This school is no longer open, but it did so much good in the world. It certainly saved my life, attending and learning and connecting, the ways that are made so easily accessible there. The atmosphere Thomas creates makes it the most natural thing in the world to remember your power and your compassion, as the core of who you are. And you also learn about massage haha. At an extremely sophisticated level. I was a body worker for many years and most people I worked with said it was the best massage they ever had in their entire life. The review saying he's a liar and thief is funny to me, because in my class 4 of us who showed up came with nothing even remotely close to the full tuition. We were all very young and just decided to go I guess. He didn't bat an eye, said if we showed up then he was supposed to teach us, and gave us nothing less than his complete dedicated focus and care. That says a lot about a man. read more

Great! Live changing experience! I will never forget how special his school was and how much I and many, many other students went on to have careers in holistic massage therapy, many starting their own businesses or working in spas and other venues. He was generous to a fault not charging those in need out of compassion and not "grooming" women or was he a thief as those two bitter losers who posted those evil comments said. Mi casa su casa was always the case with this teacher and his generosity was for all of us students not just the women. I saw him give cars to people, $450.00 Earthlite tables, stools, curriculum books,money if you were hungry and yes some were taught for free. It so so pathetic to see people have to write such horrible things on YELP to hurt him for their own evil reasons. read more

I will always be grateful for the wonderful experience I had at this school. It was a truly holistic experience and helped me become a compassionate healer. I experienced Thomas as a very respectful, compassionate, honest, and knowledgeable teacher. In my entire experience here everything was above board and honest. I was able to practice successfully with the knowledge I gained. I knew several men who were working on a "Karma plan", including some who went on to practice successfully, but never did "paid it forward". Thomas was very philosophical about it. This school was a spiritual and educational growth experience for me that I feel fortunate to have had. Thomas did have a girlfriend who was a former student, but she was not much younger than he was, and they had been together for seven years when I was there. She worked in the office and helped with instruction. I saw nothing improper happening at this school. My sister went through this program as well. The knowledge she gained helped her with nursing school and informs her healing practice as a nurse. Overall, a blessing for both of us! read more

Ahern's Massage School approaches the art of massage from a spiritual lense. He always stresses to his students to "always touch with compassion". He spends much time in cultivating the appropriate mindset to carry out this healing work. The students in his classes are known to have a transcendental experience along with receiving a solid education. Our entire class bonded heavily to one another and left with a feeling of connectedness to ourselves and the world. He always told us that we would always be welcomed back anytime. So, when I missed the bus and was in town for the night I called the school and he happily offered me free lodging. While in the area I stopped into his class where I witnessed the same beautiful unfolding in this class that I had also witnessed in my class. It is apparently a consistency that he and his staff should be honored for. In short, I'm shocked that anyone would give his class a bad review. He is so popular that he doesn't even have to advertise because the word of mouth reference is so strong. That is the only reason no one else has ever thought to leave a yelp review. He said once that he has had some students on occasions who didn't like the the spiritual mindset, and wanted to learn only about technical movements. This sort of thinking is flawed because when someone trusts you to touch his/her nude body then the one doing the touching needs to have a spiritual mindset of healing instead of mechanical touching. Perhaps the person didn't like the Native American tie-in but one of the instructors is from the Ahwahneechee Tribe that came from Yosemite National Park. The school is located in Mariposa, CA which is just outside the gates, and appropriately means butterfly. Of course, what other place is going to have more of an Native American healing aspect to it than the place where many of the Ahwahneechee Tribe members live? In any case, I will go ahead and speak on the behalf of at least over 20 people that I personally know of that would support this review. His class is more than just an education in massage; it is an education on how to be a healer. He also provides an opportunity to his students to participate in a sweat hut ceremony with the Ahwahneechee people. It is not required and is something extra he arranges for free for those who want to do it. Everyone in my class jumped on the opportunity and only had gratitude. He also personally guided us into Yosemite Valley to the magical Fern Spring that only locals fully appreciate. Anyways, I could say more but those are the things that first come to mind. I will now sign off in the Ahern Massage School way by simply saying "Namaste". read more