Student Testimonials

Catrin Owen. Courses: VTCT CERT Swedish Massage & Deep Tissue

I had a really positive experience with the Academy. The support I received before I booking my course was wonderful; Georgeene & Karen were always happy to answer questions and provide further information. The website is really pleasing on the eye and also easy to browse through, I loved all the testimonials as they reassured me I was making a good choice! The college facilities are second to none and the entire course was enjoyable- even studying for the exams! My tutor knew so much about massage and that was obvious very quickly and it was invaluable to have her expertise and hints. I think the course was excellent value for money and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I have already booked to do another short course with the Academy in June! I am a practicing massage therapist working from my base in Gwynedd.

Stephanie Marsh. Courses:   VTCT CERT Indian Head Massage & VTCT CERT Swedish Massage

My tutor could not have been more helpful she was fantastic. During the classes and throughout my practice and assessments she was always there for me offering support. The booking process was easy to use and understand with simple procedures and the website was user friendly and to easy to navigate around. The course content was thorough without being too much and definately value for money.

I am now a practicing massage therapist working from a home a few days a week.

Kate Oakes. Courses: VTCT CERT Indian Head Massage & VTCT DIP Aromatherapy & Deep Tissue & Hot Stones Massage

My experience with The Massage Academy has been second to none. The tutors are extremely knowledgeable, friendly and approachable, and make learning fun and interesting. Tutors are happy to answer questions at any time, either face to face, on the phone or email during the course and even after the course was over, providing a valuable source of experience and guidance as I started out on my career as a new therapist. The materials provided were comprehensive and easy to understand and were ideal preparation for the exams and practical assessments. The new venue in Stockport is in a very convenient location with great equipment for students use. Georgeene and her team are great they make you feel incredibly welcome and have a flexible approach always doing their best to assist and support all students’ needs. The college has many external clients who come in regularly for students to practice on during the course and assessments; showing that even at student level you still feel confident treating ‘real’ clients. I would recommend The Massage Academy to anyone wanting to learn to practice holistic therapies.

I am now a practicing massage therapist working from a home studio in Swinton and a room in a beauty and holistic clinic at Dam House in Astley.

Matthew Bulmer. Course: VTCT CERT Sports Massage

I was very impressed with the L4 Sports Massage course at the Academy. Before booking the course, I had a number of questions that I wanted answering and they were extremely helpful, they even arranged for me to visit the college to speak to the current students and the tutor.  The pre-course material was comprehensive and allowed me to start the course with the correct amount of knowledge.  The course itself was well organised and well run.  The tutor was extremely knowledgeable and very supportive and all questions were fully answered and the strcutire of the course allowed plenty of time to practice newly learned skills.  The new facilities in Stockport are really excellent and the location is very easily accessible.  I had a tremendous time on the course.  It’s hard work, but then it should be.  Effective sports massage is not something that can be learned over a couple of weekends.  I highly recommend the course and will be looking to continue my professional development with further courses at the Academy.

Since gaining my qualification, I have put my new skills to good use.  I provide services to the 2 largest professional sports teams in Oldham: Oldham Athletic Football Club and Oldham Roughyeds Rugby League Club.  This has been a fantastic experience and something I did not expect to happen to me at this stage in my life.  I have also set up my own practice: BodyPoint.  My customers are mainly committed amateur sports people.  It’s very fulfilling being able to share my passion for sport with other like minded sports people.  I’m constantly finding new opportunities opening up for me – I’ve already working in partnership with a local climbing wall, a local authority and the Civil Service Sports Club.  I’m very appreciative to the Academy for providing me with the training that has allowed all of this to happen.

Mark Favager. Course: VTCT CERT Swedish Massage

The course was very thorough and enjoyable and the tutor professional yet friendly. I would recommend the college to anyone who wishes to learn Body Massage etc, in fact I have already booked further courses! I have now set up my massage therapy business and I am getting new clients each week. 

Lee Davies. Course: VTCT CERT Sports Massage

From beginning to end, I had an enjoyable experience with the The Massage Academy. Georgeene was lovely, helpful and efficient in setting me up on the course. Barbara, my course tutor was extremely knowledgeable and approachable. She guided me safely through the ups and downs of my course. The course content was interesting and, despite the amount of work, enjoyable.

