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Mountain Massage Institute recruiting for classes in Steamboat

Michael Schrantz
Cammi Balleck
Cammi_Balleck

— A new massage school opening in Steamboat Springs plans to blend online curriculum with hands-on learning to make it easier for students to complete the training required to be a massage therapist.

Mountain Massage Institute is a venture by Cammi Balleck, who previously was the massage instructor and director of the massage therapy program at Colorado Northwestern Community College for nine years. In that time, Balleck said, all of her students passed the required national exams.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to start my own massage school,” she said.



Balleck said that she’s been a certified traditional naturopath in Steamboat for 10 years and will continue to see her patients while also now enrolling for the first session of Mountain Massage Institute.

Of the 600 hours of instruction required to complete the course, 400 is composed of online lessons in anatomy, kinesiology, pathology, business and other subjects students would need to find a job as a massage therapist. The remaining 200 hours are hands-on massage training in Steamboat.



Each session will have only 10 students, and the in-person training will be Fridays and Saturdays, three weekends per month during a five month stretch.

Students will learn the techniques by practicing on one another while monitored by instructors.

“The best part of massage school is you actually get a massage every time you go to class,” Balleck said.

The upcoming session starts in August, and she said it’s already half full.

Students must either finish the online portion of the course before they start the hands-on training or do it concurrently.

As the online lessons can be done at the student’s own pace, Balleck said, some already are more than halfway through the curriculum while others are taking their time.

With the flexibility of the course, Balleck said, she wants to be able offer it to residents who might be working other jobs as well as those outside the region who would like to spend five months in Steamboat Springs for their hands-on training.

Balleck said Steamboat is a great choice for “destination education.”

After students finish their training with Mountain Massage Institute, she said, they can take national certification exams.

Balleck said the goal is to have students in the upcoming session ready to enter the job market before ski season is through.

The second session will start in the spring, Balleck said, but she has plans beyond just Steamboat.

“My goal is next year to be in other mountain towns,” she said about her vision for Mountain Massage Institute.

To reach Michael Schrantz, call 970-871-4206, email mschrantz@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @MLSchrantz


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