• Washington has a variety of massage schoolsMassage Steine image by Daniel T. Seebacher from Fotolia.com
  
  A career as a massage therapist can lead to employment in a variety of professional settings, including medical offices, spas, sports clubs, birthing centers, wellness centers and cruise ships. There are several schools in Washington to provide the training required to be eligible for state board exams. The Washington State Department of Health regulates massage therapy licensure. It requires completion of a 500-hour course curriculum and passing scores on the National Examination for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork and the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination. In addition, massage therapists must renew their licenses every two years, and take continuing education classes.
  
  

Northwest School of Massage

• The Northwest School of Massage is located in Kirkland, a suburb in the Seattle metro area. It has a professional massage therapy program that provides 519 hours of coursework and training within a six month period. The courses focus on basic human anatomy and physiology, as well as diseases and muscular-skeletal disorders relevant to the massage profession. The program also teaches students the skills to build and operate a practice. Class size is limited to 12 to provide student with individual attention.
  
  Northwest School of Massage
  13033 NE 70th Place
  Kirkland, WA 98033
  nwschoolofmassage.com
  
  

Northwest Academy for the Healing Arts

• Northwest Academy for the Healing Arts is located in Seattle's North Admiral neighborhood. It offers a massage licensing program, as well as continuing education credits. The licensing program is a 644-hour curriculum that trains students in massage therapy and bodywork. The courses focus on helping students build a foundation of anatomy with a lab, physiology, kinesiology, massage therapy and practice, business skills and student clinics.
  
  Northwest Academy for the Healing Arts
  2707 California Avenue Southwest
  Suite #201
  Seattle, WA 98116
  nw-academy.com
  
  

Massage Connection School of Natural Healing

• The Massage Connection School of Natural Healing in Tacoma, and focuses on natural healing and holistic, alternative health practices. The 600-hour program for massage licensing. The curriculum includes anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, pathology, massage theory and practice, AIDS training, business skills and student clinic. Class size is limited to 15. It also offers a five-week advanced spa program that teaches therapists to administer body wraps, exfoliation and other spa treatments.
  
  Massage Connection School of Natural Healing
  15 Oregon Avenue, Suite #408
  Tacoma, WA 98409
  massageconnectionschool.com
  
  

Soma Institute of Neuromuscular Integration

• The Soma Institute is located in Buckley, a town located in near the foothills of Mount Rainier, about 20 miles from Tacoma. It offers a massage training program oriented towards neuromuscular integration, which is a form of structural integration. The program provides the training needed for the Washington or Oregon State Massage Licensing Exams, as well as a secondary certification which requires passing the International Association of Structural Integraters Certification Exam.
  
  Soma Institute of Neuromuscular Integration
  P.O. Box 312
  Buckley, WA 98321
  somabodywork.org