Michelle Connor

What do you think are the best reasons to become a massage therapist?

"I was interested in health care, assisting people, and care-giving. There are so many different reasons to do massage. It can be a very physical but rewarding job. It is completely different than being behind a desk and being on the phone or behind a cubicle."

Why did you choose Lauterstein-Conway?

"I looked at other schools. It was a short amount of time with my decision to come to Lauterstein-Conway. I was in the bar business and decided to finally grow up and find a career. I made the decision and mentioned it to some of my friends. I had barely found out which schools were available in Austin, and everyone said, 'Go to Lauterstein-Conway.' And I said, 'OK, I am going to Lauterstein-Conway.' It was a lot of word of mouth from friends who were already massage therapists."

What would you tell somebody if they were trying to choose a school?

"I was actually hiring massage therapists — one of the jobs I had as the director of a couple of spas — and if his or her resume said they went to Lauterstein-Conway, it definitely made it into the final pile. It’s known for its education and it’s known for the students that come out of it that later become massage therapists. It’s almost like they over-educate you. When I moved into my second semester, students from other schools came in to get more hours, and it was like they had to be retrained or reeducated on some things... body-wise, muscle-wise, technique-wise. The education is incredible, and Lauterstein-Conway has and deserves a great reputation."

How would you say it compares with other schools?

"People know what kind of education you have. You can tell. When I received massages for interviews, I only made them 30 minutes because it's amazing how many not-so-wonderful massage therapists there are out there. That never really happened with someone who came from Lauterstein-Conway. I think that if you’re in or near Austin, you should definitely choose Lauterstein-Conway."

"A lot of people make a decision on their education due to price, which seems to make sense, but I think it's the wrong decision to make because eventually it [a better education] pays off so much better."