WARSON WOODS 鈥 A decades-old massage therapy training school abruptly closed Friday afternoon.
The Healing Arts Center, which has a storefront in a small strip mall along Manchester Road in Warson Woods, posted the news on its website and social media accounts.
鈥淲e understand this news is deeply disappointing,鈥 Tom Tessereau, owner of The Healing Arts Center, wrote in a letter. 鈥淔or over 30 years, HAC has been more than a school, it has been a community of students, faculty, clients and friends dedicated to healing and growth.鈥
Tessereau wrote that the business is working with appropriate agencies so that student records are preserved and talking with other institutions to assist students.
For those about to graduate, the the center will help students find a pathway to certification and 鈥渆very avenue will be explored to support you,鈥 Tessereau鈥檚 statement says.
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It鈥檚 unclear if students will be reimbursed for their tuition. Tessereau said clients who have booked massages will not receive refunds.
The Healing Arts Center offered hands-on massage therapy training in 50 weeks. Curriculum covered basic technique, anatomy, physiology, business and myofascial release.
The school鈥檚 next session was supposed to begin Oct. 13, according to the school鈥檚 .
Emma Niemeyer, 19, started school at The Healing Arts Center last October and was slated to graduate next month.
Niemeyer, of Bowling Green, said she learned about the school鈥檚 closure through a classmate before the center sent out emails to students.
鈥淭here was no real answer,鈥 she said of the notice. 鈥淣othing would鈥檝e led me to believe anything like this could happen. ... This is so out of nowhere.鈥
Niemeyer typically attends night classes three days a week and said that the last time she was at the school, on Tuesday, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Her next class was supposed to be on Monday. Tessereau, who also works as an instructor, never spoke about the school struggling financially, Niemeyer said. She said her tuition was $15,000.
Following graduation, Niemeyer had plans open a massage therapy practice. She said she already has a space and will have to start paying rent soon.
鈥淚 still want to get my certification in massage therapy. I have no idea how that鈥檚 going to pan out in the coming weeks,鈥 she said. 鈥淭his is something I want to do for the rest of my life.鈥
Calls to the school are answered with a recorded message on the school鈥檚 indefinite closure.
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