When you want to learn massage therapy, Aquinas College is one of our best bets. One of the reasons is that they offer various payment options and financial aid to help different budgets.

We love their modular-based learning system. If you’re an adult, you can focus on one course per month so you still have time for your outside-school responsibilities.

We like that their massage therapy diploma program includes a very hands-on approach to prepare you for diverse settings, such as spas and sports clinics.

Plus, their instructors are very effective in teaching various massage modalities. Past students we talked with have been very successful in their chosen careers because of the skills they’ve learned.

A highlight is they have a flexible calendar. They start new admissions each month—more chances for students!

A little hiccup is they’re not the easiest school to commute to. On the flip side, their massage program is blended learning (onsite and online) for convenience.

Very helpful and highly trusted school

“Friendly neighbourhoods! Staff are all accommodating and they will give you the right information how to transform your future when it comes to get the right education for yourself that you can actually used your own education after you finished your course! It’s hard to find any educational institutions that you can trust now a days but this one Aquinas College will help you all the way from step one until you find the right pathway through education! 10 stars! Recommendations”

Arvin Perez, Google Review

High-quality education and top-notch online learning

“The communication and teaching is very high quality. Their web interface for online education is perfect . Definitely recommend to other online students.

They have great staff and teachers.”

Hala Masadeh, Google Review

The Calgary campus of Vicars School Of Massage Therapy is one of our picks because they specialize in massages! For us, that shows their instructors’ expertise and deep knowledge.

Plus, they’re fully accredited by the Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation (CMTCA) . It does show the top-notch curriculum they offer.

During our inquiry, we found out that their curriculum is composed of teaching the science of the human body, massage theory, and pathology. We love the comprehensiveness of their classes!

Another reason is the flexibility of their classes, which is very helpful for students with other responsibilities. Their courses are available for online and onsite learning, which includes supervised clinic training.

However, some students have complained about their online learning platform. The interface is not as seamless as they would have liked, but that’s not a big issue.

Lastly, we like that they offer financial support, like tuition credit and no-fee payment plans.

Highly recommended massage school

“As a graduate, I highly recommend this school if you’re looking to become an RMT. The teachers have years of experience and take their time to answer questions and help you understand. They really set you up for success and I felt confident with my skills stepping into my career. They also really push the importance of self care, work boundaries and proper body mechanics so that you won’t overwork or injure yourself once you graduate.”

Hayley, Google Review

Dedicated instructors

“Just finished attending MH Vicars and I can’t say enough about how excellent of a job they are doing. The school itself is intimate and small and the instructors are truly one-of-a-kind and 100% dedicated to the best interest of the students. Becoming a massage therapist is no easy-task, however the curriculum is organized efficiently for learning and suits many learning styles and there is always lots of support around if you need assistance. Thank you thank you thank you.”

Alyssa Collins, Google Review

Mount Royal University offers a wide variety of programs for Calgarians. One of which is the massage therapy diploma accredited by the CMTCA, which means you get high standards of education.

Their comprehensive curriculum is one of the things we like—you’ll take 34 courses for eight semesters. The downside is the class schedule is not going to be flexible if you have other responsibilities.

The good thing about their curriculum is you will learn so much about massage therapy. The courses are extensive and allow you to learn many things at once.

But as a public university, the tuition, books, supplies, and additional fees are going to be expensive. The positive is there are plenty of options to help finance your studies, like getting a job on campus.

We were in awe during our tour when we saw the facilities. There were many available amenities and resources for students.

Exceptional university

“Mount Royal university is exceptional; from its professors to its campus. Its excellence is worth highlighting. The class room sizes are perfect to build a good experiences with your professors along with making lifelong friends. You will definitely not regret picking MRU (also the food is amazing) best poutine I’ve had in Calgary”

Shafia Sadia, Google Review

Diverse community

“It is a very good place to learn. Small class size, conducive classrooms and a safe place for all regardless of you race, gender or sexual orientaion. Diversity and inclusion is noticed as you walk in through the doors of main street campus. Come check it out. You belong here.”

