McKinnon Body Therapy Center

What McKinnon Body Therapy Center does

McKinnon Body Therapy Center is a privately held massage therapy education institution founded in 1973 and headquartered at 817 Delaware Street in Berkeley, California. The company operates as an accredited vocational school offering two flagship certificate programs: the 500-Hour Massage Therapist Program, which satisfies California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) certification minimums, and the 658-Hour Massage Therapist Program, which is endorsed by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) and exceeds state minimums while preparing graduates for the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx). Instruction is delivered through team-taught, hands-on formats by a teaching team of 25+ practitioners who all maintain active bodywork practices, with both in-person attendance at the Berkeley campus and Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) options via Zoom. The curriculum spans over 2000 hours across 25+ modalities including Swedish, Shiatsu, Acupressure, Craniosacral Therapy, Thai Massage I-III, Esalen, Deep Tissue, Tui Na, Reflexology, Prenatal, Sports, Lymphatic Drainage I-III, and Massage for Cancer.

The business generates revenue primarily through one-time tuition payments for certificate programs (base tuition of $9,895 for the 500-hour and $13,195 for the 658-hour program, with discounts of up to 10% for full prepayment), supplemented by 0% interest monthly payment plans, à la carte individual course fees for continuing education, low-priced community workshops (e.g., Intro to Massage, Intro to Esalen), Sunday practice sessions priced at $10 per evening for alumni, and $25 transcript request fees. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer and event-driven, relying on the company website, Facebook/YouTube/Instagram presence, Yelp reviews, school tours, open houses, career fairs, and word-of-mouth within the Bay Area massage therapy community. Strategic partnerships with ABMP (student memberships and liability insurance), the Esalen Institute and Esalen Massage and Bodywork Association (EMBA), NCBTMB (MBLEx exam body), CAMTC, and COMTA provide regulatory credibility, student benefits, and credential portability. Customers span three horizontal segments — aspiring massage therapists seeking certification, practicing therapists/health professionals pursuing continuing education, and personal-interest learners — with no disclosed enterprise or institutional customers.

Name

McKinnon Body Therapy Center

Legal name

McKinnon Body Therapy Center

Website

https://mckinnonbtc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McKinnon Body Therapy Center, founded 1973 in Berkeley, California, is a CAMTC-approved and COMTA-endorsed private massage therapy school offering 500-hour and 658-hour certificate programs plus 25+ modality courses to aspiring and practicing therapists in the Bay Area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Massage Therapy Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Massage Therapy & Bodywork (EDAOALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Massage Therapy Schools & Certification Programs (HSALANAJ), Medical/Therapeutic Massage (Rehab/Pain Management) (HSALAEAO)

Keywords

• Massage therapy education
• Massage training programs
• Continuing education courses
• Bodywork certification
• Massage modalities instruction

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Certificate Program Tuition: Revenue generated from tuition for 500-Hour and 658-Hour Massage Therapist Programs. Students pay deposits, course fees, and may choose payment plans or pay in full for discounts.
2. Individual Course Fees: Continuing education and elective courses offered à la carte to massage therapists and health professionals seeking to expand their skills. Pricing varies by course hours and format.
3. Community Workshops: Workshops for personal interest and exploration of massage benefits, including introductory courses like Intro to Massage, Intro to Esalen, and more.
4. Practice Sessions: Practice sessions held Sundays for existing students and alumni at $10 per evening for graduates.
5. Transcript Request Fees: Transcripts available for $25/each for records from 2000-present, and $50/each for older records via phone request.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

McKinnon Body Therapy Center is a CAMTC-approved massage therapy school offering the 500-Hour and 658-Hour Massage Therapist certificate programs plus over 2,000 hours of à la carte continuing education courses across 25+ modalities. Programs combine lecture, demonstration, and hands-on practice with team teaching by 25+ currently-practicing bodyworkers, delivered on-site at the Berkeley campus and online via Interactive Distance Learning (IDL).