The cost of the course was well worth it as I am now a fully qualified sports massage therapist, part of Wirral Sports Massage, which is part of the “Corner House Clinic” based in West Kirby on the Wirral. I treat a range of clients with diverse injuries, and a few who just use just employ massage as a means of injury prevention or even just stress relief.

Lucy Oakley. Course: VTCT CERT Indian Head Massage

I thoroughly enjoyed the Indian Head Massage course at the Academy. My tutor was very knowledgeable, not only about massage but about therapies in general, and she also ran her own busy massage practice. It was nice to be taught by someone who was not only academic but who also was able to translate her pracftical experience into meaningful learning, which I found a great help and very encouraging.

Dawn Blackbourn. Course: Hot Stones Massage 

I feel compelled to have to email you to say how impressed I have been today with the course.  The tutor was delightful in addition to being excellent. The set up is very professional and both myself and Mo really enjoyed the day. I have undertaken a number of courses in the last 12 months and none have compared to the professionalism of your company. I shall certainly be back to do more courses in the future. Many thanks.

Suzie Yau. Course: Introduction to Reflexology

Just a very quick note to say that the service you've provided today has been excellent, efficient, thorough, and really well organised. You could certainly show some people a thing or two about customer service!! We are both looking forward to the course.

Simon Young. Courses: VTCT CERT Swedish Massage, VTCT DIP Sports Massage, Hopi Ear Candling, Tibetan Head Massage, Russian Honey Massage & VTCT 1st Aid

From the very first contact I had with the Academy I felt a sense of professionalism and a very warm welcome. The Academy is small, friendly and supportive. I really enjoyed all all my courses and made some new friends along the way; both students and tutors. Whilst studying at the Academy I had great support from everyone especially the tutors themselves and it came as a pleasant surprise when they said we could call or email out of college hours if we ever needed further assistance or advice. This was of great benefit to me and I definitely took them up on their generous offer! My enquiries and questions were dealt with in a fast and efficient way and good advice was given to me as to what would be the most beneficial path to chose. I think I possibly under-estimated the workload involved with the courses, as I did a few in succession, but the tutors made life so much easier with their helping hands to organize me and pass on their wealth of knowledge. The courses are accelerated so you work hard but the results are very rewarding and the work is enjoyable.

Since leaving the Academy, I have been incredibly fortunate and privileged to pursue my new career in the way that I have. My goal was to become a sports therapist, but I could never have anticipated what was round the corner on completion of my courses. Due to some hard work and very good luck, I have secured my place as a massage therapist working at the Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Club. The work was initially a couple of hours a week voluntary but has now progressed to be much, much more. I now work on a regular basis with the Europe’s number one rugby team and some of the best pro athletes in the game. I work alongside some of the world leading sports physiotherapists and conditioners who are always advancing my skills with day to day training and development, and I have been lucky enough to work at Super League games each week and even appear on SKY TV. ( including working at Old Trafford in the super league grand final).  In Sept 09 I was asked to work for the England RFL and therefore be a therapist for the four nations England team. This experience was amazing and made me realize how good this career actually is.  So to sum up, since qualifying as a sports therapist at Cheshire Massage Academy, I now earn my living on a daily basis through massage, and this happens to include working for the best Rugby club in the world and my own National team. It just shows that anything is possible...  I am glad I chose this college and would recommend them to anyone who is interested. Without them, I would not be in the privilaged position that I am today. Many thanks to both my tutors and the great friends I have made. Money well spent !!!

Helen Wright. Courses: VTCT CERT IHM , VTCT DIP Reflexology , VTCT DIP Aromatherapy , Hot Stones , Hopi Ear Candling

The Academy took the fear out of changing direction and learning something  new. Whilst the courses I found chanllenging and intense as they are accelerated; the tutors made the days feel relaxed and their support was invaluable as well as constant. I think this is also due to the level of personal tuition as the class sizes are kept small, which I found priceless. After taking this worthwhile leap, I am now a self employed holistic therapist.

