Phoenix Therapeutic Massage College was founded by Gean Schneider, LMT, and Robert Schneider, DC as Phoenix Therapeutic Massage College and Doctor's Assistant School, Inc., in 1981. The school was issued its initial license to operate by the Arizona State Board of Private Postsecondary Education on July 7, 1981. The school welcomed its first class on September 14, 1981.

The school earned national accreditation in 1989 by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training (ACCET) and began administering Title IV funds in 1990.

The school's programs are reviewed periodically and changes are implemented, as necessary to continue offering curricula that prepares our graduates for success in the massage therapy profession, along with maintaining its standard of excellence in therapeutic massage education.

In June 1998, KC Miller, a graduate of the school and her brother Wayne Schmeeckle, purchased the school and then relocated the campus to Scottsdale. In 1999, a second campus opened in Phoenix and in March of 2001, the Flagstaff campus opened.

In June 2006, Cortiva Institute purchased the campuses and continues to operate one campus in Scottsdale.