Welcome to Health Options Institute

The school has a 686 hour training program in Massage Therapy.  Students will receive a diploma on completion of this program.  Additionally, thirteen certificates of completion are awarded for various subjects taken within the program.  These certificates of completion are in Deep Muscle Massage, CPR and AED, Shiatsu, Lomi Lomi: Modules I and II, Reflexology, Nutrition and Herbs, Scentsational Aromatherapy, Professional Practice Concepts, Practice Procedures and Policies, Client Communication Skills, Orthopedic Neuromuscular Therapy, Sports Massage: American/European and Sports Massage: Russian/American.  During this program the student will have the opportunity to gain experience by working on premise in the supervised student clinic on members of the general population.  Additionally, the student will learn 9 entirely different bodywork routines for the body which can be integrated together and customized for the individual client.  This program is for the really serious student who would like to have a lifetime professional career in massage and excellent employment opportunities as well as a smorgasbord of techniques and modalities to choose from.  It takes 11 to 22 months to complete the 686 hour program, depending on the student’s choice of schedule.  

Upon completion of the 686 hour program, students are well prepared to take the National Certification Exam or the MBLEx exam. Taking one of these exams will become mandatory once licensing comes about. Students are well prepared to take these exams upon graduation due to the breadth of our program.

In fact, the Institute’s pass rate for first time testers for the National Certification Exam is 100% for the period of 1/1/2009 to 6/30/2009 as compared to the 60% national pass rate and the 64% PA pass rate in this same time period.  

In the 130 hour Deep Muscle Massage Program, the students will learn one excellent massage routine, stretching for the entire body, and holistic principles that will enable him or her to begin a professional career in massage. The Deep Muscle Massage Program is the first part of the larger program. It consists of the Deep Muscle Massage Course (104 hrs), Aromatherapy (16 hrs), and Clinic (10 hrs).  It takes five or more months to complete, depending on whether holidays fall within the program. This program by itself will only allow you to practice massage until October, 2010 unless you are a nurse or a health care practitioner who is licensed to touch the human body, due to the new massage licensing bill going into effect in October, 2010. If you later choose to take the full Massage Therapy Program, you will receive full academic credit for what you have already studied. Please see pages 5 & 6 for the three course descriptions.

Both the 686 hour Massage Therapy Program and the Deep Muscle Massage Program are offered on weekdays, evenings, and weekends.  The school can often customize a flexible program to meet your personal schedule. 

Both as part of the Massage Therapy Program and in addition to it, the school offers a number of continuing education courses in complementing bodywork modalities and adjunct skills so that the student has a broad base.  The more knowledge the student has the wider range of clientele she/he will be able to accept.  Presently Seated Chair Massage, Reflexology, Shiatsu, Professional Practice Concepts, Practice Procedures and Policies, Client Communication Skills, Aromatherapy, Finding Your Center & Balance, Nutrition and Herbs, CPR and AED, Lomi Lomi Temple Style Bodywork, Claiming Your Ground, Orthopedic Neuromuscular Therapy (Levels 1-4), Hot Towel Face Massage, Hot Stone Massage, Reiki, Lypossage (body contouring massage), and Lymphatic Drainage Therapy are offered.  Note that many of theses courses are part of the 686 hour curriculum.  Those that are not part of the curriculum may be taken either concurrently while the student is in the program or on completion of the 686 hour program. 

The Institute is located in a beautiful and spacious historic building that has four large classrooms, two clinic rooms in which students massage clients from the general public, dressing rooms, a library/study with computer and internet access, a kitchen/student lounge, a vending machine, a bookstore/reception area, an admissions office, administrative areas, and ample onsite parking. The library/study is open every Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am to 9 pm, and most Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 9 am to 4 pm. To facilitate learning, the school provides all equipment needed such as massage tables for use during classes. Additionally it has numerous life size painted skeletons, numerous smaller skeletons for clay sculpting of muscles, anatomical and trigger point charts, overhead projectors, slide projectors, and a VCR/DVD player. All supplies a student needs for his/her education can be purchased on the premises in our student bookstore, including DVD's and videos of many of the techniques we teach. We carry a wide selection of Aromatherapy products, massage crèmes, anatomy charts, and massage tables.