Steiner name. It's not worth it. Check out Myotherapy College of Utah or Healing Mountain Massage School. I've heard wonderful things about them and regret not giving them a chance before signing up at UCMT.\r Now, my reason for writing this is to warn any potential students that may see this.\r The building is old and stinky. The equipment is sub-par. The teachers are cringe-worthy. Maybe it's the fact that half of the faculty (including the director of the school) left since I started in January, but the organizational skills in that company are horrendous. The 5 terms are 10 weeks long. When I first started they had our entire 10 week term planned out and we were well notified of what was needed and expected. By the 3rd term we were getting our schedules handed out in 5-week increments (at one point we got one week in advance). I graduate in December and, along with my ENTIRE class, feel COMPLETELY unprepared for a career in massage therapy. Some of the most important (and urgent) classes were put off until the end. I have 15 weeks left in the program and have not had sports massage or structure and movement. While I enjoyed learning Russian Sports massage, I feel that learning a modality that I will be tested on in the national exam and having time to practice it long before graduation is more valuable. The energy modalities intrigue me, but the instructors are not competent in what they teach. Acupressure class was basically sitting through 1 hour of getting read to out of books, doing meditations and doing our hands-on trade...which none of us really knew what we were doing. Our Shiatsu instructor makes no sense whatsoever. I find myself getting about 5 minutes into the lecture, and after asking for clarification, staring at the floor until we do hands-on, just hoping that I can find information elsewhere to help me pass my exam. The professional development classes feel like a waste of time. We did have a somewhat helpful event of writing up and turning in a resume, application letter and reference sheet and doing a mock interview, but I can tell you that I feel no more prepared to apply for and enter the workforce than I did before I started school. \r I could write so much more, but I am so exhausted from how disappointed I am with this school. I made a lot of sacrifices to go to UCMT and it has been a horrible year. I've met some amazing people, but a lot of me wishes I could just forget this past year and start over with a better school. There are cheaper and better programs out there. PLEASE do your research and carefully consider what you're getting yourself into before you decide to attend UCMT. \r And, just as an FYI, I am not a drop-out, low-grade, uneducated person. I have a bachelor's degree, I currently have a 4.0 GPA (out of about 2 in my class) and have only missed 2 hours of class due to my car breaking down on the way to class (and when I went to the counselor to make up those 2 hours, they had inaccurate information and told me I didn't have to make anything up and now I can't make it up, so maintaining 100% attendance is impossible, due to no fault of my own). \r Again. PLEASE do your research on ALL possible schools and programs. Do not go to UCMT just because it has a good name. That reputation no longer means anything. Ask anyone that graduated from the program before it was bought out by Steiner. more

I'm taking the Night Class Professional Massage Therapy Program at UCMT in Salt Lake and I've been in school for 8 months. I think some people just don't click with certain modalities (for example I didn't feel like acupressure was a great class because I didn't get it) which is why they think the instructors are incompetent. On the other hand I loved Cranial and Shiatsu and I had awesome instructors. Some of our courses are just introductions to modalities and if you are really interested and want more education, you have to go to a more specialized school. I think it says something that UCMT hires instructors that attended UCMT. Most of our instructors have attended more specialized schools on top of UCMT so they are more than qualified to teach. Our school is the best around-businesses love hiring from our school because they know the quality of education Steiner schools offer. As far as the school making money on clinic, they have to give away a lot of massages every week for free because there aren't enough people who pay. For those who've come in to clinic and were less then satisfied, I'm sorry but we're students and we're still learning. The internship is more for us to practice and you should understand that going in. We really appreciate your willingness to support us but you have to understand, If you get a student who's just started clinic and they are in the day program, they've only been in school for a month so what do you expect? Sometimes you get what you pay for (like the loud environment). Clinic is an amazing opportunity for students to grow and get experience (of course I would like to get paid but the money the school makes pays for linens and helps keep our tuition costs lower). If there was no clinic and we had to intern at a real massage business (depending what you want to do that could be working for a sports team, working in a hospital, or at a chiropractor, etc), you wouldn't get to practice everything you are learning and figure out what you like (There are so many different types of clients that come in to clinic). You also can't build clientele for your own practice if you are working for a business. Most businesses will make you sign a non competition agreement and it's not really ethical to steal clients from a business and bring them to your own practice. But at clinic, they want us to bring these clients into our future practices if we can. One thing I have to say about UCMT is the recruiters are a little pushy. They want you to sign up ASAP and they call you a ton and I feel like I didn't have a lot of time to think about my decision. There were so many things I didn't know when I signed up (like about clinic, about having school on Fridays some times {only the night students}, how often classes start-so I started school a semester earlier then I really wanted to). Most of the things i've learned since starting school that I didn't already know have been positive. I didn't know it was going to be this hard but I'm glad it is because it means i'm getting a better education. I never expected that I would know this much but I've loved my education at Steiner and I would recommend it to anyone. Just make sure you look into it first and ask all your questions and take your time. I promise if you look into other schools, you'll end up back at UCMT because it's the most you get for your money. Pros: Caring Staff, Amazing courses Cons: They do push you into signing up and leave out things more

