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There are three massage therapy schools in San Antonio that meet curricular standards for licensure. They include two private businesses and a public college.
Students are educated in massage theory and techniques during classes, get training in laboratories, and practice their techniques in spa settings. They graduate with certificates within a few months.
Most massage therapists here earn incomes considerably higher than the national median. Jobs are becoming more plentiful, with a 32 percent growth rate predicted statewide during the decade that ends in 2026.
You can also broaden your search and view massage therapy schools in Texas.
The state board, which operates within the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, grants licenses to massage therapists, schools, teachers, and businesses.
These officials determine criteria for the subject matter that school curricula cover, and for the qualifications of instructors. They specify pre-licensing examinations and continuing education requirements; and conduct inspections of massage schools and establishments to enforce health, safety, and recordkeeping regulations.
The board looks into allegations of legal or ethical misconduct by practitioners, businesses, and schools. Hearings are held to determine whether penalties like fines or license suspensions are warranted.
San Antonio authorities oversee massage establishments, requiring those charged with violations to obtain city permits. A municipal statute dictates operating hours and limits businesses to areas zoned for commercial operations. Establishments are subject to regular inspections concerning health, safety, sanitation, and equipment.
After successfully finishing high school or securing a general education diploma, a prospective practitioner has to graduate from an accredited massage therapy school with a curriculum that satisfies the state board’s requirements.
Instruction, hands-on training, and real-world experience in a postsecondary program must total 500 or more contact hours. Courses are to include 50 hours of anatomy; 50 hours of kinesiology; 25 hours of physiology; 40 hours of pathology; 20 hours of hydrotherapy; 45 hours of laws, rules, ethics, and business practice; 20 hours of health, hygiene, first aid, CPR, and universal precautions; and 50 hours in an internship.
There also need to be 200 hours of classes teaching massage theory and techniques, and soft tissue manipulation. At least 125 hours must be devoted to Swedish massage.
To become a massage therapist in San Antonio, the following step is to go online to apply for permission from the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards to take the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination. This entails a fee of approximately $200. Pearson VUE provides the test at various locations in Texas.
The state also requires a certain score on a jurisprudence exam about Texas and U.S. laws governing massage therapy. The test is available online.
Every second year, practicing professionals must contact the board for licensure renewals. To qualify, they have to complete 12 continuing education hours.
We selected the schools below based on the programs that they offer, accreditation, student population, graduation rate and reputation.
View our Ranking Methodology to learn more about how we rank schools.
40%
222
This is one of a chain of schools in four states that offers two options for future massage therapists.
A 500-contact-hour program, which lasts 25 weeks, fulfills state licensure requirements. Classes cover traditional Western techniques, ancient Eastern methods, and modern modalities. A 600-hour, 30-week alternative provides instruction and training in even more bodywork techniques.
The school has its own on-campus spa, where students hone their skills by giving treatments to actual clients. Among the massage modalities are Swedish, therapeutic, deep tissue, sports, pregnancy, and stone. Other services include reflexology, aromatherapy, and Shiatsu.
21%
11590
One of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, SPC is a nonprofit public institution founded in 1898. Its campus is about six miles outside San Antonio.
To earn an MT certificate, a student must complete at least 23 credit hours. Tutors are available for those who post low scores on pre-admission writing, reading, math, or natural science tests. Courses focus on the typical subjects, as well as client assessment, etiology, and physiological and psychological responses to diseases and illnesses.
The school offers career services such as resume writing advice, interviewing tips, and job-search assistance. Employers often recruit SPC graduates.
N/A
N/A
A family owned and operated business, this school is about 12 miles northeast of San Antonio in the town of Windcrest. Students attend two semesters of day classes for seven months.
The 500 hours of instruction reflect state requirements. In the school’s spa, students administer Swedish, deep tissue, prenatal, sports, and chair massages; as well as reflexology, relaxation and full facial treatments, and body wraps.
The school promises “job placement for those who qualify.” Graduates may return for continuing education courses in Sports Massage, Advanced Stretching and Deep Tissue, Myofascial Release, Stretching R.O.M. & Integration, or PNF Stretching.
$40
$83,000
32%%
San Antonio-New Braunfels is an extremely lucrative place to practice massage therapy, with incomes ranking eighth among the country’s metropolitan areas. The median annual salary and hourly wage are nearly $83,000 and $40—more than twice the United States norms of over $41,400 and around $20.
Those in the highest 10% make about $101,130 a year or $48.60 per hour in San Antonio — a lot more than the approximately $78,300 or $37.65 that their peers in other states receive. The city’s practitioners in the lowest 10% get almost $29,000 or about $10.50—comparable to around $21,350 or $10.25 U.S.-wide.
San Antonio area residents choose from about 90 massage therapists. The number is going up, with 32% growth in the field predicted statewide through 2026. Nationally, the rate is expected to be 26%.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CareerOneStop
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