Joanne Langton. Courses: VTCT CERT Swedish Massage & Pregnancy Massage

When doing my research, I found that the Academy course dates available fitted well for me and the fact that all the tutors teaching at the college also are practicing in the diciplines they taught very encouraging as I felt they would be up-to-date with industry guidelines and techniques. My first course was the Swedish Massage; from the onset the tutor made it clear that we had the opportunity to pass as therapists with a sound foundation to build our new careers on. Our small group all from different backgrounds were encouraged to gain as much practice as possible between teaching sessions and we were regularly tested both in technique and A&P so we were able to gain constant feedback on our progress. By the time of the formal assessments we all felt totally prepared and confident, which coming back into learning since a long time was excellent. 

The Pregnancy Massage course again the content and and techniques taught were excellent and the small friendly groups of attendees all professional therapists made it a great experience. I would encourage anyone to consider training courses with the Academy, the training is good value for money. 

Verna Tatt. Course: VTCT DIP Advanced Reflexology

I found the Academy from searching the internet and the Academy website was really easy to get around, the enquiry & booking process was very informative, frenidly and efficient. My tutor was extremely knowledgeable and professional; anwering all my questions and nothing was to much trouble. The course sontent was excellent; informative and thorough and the facilites were clean and tidy. Whenever I was not in college and sent emails to the office or my tutor they were answered almost immediately. I live in the South of England, so travelled for the course and I felt it was excellent value for money and I would score it 10/10. I will definately be back again! I am now  carrying out Reflexology to a much higher standard and getting effective results!

Regina Mitezki. Course: VTCT CERT Swedish Massage

The enquiry and booking process was very efficient. The tutor was very knowledgable and I enjoyed ny course.

Toni Bryne. Courses: VTCT CERT Swedish Massage, Japanese Tsuboki Massage & Deep Tissue Massage 

I have already recommended people to Cheshire Massage Academy and I will continue to do so. This is due to it being an excellent training academy. I was suprised by the small number of students on each course and the very individual attention given by tutors to each student. I felt confident to practice having had excellent theoretical input, many opportunities to practice on and off site and excellent feedback and support from tutors. I enjoyed the my group, we had plently of fun as well as learning. The training environment is pleasant and comfortable with easy parking. I now recieve on going support from the Academy even after my courses' have finished.

I am currently running a well being service, which offers the opportunity for clients to recapture themselves and plan their way forward in times of change or stress. We offer a range of services to improve physical and emotional well being for individuals, groups or organisations. The qualifications, once attained, will be added to our service as complimentary to what we already do helping and supporting people.

Sally Triner. Courses: VTCT CERT Swedish Massage, VTCT DIP Indian Head Massage, Hot Stone Massage, Hopi Ear Candling & Tibetan Head Massage

Having worked in the media industry for over 20 years, having 3 children and juggling work and the children for 10 years, I was ready for a change and decided to take redundancy and walk away from the security of a regular monthly wage ( and regular headaches too!) at the end of 2008.

During  the  latter years of my job I had benefited from regular full body massages, as recommended by my osteopath and found that this monthly hour of bliss kept my stiff muscles and tired mind in abeyance - it was definitely a case of prevention rather than cure …I was converted! I had always had an interest in complementary therapies but never had the time to pursue them any further than my monthly massage treatment - at times varying this with some reflexology. Once I finished working in the city centre I focussed on finding out about courses and attended an Introductory  Massage course to see whether it was in fact something I really wanted to do, something I could do, and something I would enjoy. Needless to say I loved it and in March last year I attended  the VTCT Level 3 Swedish Massage course at Cheshire Massage Academy. From my very first contact with Georgeene (months before when I was still working and trying to see what was out there but not having the nerve to make that leap quite ye!) I was impressed by her prompt and very informative and helpful responses to every query I had - I felt very confident and excited about my learning plan and couldn’t wait to get started.

