CLC Massage Therapy program prepares students for high-growth career

Looking for an in-demand career that you can learn in nine months and earn a salary of up to $50 per session? Consider massage therapy, a career with employment projected to grow 22 percent through 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The College of Lake County massage therapy program offers a 33-credit-hour (712 contact hour), 12-course certificate that prepares you to work as a Licensed Massage Therapist in a variety of settings such as wellness centers, sports clinics, private practice, salons, spas, hospitals, nursing homes and other health or recreational settings. The program prepares graduates to take the federal Massage & Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEX) and apply for licensure in most states, including Illinois and Wisconsin.

Demand for part-time and full-time jobs is high in the Chicago area, according to Dr. Joana Pabedinskas, Massage Therapy program chair. New graduates typically earn a wage of $17 to $25 per therapy session, moving up to $50 with experience.

CLC's two-semester program can be completed in nine months of daytime classes. Students taking evening classes graduate in 12 months, as certain evening courses are not offered in the summer. Three prerequisite courses will be offered during the Summer Session, June 6 to July 30: Introduction to Massage Therapy (MAS 119), Human Form and Function (BIO 111) and First Aid/CPR (PED 228).

Massage therapists are educated in both theory and modalities (practice), since they are partners in their clients' journeys to wellness. Theory courses include anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and pathology. Modalities include Eastern and Western techniques.

"Students receive hands-on, interactive learning, with class sizes of no more than 20 students," Pabedinskas said. "The instructors are licensed massage therapists or highly credentialed wellness professionals. Students progress through our program as part of a cohort group, where students support one another in their learning."

Students also gain clinical experience in CLC's Massage Therapy Student Public Clinic, located inside the Center for Health and Wellness Promotion at the Southlake Campus in Vernon Hills. The clinic, which is open to the public from 12:30-4 p.m. on Tuesdays during Spring Semester, offers 50-minute massages. Cost is $30 for the general public and $20 for CLC students, faculty, staff, active military and those age 55 and older. Learn more about the clinic at For more information about the clinic and other services offered at the Center for Health and Wellness Promotion, contact Lisa Aguilar, Wellness Labs coordinator, at 847-543-WELL or visit www.clcillinois.edu/programs/mas/clinic.

"Massage therapy is a rewarding career in itself, or it can be a great stepping stone to other fields, such as physical therapy or nursing," Pabedinskas said. "Effective massage therapists are people-oriented individuals that are knowledgeable, intuitive, and creative, as massage therapy is both an art and a science."

For more information, visit www.clcillinois.edu/programs/mas. To meet with Dr. Pabedinskas, contact her at jpabedinskas@clcillinois.edu or (847) 543-2029. For more information on enrolling at CLC, visit www.clcillinois.edu/admission/become-a-student. Registration is now open for CLC's three-week Intersession (May 17 to June 3) and eight-week Summer Session (June 6 to July 30) as well as the Fall Semester (Aug. 22 to Dec. 16). To view summer course offerings and learn more about how to become a student, visit www.clcillinois.edu/summer.