This review is directed mostly at F451 but it can be applied to everyone that writes poor reviews without having their facts straight as well. My guess is that you were too much of an idiot to understand or pass the classes. In fact, the only people I have ever heard of that complained about this school are those that did not have the mettle to complete it. Claiming that the shiatsu and acupressure instructors were incompetent is laughable. I imagine you assume to know more than them? You also foolishly lumped craniosacral into the energy modalities. That alone convinces me that you did not have a firm grasp on the education provided. The school is difficult for some. It is supposed to be. It is a school, not a vacation. When does a person have time to follow the advise of being healthy? Are you seriously asking that question? Are you seriously faulting the school for your inability to be healthy? In all of my classes, the Instructor and TA walked the class as we performed bodywork and corrected anything that needed to be corrected. But to be honest, if you still needed your body mechanics to be corrected anytime after advanced massage (massage 2 if you cant remember) then it is no wonder why your review is poor. You are clearly a moron who couldn't understand how to stand correctly. As for the Professional Development class goes, you would need to have a license to set up a practice. It is clear to me that you have no use for either. I have had great instruction on how to set up a practice from an instructor who has a very successful practice. It is no small flimsy practice at all to be the L.M.T. for Real Salt Lake among other professional Utah sports teams. I am also sorry the classrooms are not filled with Lazyboy recliners. The chairs serve the purpose they were designed for. The""rumor"" about UCMT being among the top schools (NOT the absolute top. Get your facts straight) in the nation for massage therapy is from the companies that hire from the school. Most places that hire from UCMT hire from the school first, before hiring from the stack of applications that you would likely be in if you had a license. more

I'll be fair. I went to UCMT because I wanted an anatomy class that included visits to the cadavar lab at the University of Utah. I got that. But as a trade-off I had an incompetent shiatsu instructor, an ineffectual craniosacral instructor, an extremely unknowledgeable accupressure instructor. My advice: if you are interested at all in energy work, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. This college offers the energy classes but does not attract good instructors for these classes. The instructors are NOT good role models for a healthy lifestyle. I think the comparison to boot camp is appropriate, only at UCMT you will not have time to work out. They TELL you to take care of yourself, advise you to watch your calories, get bodywork, watch your body mechanics, go exercise, but there's very little meat even to this conventional wisdom. When will you have time to do any of this? In their huge classes with one teacher and one TA, what are the chances that your poor body mechanics will be corrected? NIL - in my massage classes the instructor and TA chatted while we massaged, and they came to our assistance when we raised our hands. UCMT students think they're getting topnotch training in craniosacral, accupressure and shiatsu, but they're not. It's all spin... and they believe it because it would be painful not to, since they are paying through their teeth. Also, UCMT's highly touted (by UCMT) professional development course is NOT anything to pay money for. You learn next to nothing about setting up a private practice. Wasted hours sitting in uncomfortable chairs. Yes, the instructors are required to have a private practice, but since they are also required to teach full-time, I wonder what kind of private practice they have. I'd rather learn from a part-time instructor who has a REAL full-time practice. Rumor says that UCMT is the best massage school in the nation. HUH? Who says UCMT is the best massage school in the nation - WHO? Who has evaluated and ranked massage schools in the USA? Pros: Visits to cadaver lab at U of U Cons: bad instruction, bad role models, huge classes more

I am currently going to UCMT down in Lindon, UT. I absolutely love it! All the instructors are friendly and very knowledgable...they will try to help every student succeed. But it comes down to you as a student on how well you succeed and how you take things! They can't make you enjoy the experience. It is hard work, anything that you want to be successful at is going to be hard work, but it is not a boot camp. I have found that all the instructors encourage all the students to do what they love, whether it is private practice, spa, independant contractor, cruise ship, chiropractic offices, hospital, etc etc.. What is your vision? They will help you succeed in that. The education is more than injury and structural massage. These are some of the modalities that are taught; Reflexology, Acupressure, Shiatsu, Russian, Swedish, Sports, Injury, etc. Also an amazing Anatomy course with trips to the U of U Cadavier lab, also Professional Developement which is a great course in Business Management taught by Instructors who have their own Private Practice. So far UCMT has started to change my life. I am not in clinic yet, I'm sure it is going to be hard work, and I'm sure I won't like everything about it. But they provide your clients! The campus is always busy with people coming for massages, where else do you get that kind of experience? Pros: Best Education/Experience for your money Cons: Clients can't request you when you are in Clinic they get who they get. more