The Massage Academy is local for me so that was an added bonus. The facilities were excellent, impeccably clean, light and airy treatment room and they keep the numbers to a manageable and comfortable level.  The other students were a mix of people with previous work/life experience and it all felt very grown up rather than feeling as though I was going backwards at this stage in my life. We all had different experiences to add to the overall learning process and it enabled us all to share ideas and thoughts throughout the course with the same small group of people. The tutors were excellent. Thoroughly professional and yet friendly and approachable at the same time. It was great to be able to ask questions throughout the day and equally both Georgeene and the tutors were always more than happy to answer any queries outside of the lesson time via e-mail. The out of school support was fantastic and invaluable when studying for the exams/workbooks after the initial school element of the course has finished.

I thoroughly enjoyed the courses and even enjoyed revising for my exams! It is amazing what a difference it makes when you are studying something you want to learn rather than attending a course your boss has sent you on! I was definitely bitten by the bug and also completed the Indian Head Massage course and have attended some workshops, including Hopi Ear Candling, Deep Tissue Techniques, Hot Stone Massage and Tibetan Acupressure Head Massage. The only hard part about all this is trying to stop myself from continually wnating to book more courses!!!

I am now fully qualified and have regular clients every week. I work from home and also go to people’s houses if that is easier for them. I am enjoying gradually building up my own business and already have my eye on the next course. Watch out  .... I’ll be back!
 

Rachel Yemm. Courses: VTCT CERT Swedish Massage, Hot Stone Massage, Hopi Ear Candling, VTCT DIP Sports Massage & VTCT 1st Aid

Cheshire Massage Academy offers a small and personal learning environment and everyone is very friendly. The Tutors are all very supportive and available for advice at any time.  The groups tend to be small (max 6) and so this provides an ideal environment for personalised learning.  I have met some wonderful people during my training and would highly recommend the Academy to anyone who is looking for a personable environment in which to study. I have recently set up my own Holistic and Sports Therapy business.  I offer a mobile service but also have facilities in which treatments can be provided within a 50 mile radius of South Manchester.  The business is in the very early stages but I am hopeful that with hard work and determination it may grow into something more. 

James Anthony Zebedee. Course: VTCT CERT Sports Massage

Gill Cherry. Courses: VTCT DIP Reflexology & Tibetan Head Massage

I would highly recommend Cheshire Massage Academy as a training provider, as a busy working Mum I found their flexible training plans gave me the opportunity to retrain for my new career during weekends which made it more achievable.  I found them to be very professional and very understanding always offering to help and advise, the Tutors were very experienced in their field and  made the course very enjoyable. The VTCT formal qualification I gained has now enabled me to become accepted and registered with the new Complimentary and National Healthcare Council which is UK regulator for complementary healthcare practitioners recognised by the Dept of Health.  The venue and facilities were very good and the booking service very efficient and professional, overall the course was good value for money, the content very thorough and I would have no hesitation in returning for future training.  

I now own a Complimentary Therapy Centre on the North Wales border specialising in Floatation Therapy with a unique float room, as well as hiring out rooms to other Therapists. I have my own busy client base where I am able to offer my services as a qualified Reflexologist etc.

Lucy Dempster. Course: VTCT DIP Aromatherapy

I can thoroughly recommend Cheshire Massage Academy. Every aspect of my contact with them has been fantastic. Emails have always been answered quickly and nothing has been too much trouble. I broke my wrist prior to my course and they could not have been more helpful even adapting the course to accommodate me.  The tutor, Dee, was very knowledgeable and fantastic for both theory and the practical. I have been on courses at other colleges but at Cheshire Massage Academy they keep the class sizes small, so you get almost 1-2-1 tuition and it's always possible to ask questions if you don't understand something. Small classes also mean the students really get to know each other and I am still in touch with some of my class mates. By the time you qualify you really know your subject and feel confident enough to go out there and treat clients - I have not always felt like this on completion of previous courses. Considering the small class sizes I was surprised that the course was not more expensive - it was excellent value for money.

I am now a qualified massage therapist, so I am delighted now also to able to offer Aromatherapy my clients at my private clinic in Handforth. I also volunteer at a local hospice offering complementary therapies.