Product overview

McKinnon Body Therapy Center offers massage therapy education programs through two certificate programs: the 500-Hour Massage Therapist Program (meeting CAMTC minimum certification requirements) and the 658-Hour Massage Therapist Program (COMTA-endorsed, exceeding minimums with additional preparation for the MBLEx). Both programs combine core coursework including Swedish Massage Foundations, Anatomy & Physiology, Shiatsu/Acupressure, and Deep Tissue with extensive elective options and business training. The school provides over 2000 hours of coursework including advanced modality courses (Craniosacral Therapy, Thai Massage I-III, Clinical Deep Tissue, Lymphatic Drainage I-III), specialized courses (Sports Massage, Prenatal Massage, Massage for Cancer, Hot Stone, Myofascial Cupping, Esalen Massage), and business/ethics courses. Community offerings include practice sessions, workshops, and seminars. All programs are team-taught by practicing practitioners and include clinical integration components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 500-Hour Massage Therapist Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% first-time MBLEx pass rate (2019), compared to 71.9% California state average and 71% national average

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAMTC is the state regulatory body for massage therapy in California. McKinnon is an approved school meeting CAMTC certification requirements for 500-hour massage therapy education. The 658-Hour Program exceeds minimum requirements for CAMTC certification.
• Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMTA provides endorsement for the 658-Hour Massage Therapist Program, ensuring coursework meets all current COMTA educational objectives. This endorsement provides extra weight and validity regarding the quality of education.
• Associated Massage and Bodywork Professionals (ABMP)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerABMP provides complimentary student membership to McKinnon program students for the duration of their program. This includes liability insurance, customizable website and/or professional domain email address, access to free forms, photos, and literature, webinars on popular topics, and Massage & Bodywork magazine.
• NCBTMB (National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork)minorOthersReferenced on the website as a certification body that offers the MBLEx exam which McKinnon students prepare for. Students are encouraged to take the MBLEx for enhanced credentials and portability of certification to other states.
• Esalen InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcKinnon offers Esalen Massage certification courses and is associated with the Esalen Massage and Bodywork Association (EMBA). Graduates can register with EMBA and receive practitioner listing on massage.esalen.org.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Finger Lakes School of Massage: New York-based massage therapy school with a multi-modality curriculum. Comparable as a regional massage vocational institution with a similar scope of modalities and licensing focus.
• Cortiva Institute: Multi-state massage therapy and skin care school with multiple U.S. campuses delivering 500–1000 hour programs. Comparable as a multi-modality massage vocational school competing for similar career-changer students.
• Educating Hands School of Massage: Florida-based massage therapy school offering multi-modality programs around the 600+ hour range. Comparable as a single-site, modality-diverse massage vocational school.
• Boulder College of Massage Therapy: Colorado-based massage therapy school offering 700+ hour programs. Comparable as a regional, multi-modality massage vocational institution with similar curriculum scope and licensing focus.
• National Holistic Institute: California-based massage therapy and holistic health vocational school with multiple campuses offering 500–720 hour programs. Closest direct competitor to McKinnon in the California massage education market.
• Healing Hands School of Holistic Health: California-based holistic health school offering massage therapy and bodywork programs. Comparable regional competitor for California-bound massage students in a similar tuition and modality range.
• Pacific College of Health and Science: Multi-state health science college offering massage therapy/Asian bodywork programs alongside acupuncture and nursing. Comparable for overlapping holistic bodywork curriculum and continuing education offerings.
• Swedish Institute: New York-based health and wellness college offering massage therapy programs. Comparable as an established urban massage school with comparable modality breadth and licensing exam preparation.

Emerging players

• Esalen Institute: Big Sur-based holistic education and retreat center whose Esalen Massage trademark is taught at McKinnon. Comparable as a content/curriculum partner and adjacent bodywork educator, though not a direct tuition competitor.

Others

• Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP): National professional association for massage and bodywork practitioners that provides student memberships to McKinnon students. Relevant ecosystem peer that influences graduate professionalization and insurance pathways.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUATq3MnWONDHQba-EmsdVg
• Facebookfacebook.com/McKinnonBTC
• Instagraminstagram.com/mckinnonbtc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mckinnon-body-therapy-center

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 McKinnon Body Therapy Center