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. more

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! Pros: Great if you're interested in learning some Structural and Injury Cons: Some instructors are bullies, and quality of instruction is very uneven more

My experience here was awful. The therapists-term used loosely- have ben in school for what 2-3 months. Granted I know that others are about to graduate and leave so have been working a tad longer but geez. An internship does usually come with a bit of compensation for the worker and I was surprised to hear they get NOTHING and we get in trouble if they accept tips. Quite a scam UCMT has going for itself calling the clinic a class not actual internship b/c that would be considered a job and a lest minimum wage would be called for- I think this would make the students more present and perhaps then UCMT would only incorporate this scheme in the last quarter ,semester, whatever it is over there and then the students would feel valued and properly trained - enough to at least give a 25 dollar quality massage. It's loud, it's cold , it's looks like a WW II infirmary, the ""therapists"" look like they are in the middle of a cattle drive. I just don't think turning profit by exploiting unfit therapists is ok- there is something a miss here. I will never go back and plan to tell as many folks who do value massage that I know to not even consider going- it isn't supporting these students as future therapists to support UCMT and there cash cow they call clinic- shame on them Pros: it ended Cons: no room for me to explain more

98% placement upon graduation, 20+ year old program-specializing in Massage only-Life time career assistance, clinical internship included! The list goes on! Pros: Everything! More than I had expected. UCMT will be part of me forever! more

I'm a recent graduate of UCMT and it has been, by far, the greatest experience of my life. Not only was the training stellar but the program has changed me immensely! What intrigued me the most about UCMT was its reputation within the Massage industry. They are internationally known and are well-known for their career placement. I was also impressed to find a school that specializes ONLY in Massage, and that it was actually founded by a Massage Therapist, not some joe-shmoe looking to make a quick buck in a growing industry. I value the fact that the instructors ARE graduates of UCMT. This assured that the unique curriculum and philosophies were being carried through from the founder. As for the Clinical Internship: Students really need to swallow their egos with this one! Do you seriously believe that you are qualified enough to perform bodywork on the public for a profit? Wow! Then you have obviously missed one of the most important philosophies of bodywork: Remove your ego! How do you think the linens and sheets get cleaned? How do you think the clinic is promoted? How do you think the clinic staff gets paid? By the minimal fee clients pay for a STUDENT massage! I can't see how the little money that Clinic does make can possibly turn into profit. I was able to practice bodywork on 100+ clientele before I even began working in the industry. By the time I started working in the industry I already felt like I had more hands-on experience than most therapists probably do after working in the industry for over a year. I'd like to personally thank the public for supporting us as students in the clinical internship! Overall UCMT is the best massage school! From Administration, Faculty to Career Services, UCMT is professional, on top of the industry, and I'm proud to be a UCMT graduate! Pros: Reputation! Expertise! Career placement and lifetime Career Services support! Cons: Parking! more

.The plain fact is that DCMT does make money off clinic by charging 27 dollars per visit , cramming 5 people in every weekend for over 100 hours comes out to around 4,000$ per student therapist mulitply that by how many students their are at ALL of the campuses and you have to be nuts to say that they aren't making money. At least they could get a few magazine subscriptions for the break room, maybe RECYCLE, have a small library for students in the common room- if you are going to make money off of my time they need to do something with it other than spend it on marketing so they can rope more students in to boost their bottom line. An apprenticeship of some sort or internship at a spa,or private pratice is more appropriate than clinic. I have said it before that the instructors at the Salt Lake campus are amazing- I just find it spooky and one sided that they ALL went there . This is corperate massge. Take advantage of their 98% placement on cruise ships that Steiner owns and then ""own"" you , your corporate spa(where you will split 60/40- 40 being what you take home), or at fantastic strip mall venues like Massage Envy-. For all those people who have a degree from college or can think outside of the ""box"" be warned, this is not what a massage atmosphere should ever be. This is the LEAST alternative massage school on the market-but obviously it works for some. You will get hours and certification from any school you go to. That is really all employers look for. Research your schools carefully, if you want a more all around holistic experience this ""family"" of schools is NOT the right choice. Pros: You graduate and MOVE ON Cons: too many to get in to it more

Students are uncomfortable with massage -so it was an incredibly uncomfortable hour. Also, it was loud! They have it set up in a big room with curtains pulled around you (like a hospital) and you can here EVERYTHING!!! Not relaxing, not fun. The maseusse was a student who had only been learning for about 2 or 3 months and was very uncomfortable. I could not relax. Pros: Cheap rub down Cons: Cheap rub down more

Such a great place to go for a college student, or anyone looking to save some money! We all like to indulge, but for some it's just too expensive! UCMT has two-for-ones every now and then so you can go with a friend. It's professional and relaxing. more