Carl Spurling. Courses: VTCT CERT Swedish Massage, Hot Stone Massage, Hopi Ear Candling, Tibetan Head Massage, Introduction to Massage & Reflexology

I have done many courses at Cheshire Massage Academy. The Introduction courses was where is all began for me; this was my inspiration to want to learn more and go onto the practitioner courses. The learning was very enjoyable and the class sizes are kept small which is great and our group gelled really well. At times I found the work challenging but the support was always available from the tutor and the office.

What I am doing now: Since completing my courses, I now run a very busy part-time massage clinic.

Sylvia Brown. Course: VTCT DIP Indian Head Massage

My experience of this course was a positive one.  The first 4 days were quite intensive, friendly, encouraging and supportive.  The written materials were detailed, structured and up to date and when I needed to clarity an issue via email, the response was immediate.  I have done one or two other courses which I believe didn’t come up to scratch.  I like to feel that I have earned this Diploma through putting the effort and work in, and I have.  For a course to be described as good it needs to be totally professional, thorough and with good tutors who supportively push their students. I found this to be the case. In all, I consider the Cheshire Massage Academy Indian Head Massage Diploma to be excellent value for money. 

The booking and enquiry system was effective and streamline. The website was good and informative. The college is small, warm, well equipped and absolutely adequate. The course content followed the text books that I’ve read. The tutors are knowledgeable, especially on Anatomy and Physiology, which really is imperative to know, all are practicing therapists so that adds to the overall experience. I think the Indian Head Massage course was indeed value for money.  I had 4 days of training in college, a CDROM containing materials, an assessment day and then a final exam say, that has to be good value for what I paid!  
 
I took this IHM Diploma because I love massage and I needed to know that I was safe, effective and worthy of offering it to others.  As I’m 64 years of age and have had a wholesome, challenging career in education, my plans are to offer IHM to people who are in need.  I shall be doing this on an intermittent, part-time basis. I’m doing it for the love of massage and in the knowledge that this helps people and is an aid to their well-being.

Paul Moody. Courses: VTCT DIP Aromatherapy, VTCT DIP Sports Massage, Japanese Tsuboki Massage, VTCT CERT Swedish Massage, VTCT Body Massage

I have found all of the courses I have attended at Cheshire Massage Academy very worthwhile. The tutors are extremely hands on and helpful during the course and even outside course hours. I previoulsy attended another local massage school before joining Cheshire Massage Academy and in comparison I would highly recommend Cheshire Massage Academy. They are very professional and extremely easy to deal. Everyone has been very helpful throughout all of my courses and I am sure I will attend further courses in the future as I am very happy with the quality and overall service they offer,   I am now a full time Massage Therapist; home based and mobile offering a full range of therapies.

Kevin Maxwell. Courses: Introduction to Massage &  VTCT CERT Swedish Massage

I signed up for the VTCT Level 3 in Swedish Massage to learn more about my body, as I was suffering from stress in my job and found that massages relaxed me and I wanted to know why! The course at Cheshire Massage Academy was thorough and professionally run, but my class and I still found the time to laugh and have fun, which made it a great place to be.　
I would definitely recommend the course or any at the Academy to others and not just to those who are looking to become a therapist. I have completed two courses now, which have helped me understand how my body works and the affects on it, so I'll definitely be back for another course soon to learn even more!

Rebecca Holland. Course: VTCT CERT Sports Massage

Ceri Morton. Courses: VTCT Infant & Baby Massage

Overall I enjoyed the course it and I feel I have been able to learn something of use for my business that will allow me to expand it and offer more treatments options to my clients. On enquiry and the booking process the information given was really useful and everything was sent out quickly and efficiently. Having dealt with other colleges in the past i was relieved to see how painless it was to organise it all! The website again was easy to use and full of all the information i needed. I got a swfit response after completing the contact page too. The course content was great, I felt ready to go on and do my case studies and having it in a small group was usefull as i felt there was more one on one time for questions and it built my confidence with the content. I dont like overly proffessional tutors who you cannot have a chat with and who make everythign really formal and my tutor made me feel instantly relaxed and at ease, the classes were fun and informative and she has been avaliable ever since via email to help with any questions I have, which is great. The course was not cheap and I had to purchase a massage doll for my practice, but I find most CPD courses are expensive to do.