Massage Therapy Training Institute Opens in Topeka

August 24, 2006: News Release

Kansas City's Oldest, Most Respected Program Opens Second Campus

Topeka, Ks. - Kansas City's oldest and most respected massage therapy school is opening a campus in Topeka. The Massage Therapy Training Institute will begin offering classes in October at 4123 Gage Center Drive, Suite 240.

This is only the second location for the 18-year-old Massage Therapy Training Institute, which places graduates in positions in hospitals, doctors' offices, spas and individual practices. The program is designed to serve the needs of the entire spectrum of students ranging from those who recently graduated from high school to adults who haven't been in a classroom in more than 30 years.

The Massage Therapy Training Institute's program provides a comprehensive foundation in bodywork theory, technique and business practices. Graduates are eligible to sit for the National Certification Exam.

Focused on providing a premiere curriculum taught by outstanding instructors, the Massage Therapy Training Institute is renowned within its profession for incorporating a basic wellness curriculum into its 600-hour program.

"Practitioners increasingly find that clients are craving direct and honest guidance about how to maintain a natural wellness lifestyle," says Don Farquharson, a former Hallmark vice president and respected Kansas City businessman who purchased the Massage Therapy Training Institute four years ago. "Our program prepares practitioners to provide this guidance with the inclusion of classes on stress management, nutrition and general wellness concepts."

Some of the first courses to be offered at the new Topeka location include Basic Swedish Massage, Anatomy and Physiology, Specialty Massage, Advanced Massage Techniques, Assessment and Documentation Skills, Eastern Bodywork Techniques, Communication Skills, Kinetic Anatomy, Sports Massage, Wellness and Nutrition, Stress Management, Pathology and Business Practices. Clinical internships will be offered as well as additional classes on a wide range of complementary therapies.

By enrolling in the Massage Therapy Training Institute's accelerated daytime program, which meets two days a week, students can complete the program in less than 12 months without taking evening or weekend classes. For those who prefer, evening and weekend classes will also be available.

The need for massage therapists is driven by the growing demand for their services. National Public Radio recently reported that the spa industry has doubled the number of service providers in the last few years. Some 95% are massage therapists.

The number of Americans getting massages more than doubled from 8 percent in 1997 to more than 22 percent in 2003 and the numbers continue to climb each year. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, consumers spend between $4 and $6 billion annually on visits to massage therapists.

Demand is increasing due to a number of factors. Baby boomers are discovering the many benefits of massage. And many physicians now recommend massage to their patients -- 54 percent of primary care physicians and family practitioners encourage their patients to pursue massage therapy as a complement to medical treatment.

For more information about the Massage Therapy Training Institute's new Topeka program,4120 Gage Center Drive, Suite 240 please call 785-273-MTTI (6884). For information regarding the Kansas City program, 9140 Ward Parkway, Suite 100please call 816-523-9140 or visit the Web site at www.MassageTherapyTrainingInstitute.com.

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