Yes, to train with us you do. Our curriculum is designed to build upon the principles of professional touch that are taught in massage school and we ONLY train licensed massage therapists. Having this prerequisite allows us to place a strong focus on technique application during our classes. You will be asked to provide your license number and state when you register for any class.

*Students who are currently enrolled in massage school and have completed at least 50% of their program are allowed to attend our intro courses by contacting us and receiving permission prior to signing up.

Yes. As an LMT practicing legally within the scope of practice in your state you may use anything you learn in our classes with your clients as indicated at any time. Our CE weekend immersions, power CE weekends, one day CE courses and table CE courses are designed to provide you with usable techniques that can be added to your menu of services once you have practiced enough for feedback and feel confident that you will be helping and not hurting any of your clients or yourself! We make time to discuss marketing at the end of each class.

We do want you to recognize, however, that there is a difference between LMTs who practice Thai Massage and an actual Thai Massage Therapist. Serious students are encouraged to enroll in our 200hr certification track for a deeper learning experience that will guide you toward becoming a professional Thai Massage Therapist.

No. After fully participating in a CE course you will receive a CE Completion Certificate as documentation of the number of CE credits awarded to you. Providing that you have a massage therapy license in the area where you practice you may legally integrate anything you learn in our classes into your current treatments at any time after class. Ethically, you will want to schedule some practice first to make sure you are as confident with your new Thai Massage techniques as you are with your current skillset.

Serious students are encouraged to enroll in our 200hr certification track for a deeper learning experience that will guide you toward receiving our endorsement as a professional Thai Massage Therapist.

Most of our Thai Massage CE courses are ALL LEVELS and beginner-friendly (unless otherwise specified) so you may take any course at any time in any order. If you are enrolling in the 200hr Thai Massage Certification track then you are required to start from the beginning and work your way through the five week program in consecutive order.

If you are confident in your ability to sit, kneel, lunge and move around on the floor then we recommend starting with any one of our weekend immersions, power weekends and one day courses on the mat. These courses provide CE credit for licensure renewal and a great introduction to mat-based bodywork while giving LMTs usable techniques that can be practiced and used right away.

For a deeper, Thailand-style learning experience on the mat you can start by signing up for our 200hr Thai Massage certification track that consists of five immersion weeks spaced out over the course of approx. one year. The certification track also provides CE credit along with more in-depth learning that will help you set yourself apart as a professional Thai Massage Therapist.

If you are not confident in your ability to move around on the floor, do not want to work on the floor or do not have clients able to receive on the floor then we recommend starting with any of our Table Thai courses. All Table Thai courses are beginner-friendly unless otherwise specified and can be taken at any time, in any order. Table Thai courses provide CE credit and new techniques that can be integrated in to your current table massage practice.

The general rule we follow is that students will need to practice the same amount of hours AFTER class as the amount of time spent IN class. So if the CE Weekend Immersion course you take is 21CE then you'll need at least 21 hours of practice after class to really polish up your new skills.

The 200hr Thai Massage Certification Track is a learning pathway for serious LMTs who want to move beyond the weekend CE immersion courses into a deeper learning experience. When you sign up for the certification track you are committing to five intensive weeks of training spread out over the course of approximately one year. The techniques and course material are essentially the same as what you would learn in all of our weekend immersion courses combined PLUS supervised clinic work, one-on-one time with the instructor and a stronger emphasis on theory and case studies. After completing all requirements for the 200hr Thai Massage Certification Track LMTs receive our endorsement as Thai Massage Therapist.

No. As an LMT practicing legally within the scope of practice in your state you may use anything you learn in our classes with your clients as indicated at any time. Our CE weekend immersions, power CE weekends, one day CE courses and table CE courses are designed to provide you with usable techniques that can be added to your menu of services once you have practiced and feel confident with the material you've learned.

The 200hr Certification Track is an optional learning pathway for LMTs who want to make a deeper, more formal commitment to learning and receive Elevate Thai Massage Endorsement. The techniques and course material in the certification track are essentially the same as what you would learn in all of our weekend immersion courses combined PLUS supervised clinic work, one-on-one time with the instructor and a stronger emphasis on theory and case studies.

Most likely, yes. While some of the basic techniques may be similar to the ones you already know, the certification track is structured for a deeper learning experience with more detailed sequencing, clinical practice requirements and skills check-offs. You will have an opportunity to tell us about your Thai Massage experience on the certification track application. If necessary, we will schedule a time to meet with you to determine skill level and appropriate placement.

