Akademie voor Massage en Beweging

What Akademie voor Massage en Beweging does

Akademie voor Massage en Beweging is a private Dutch educational institution founded in 1985 by Hemmo-Jan Smid and headquartered at Wingerdweg 32, Amsterdam North, with an additional training location in Bilthoven. The academy delivers in-person, part-time professional training in massage therapy and bodywork, anchored by a 3-year Opleiding Massagetherapeut program (preceded by a one-year Opleiding Masseur foundation year), introductory massage courses, and continuing-education workshops covering Rolfing Structural Integration, Psoas Release, Polyvagal Theory, and Fascia Release, with international guest instructors such as Liz Koch, Robert Schleip, and Brian Utting.

The institution has no proprietary technology platform and runs no software products; delivery is classroom-based with small cohort sizes (max 20 students per Rolfing workshop, with a 1-teacher-per-10-students ratio) and course registration is administered through the Esoterra platform following the July 2022 merger, in which the academy became part of Esoterra as the parent entity. Co-leaders Jet Keizer and Petra van Os have run the academy since February 2011 following the founder's death.

The business model rests on two revenue streams: (1) educational course fees from multi-year and short-format programs (e.g., €5,580 for the complete Rolfing Myofascial Foundation package of nine 3-day workshops at €620 each), and (2) ancillary space rental of the Amsterdam North campus to independent practitioners and organizations (large hall €375/day or €140/evening; small hall €274/day or €100/evening). Customer segments are individual career-changers, aspiring professional therapists, licensed practitioners seeking continuing education, manual therapists and movement professionals, and renters of physical space. The academy also maintains a publicly searchable graduate directory organized by all 12 Dutch provinces, serving as a referral and brand asset. The institution holds NRTO accreditation as a Dutch training provider.

Name

Akademie voor Massage en Beweging

Legal name

Akademie voor Massage en Beweging

Website

https://akademie.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Akademie voor Massage en Beweging is a Dutch private educational institution, founded in 1985 and now part of Esoterra, that delivers in-person massage therapy and bodywork training in Amsterdam and Bilthoven, including a 3-year massagetherapist program and Rolfing workshops, serving aspiring and practicing therapists across the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Massage Therapy Education

akta.pro primary industry

Massage Therapy & Bodywork (EDAOALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Massage Therapy Schools & Certification Programs (HSALANAJ), Holistic & Integrative Wellness Education (Ayurveda, Traditional Practices) (EDAAAHAH)

Keywords

• Massage therapy training
• Bodywork education
• Professional massage certification
• Rolfing structural integration
• Continuing education workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Educational Course Fees: Revenue from offering professional massage therapy training programs (3-year part-time masseur/massagetherapist programs), introductory courses, and continuing education workshops including Rolfing Myofascial Foundation courses.
2. Space Rental: Revenue from renting out course rooms (large hall 120m2, small hall 45m2) and practice rooms to independent practitioners and organizations for workshops, courses, and bodywork sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Akademie voor Massage en Beweging is a Dutch educational institution that delivers professional massage therapy and bodywork training, including a 3-year part-time Massage Therapist program, a foundational Masseur training, introductory massage courses, and Rolfing® Structural Integration workshops. The institution, which merged with Esoterra in July 2022, also rents out its Amsterdam North campus halls and practice rooms to independent practitioners and operates a province-by-province directory of its graduated therapists across the Netherlands.

Product overview

Akademie voor Massage en Beweging (now part of Esoterra since July 2022) offers a unified educational portfolio consisting of three core programmes: the Opleiding Masseur (masseur training), the 3-year Opleiding Massagetherapeut (massage therapist training), and Rolfing® Structural Integration. The masseur training serves as the foundation year for the therapist programme. The institution also offers short introduction courses, continuing education workshops (e.g., Brian Utting, Psoas Release, Polyvagal Theory, Fascia Release), and a therapist finder directory. Room and practice space rental at its Amsterdam and Bilthoven campuses is available as an ancillary service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rolfing Structural Integration: Rolfing is a form of structural integration aimed at improving structure, posture, and movement based on Dr Ida Rolf's work.

Products and services

• Opleiding Masseur (Masseur Training) Foundational professional masseur training that also serves as the first year of the 3-year Massage Therapist program, focusing on personal development, body awareness, and core massage skills for aspiring massage professionals.
• Opleiding Massagetherapeut (Massage Therapist Training)

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EsoterracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022In July 2022, the Akademie voor Massage en Beweging merged with Esoterra, combining the best of both educational institutions into one stronger institute. The merged entity offers a comprehensive curriculum in massage therapy and bodywork, with training locations in Amsterdam and Bilthoven.
• Dr. Ida Rolf Institute EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Rolfing Myofascial Foundation workshops are taught by faculty members of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute Europe using a mix of practical exercises and theory. The academy operates as an official training location for Level 1 Rolfing courses in Amsterdam.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dr. Ida Rolf Institute: Global founder and trademark holder of the Rolfing® Structural Integration programme that the Akademie is licensed to teach in the Netherlands. As the international standards body and primary training provider, it sits one level above the Akademie as the incumbent in this specialised bodywork discipline.

Direct peers

• International School of Structural Integration: Independent school offering structural-integration training outside the RISI umbrella. Competes with the Akademie for English-speaking students seeking fascia and structural-integration credentials, particularly at intermediate and advanced levels.
• Esoterra: Direct peer and now parent/sister entity after the 2022 merger. Esoterra offers comparable massage and bodywork training in the Netherlands and now jointly operates the Akademie's curriculum and registration platform, making it the closest functional equivalent in the Dutch market.
• Brian Utting School of Massage: Seattle-based massage and structural-integration training school led by long-time Rolfing educator Brian Utting — also hosted as a guest instructor at the Akademie. Comparable as a small, specialty-focused bodywork school with strong faculty credentials and continuing-education programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/akademievoormassageenbeweging
• Instagraminstagram.com/akademievoormassageenbeweging
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esoterra-akademie

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Akademie voor Massage en Beweging