SSMT offers a 750 hour massage therapy program that is designed to prepare you for a fulfilling career as a professional massage therapist. The program emphasizes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes used by the most successful massage therapists.
Create meaningful work that reflects your values. Help people relieve pain and stress, and help them (and you) experience health and wellbeing.
Students come from all over the country for the opportunity to learn and grow here. In 2024-2025, our graduates had a 95% success rate on the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam, and a 92% job placement rate. They also overwhelmingly describe their experience at SSMT as transformational.
Teacher/student ratios are kept low, so that students receive abundant individual attention, and SSMT instructors are skilled at looking for, and drawing out, the best in each student.
Guest instructors augment the regular faculty. Experts in various systems of bodywork teach many of the bodywork survey classes (short introductions to their specialized forms of massage therapy).
By completion of the program, the student will:
Community outreach is a vital part of the program at the Sarasota School of Massage Therapy. The school donates supervisory staff to enable students to participate as volunteers at the Senior Friendship Center and a variety of charitable events. The school also donates in excess of 10% of its annual net profit to charitable organizations involved in environmental, peace and social justice issues.
Florida law requires anyone who practices touch therapies for compensation to have a massage therapy license. Candidates for licensure must pass an exam administered by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) as a requirement for licensure.
SSMT graduates have extremely high pass rates on the MBLEx; in 2024-2025 the pass rate was 95%.
The cost of the exam and the $155 fee for Florida licensure are included in SSMT tuition.
Many other states also use this exam as a requirement for licensure. Students planning to practice in another state may contact the school for information regarding the state in which they are interested in practicing. We will also supply you with telephone numbers for the relevant state agencies.
A variety of different treatment approaches are practiced in the massage therapy field. The Massage Therapy Program at SSMT provides a foundation in massage for relaxation, rehabilitation, integration, performance optimization, energy balancing, and somatic awareness. We particularly emphasize somatic awareness; many of the changes experienced by our clients can be understood as the effects of increased body awareness. A mindful focus on creating the space for this growth in ourselves and our clients is at the core of the SSMT curriculum.
A caring and knowledgeable SSMT Admissions Guide will be happy to help you explore your career goals and options. An effective next step, to help you choose the right path for yourself, is a simple chat on the phone. Call (941) 957-0577 or click below to request a caring and supportive conversation.
