Alpha School of Massage

About Us

People frequently ask us "What makes you different from the 'OTHER' schools?" and "Why should I choose Alpha instead of another school?"

There are several things that set Alpha apart, but the number one reason to choose Alpha is our staff.

Many massage therapy programs change instructors regularly every few months, or hire inexperienced, newly licensed therapists as instructors. There are many massage therapists that are very good at personally performing massage, but few that are actually good at teaching. Few massage therapy programs have instructors that have taught more than one or two years at their school. We are quite different.

Reason # 1
Alpha School of Massage has 2 instructors (Michael & Driggers) that have been continuously employed at Alpha School of Massage since 1995. That's right, two instructors that have been here well over 15 years. Exerience does make a difference.

MEET OUR STAFF

Edward Driggers, L.M.T. (ma20692) is the Chief Administrator of Alpa School of Massage. He also attended and received his training from Alpha, graduating in 1995, at which time he took over the position of Chief Administrator of the school. His perspective in learning and instruction is unique as he has been student, instructor and administrator, all at this same facility. This "multi-faceted perspective" has served him well giving him beneficial insight, especially as an instructor, enabling him to teach the evening classes with a complete "hands-on" approach while still maintaining his availability to instructors, students and clients.  He has perfected the art of body mechanics for massage therapists, passing on his knowledge while continously challenging his own massage therapy skills.

Edward has extensive training in basic massage therapy as well as reflexology, myofascial release and infant massage. Edward knows, from years of skilled experience and instruction, both personal and professional, that massage therapy absolutely works and helps people physically, as well as mentally. The results can be extraordinary and sometimes beyond comprehension. He has often used different methods of massage therapy on many clients under the knowledge, advice and approval of their personal physicians.

To every new class of students, Edward enjoys telling them, "Don't do like I did - come to Alpha for massage therapy instruction.....and stay!",  proving there is NO question as to Edward's enormous passion for his school, his trade and his unfailing dedication to his students.  His constant encouragement to them during instruction extends to his even stronger encouragement to enter into this wonderful trade of the medical field as professionals with a skill that will follow them for life.


We are extremely proud to have Michael Garcia R. N., L. M. T. (ma21545) as our chief instructor. Michael has been a Registered Nurse since 1976 (over 30 years) and a Licensed Massage Therapist since 1996. He began his massage and anatomy teaching career right here at Alpha, over 15 years ago. Hundreds of students have successfully passed their massage licensing exam because of his teaching style and ability. Many of our graduates have told us that he is the best instructor that they have ever had, including high school and college instructors.

He has been a fixture here since 1995. Obviously, knowledge and experience do make a big difference. Michael teaches in both the morning and evening classes. His areas of expertise include anatomy, physiology and pathology; medical massage; neuromuscular therapy; pain relief techniques [including ETPS Pain Relief Therapy]; and Barefoot Deep Tissue Massage. Michael was a past president of the local chapter of the Florida State Massage Therapy Association and a past officer of the American Massage Therapy Association. Many of his articles have been published in massage magazines over the past few years. He has personally trained with and/or completed entire training courses with several innovators in this field, including: Paul St John; Judith Delaney; Dr. Bruce Hocking; and Ruthie Hardee (founder of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy). Many licensed massage therapists depend on Michael to provide the continuing education courses that they need to remain competitive in this field. Our school and our students are indeed lucky to have this fine instructor.


Reason # 2  
Okay, let's face it. If everything else was equal (and it isn't), finances and costs always play an important part in decision making. The average tuition cost for attending a massage therapy program in Jacksonville is over $12,000. Our usual tuition is $9,000 for our 900 hour program (much lower than most programs), but for the fourth straight year, we are waiving the entire tuition cost.

That's right, you can save thousands by enrolling in our 900 hour program.

YOU PAY NOTHING for tuition.
That's right. Absolutely no tuition. Why take out a loan to attend a school that doesn't even specialize in Massage Therapy when you can attend a fantastic school that teaches and focuses completely on Massage Therapy? Can't think of a reason? Neither can we.

Reason # 3 
We have the largest and best equipped massage school in town, which allows students the best opportunity to obtain experience and practice. Alpha boasts 6,000 square feet of massage training and clinical space. We have 3,000 square feet dedicated soley for our students to practice on the public. That space includes 12 separate rooms that our students can use to gain their experience. Some schools only have 3 or 4 massage rooms for their students to use. How can 20 or more students (a common number for many classes) obtain the practice and experience that they need if they have to share 3 or 4 rooms? They can't. We offer more opportunities for practice and experience than any other Jacksonville school. An average student in our 900 hour program will have over 250 clinical practice sessions on the public. That doesn't count the time they practice on each other.

Reason # 4
Alpha offers the most flexible schedules in town. Students can choose to attend either in the morning or in the evening. They can select to attend full-time or part-time.

 

Reason # 5 
Everything we teach is massage therapy related. Many other schools (especially corporate owned schools, you know the ones) offer several programs, such as nursing, computer classes, radiology, personal training, cosmetology, medical assisting, billing, etc. Their administrators and decision makers know little, if anything about massage, or what is truly needed to succed in the massage industry. All of our administrative and teaching staff have been involved in massage for many years and we focus totally on massage therapy. When you specialize in an area, as we do, you become the best in that area. We did not just jump on the bandwagon and add massage to our curriculum (as many corporate schools did). We are the oldest and most stable massage therapy school in town. We know massage.

Still need convincing?
Please stop by our school and personally talk to the current students. Find out what they have to say after attending for a few months. We are confident you will hear wonderful things that back up everything on this site. Meet the staff. Sit in on a lecture. There is a reason we are proud of our school. Come on by and see for yourself.                            

License # mm6527