Suginia Olumo, Google Review

Alberta College of Massage Therapy in Calgary earns a spot on our list because of the high-quality education they provide. They even have a 98% employment rate, which speaks volumes about their success.

They have two campuses in Calgary: Kensington and Southport. This is very convenient because it makes them accessible for students during onsite learning.

You won’t have to worry about missing classes with their flexible schedules. You can choose daytime classes, evening classes, or one weekend per month, which is very helpful for students with other responsibilities.

Plus, 50% of the onsite class will include hands-on practice. The quality of education doesn’t diminish in online learning because you’ll still have complete resources.

As for the curriculum, we love that you’ll get real-world experience with their practicum or student clinic programs. We just hope they can add more support services for students struggling to balance work and school.

Informative and helpful instructors

“I go to the kensington location  for classes and the South compus for my clinic practice. I love this school so much, the program is fun and informative. Special thanks to my instructor River, she is amazing! Following her tips on client comfort and massaging techniques made a lot of my customers at the clinic very happy. River is very supportive, kind, encouraging and fun teacher. River has helped me a lot through out the program with my ADHD condition & I am very thankful for her. If you are thinking of joining this school, consider River’s classes, all her students in both south and north location speak of how great she is.”

Amina Senouci, Google Review

gle Review

Knowledgeable and educated students

“I started attending this college for massages earlier this year. I had previously been going to a different massage school or massages however, I find that overall, ACMT students are far more educated, and knowledgeable about anatomy, and how to read the condition of the muscles they are working on. In particular, Amina S is amazingly! I have seen her several times and each time I leave feeling so much more relaxed. She knows how all the various muscles affect each other so will not only work the area where I have knots but all connecting areas so that the overall therapy is far more effective and lasting. She also provides stretches for me to take away and do at home to help prevent the knots from reoccurring. On top of that, she is sunshine and smiles, checking in to be sure pressure is ok throughout the massage before shifting gears to work in different areas. Thank you Amina S!”

Mary Wiebe, Google Review

Knowledgeable and educated students

“I started attending this college for massages earlier this year. I had previously been going to a different massage school or massages however, I find that overall, ACMT students are far more educated, and knowledgeable about anatomy, and how to read the condition of the muscles they are working on. In particular, Amina S is amazingly! I have seen her several times and each time I leave feeling so much more relaxed. She knows how all the various muscles affect each other so will not only work the area where I have knots but all connecting areas so that the overall therapy is far more effective and lasting. She also provides stretches for me to take away and do at home to help prevent the knots from reoccurring. On top of that, she is sunshine and smiles, checking in to be sure pressure is ok throughout the massage before shifting gears to work in different areas. Thank you Amina S!”

Mary Wiebe, Google Review

Calgary’s NIWE Academy is probably the most luxurious massage school we’ve been to. The school’s design has a touch of elegance, which we think will up your learning game!

They offer massage therapy and aesthetics programs. What’s good is that their diploma programs are taught by experienced instructors whose students have been praised as passionate.

Another thing we learned during our research is their curriculum is comprehensive and comprised of different kinds of techniques. It includes various modalities that are helpful when you’re pursuing continuing education.

On top of that, learning massage therapy here gives you access to professional advice for life from the school’s mentors. We like that their training doesn’t end when you graduate.

It’s like icing on the cake that you get job placement assistance while in training.

Unfortunately, we received reports of disorganized classes and miscommunications. It’s a good thing they’ve made changes in the management to address these.

Experienced instructors

“I am very happy and satisfied massage therapy graduate from NIWE. It is one of the best schools for clinical aesthetics and Massage therapy. The instructors are very knowledgeable and experienced. Jesa and Johnny from massage therapy are very experienced instructors. I loved learning from them. They both cared for student development. School management are great people and listens to students concerns.”

Prabhakar Reddy, Google Review

Accepting community

“I’m a student taking massage therapy, and so far it’s been fantastic. The staff are very friendly and I’ve learned so much! I’m transgender so I’m always a bit timid about going to new places and meeting new people, but everyone at Niwe has been very accepting of me.”

Valerie Ireland, Google Review