You might experience mobility restrictions with yourself, your classmates and your practice clients during training and practice. Sometimes students get frustrated with this because they want to master every move right away. This is not the reality of learning Thai massage. We encourage you to remember that not every technique is for every body yet often times those seemingly impossible moves become simple once you learn how to use your body in the correct way. There are also modifications and variations of every technique that you can develop, but these are skills that happen over time with training and practice. Your flexibility and your client's flexibility can improve over time with practice and consistency. It's also important to realize that Thai Massage is not ALL about stretching anyway. Releasing restrictions along the major sen lines of the body using direct pressure from the palm, thumb, forearm/elbow, knee and foot is often a necessary first step toward overall flexibility improvement as well.

There is quite a bit of sitting and kneeling that takes place while giving mat-based bodywork. It IS possible to find modifications for many of the positions yet sometimes these modifications compromise the effectiveness of the technique. Practitioners, especially in the beginning stages, must make a commitment to creating and maintaining a body that is capable of kneeling. A daily, personal movement and mobilization routine goes a long way. You may also practice sitting on the floor more often at home to watch a movie or to eat dinner, for example.

Mat courses are taught completely on the floor. This means that you will spend each training day on the floor listening to lectures, participating in discussions and, of course, sharing Thai massage. If you do not sit on the floor often in your daily life then the first few training sessions might challenge you. Bring a pillow or sit up against the wall to compensate and know that it DOES get easier over time. Especially if you start and keep a regular practice from the beginning. Remember that there is a lot of stopping and starting of technique application in class as you learn. An actual session should flow seamlessly from one move to the next - requiring less time in each position than what is typically experienced in class while learning.

It's difficult to treat the table exactly the same as the mat because it is not level with the ground. Many of the giving positions in traditional Thai massage revolve around kneeling and using the floor as a counter to the joint movements and pressure. It's not impossible to translate the work to the massage table. It just takes knowledge of what each technique is supposed to accomplish so that the adaptation for the table gets that same result without compromising client or practitioner safety. The Table Thai techniques we teach in our classes have been meticulously reviewed for effectiveness and to make sure they are producing the desired results. For serious Table Thai students we recommend a wide and sturdy table that has a a greater working weight capacity than a standard, portable massage table. The Earthlite Spirit is an excellent choice for a portable table. The Earthlite Ellora Vista Lift is our top choice for electric.

Thai massage INCLUDES stretching but it's oh so much more! Practitioners use their elbows, thumbs, knees, feet and entire body to apply compression, rocking, stretching and joint mobilization techniques to open energy lines and treat acupressure points. Plus, all of the techniques you already know, such as percussion, friction and kneading, can be added in, too!

Thai massage is related to the Thai Yoga self-care system called Reusi Dat Ton. This is a non-Indian form of hatha yoga that includes self-massage, acupressure, poses, exercises, mantras, visualizations and breathwork.

No. You may continue to practice whatever religion you want and still become a competent Thai massage practitioner. We would like for you to be aware that we discuss healing concepts related to the practice of Thai massage in class and further remind you that many of these concepts are, by the nature of their development in SE Asia, inherently Buddhist and Animistic principles. We believe that acknowledgement of our teachers and their traditions is an important part of our healing work, even if we don't always agree with or fully understand them. We encourage you to find your own meaning and hope that our sharing of the knowledge passed on to us from our teachers can help you become a better therapist, whatever that means to you.

Elevate Massage Training founder, Charlene Gaffney, is a licensed massage therapist, professional massage instructor and certified yoga instructor. She holds a bachelor degree in psychology and another in Spanish language and a masters degree in English/ESL. She is a registered therapist and instructor with the Thai Healing Alliance International, a Certified Massage and Bodywork Educator with the AFMTE and the curriculum specialist for Elevate Massage Training.

Lineage/Teachers USA : Chuck Duff, Tanya Boigenzhan, Michael Buck, Nephyr Jacobsen, Pierce Salguero, David Wells, Bob Haddad

Thailand : Suriyan Punyafoo, Sunshine School, Pichest Boonthumme, Loi Kroh School Chiang Mai, Therdchai Chumphoopong at The Fine Art of Thai Massage School, Ong's Thai Massage School

No. Some experience with Thai Massage is preferred but not required to participant in Thailand classes. You must, however, be a licensed massage therapist. We do give application preference to LMTs who have taken one or more Elevate Massage Training courses.

There are so many options for cushioning during a Thai massage that it is really up to the practitioner and their specific situation as to what is best to use. Your equipment should meet your needs as a practitioner. For example, if you primarily practice mobile Thai massage then you need a mat that is portable and easy to transport. If you have a dedicated office space then you might consider a heavier, more stationary mat. If your mat and your massage table must share space then a mat that is more narrow and smaller might be the best fit. Our favorite is the poly foam Thai Massage mat from Sun and Moon Originals.