We strive to educate and inspire knowledgeable, compassionate, and confident therapists who positively impact the community. We pledge unwavering dedication to excellence in education, ethics and professionalism in the massage industry.
The Professional Massage Academy is a massage therapy school created to fulfill a need for qualified Massage Therapists. Owned by Sweetman/Virnig – St. Cloud LLC, The Professional Massage Academy (PMA) was started by Scot Ziessman and Tammy Virnig who collectively have over 35 years of ownership and operations experience in the health, wellness, and beauty fields.
In 2019 PMA launched its comprehensive massage therapy program that combines the flexibility and convenience of online learning with hands-on training. Students of The Professional Massage Academy will learn from qualified Massage Therapists with a variety of massage therapy specialties.
Have questions about the program? Explore the various topics below to learn more.
We offer program start dates each Monday. To determine your specific start date, please discuss this with our Admissions Team.
You may be able to transfer credits from another Massage Therapy program. All applications are considered on an individual basis. Please include a copy of your transcript when emailing to pmainfo@stcloudacademy.com. Upon receipt, our School Administration will be able to further assist you. To finalize a transfer of credits, you will be asked to provide an original transcript.
Included in your tuition and book fee, each student will be provided with an e-textbook and online access, Trail Guide to the Body book, online access to Exam Coach, PMA uniform T-shirt, lotion bottle and holster and a portable massage table. As a student, the only additional purchases you are responsible for are lotions/creams and/or any sheets you would like to use with your massage table. You are responsible to purchase and take a CPR/First Aid class prior to starting your externship.
We have spoken to many individuals that were extremely interested in pursuing Massage Therapy; however, they did not have the flexibility or availability to attend class 4 to 5 days during ‘school hours’ each week due to a variety of reasons [i.e. second career paths, child/parent care needs, alternatively educated, etc.].
To solve this problem, PMA created a hybrid approach to streamline the textbook curriculum, homework assignments, quizzes/tests, thereby making education accessible to students online. Theory, science and business classes are conducted through an on-line/interactive curriculum; Students are able to work at their own pace and on their own schedule while also having the benefit of access to an Instructor for questions, guidance, support and encouragement. Throughout the program, there are benchmarks where “Hands-On Training” is scheduled with each student and an Instructor in a professional clinic environment. The Hands-On Training is where the student applies what they are learning.
Flexibility in time commitments, accommodation of various learning styles and hands-on training conducted in a professional spa environment gives the Students real work-life experiences – This approach offers more students the opportunity to enter this profession.
Hands-On Training is supervised in-person training where Instructors provide instruction and oversight while students learn different modalities and practice their techniques. The Hands-on component of PMA curriculum occurs in student groups [typically 2 – 6 students] at partner clinics in St. Cloud or Edina Minnesota.
Students are allowed to sign up for Hands-On training once they have completed the required hours and passed the benchmark hours and required exams. As each individual’s Hands-On Training benchmark nears [typically 3 – 4 weeks lead time], the student will be contacted by a PMA Instructor to coordinate time and location. Hands-on training is held at The Professional Massage Academy in St. Cloud or Edina, or our PMA Partner clinics. Please talk with our admissions team for the current partner clinics as they can change from time to time.
Additionally, students are required to complete an externship in the state of Minnesota. After completing the 500-hour classroom portion, a 100-hour externship is required to complete the program.
The online Massage Therapy Program is a 600-hour Program. PMA offers 3 different program commitment levels. Upon enrollment, the Student determines which program best fits their weekly commitment to their studies. Each student’s experience with the time to completion may vary. Every Student is welcome and supported to work at a quicker pace, if they choose.
Plan A: Student commits to completing 5 – 15 hours per week of Massage Therapy curriculum. If choosing this Plan, students can finish as quickly as 40 weeks.
Plan B: Student commits to completing 15 – 30 hours per week of Massage Therapy curriculum. If choosing this Plan, students can finish as quickly as 20 weeks.
Plan C: Student commits to completing 30+ hours per week of Massage Therapy curriculum. If choosing this Plan, students can finish as quickly as 15 weeks.
This program was created with your busy schedule in mind! We know the day-to-day demands of jobs, family, appointments, sports, home commitments, friends, travel time, etc., so we specifically designed a program to make Massage Therapy attainable for busy adults.
The online learning of our curriculum can be completed anytime throughout the week as long as you have internet access and a laptop or a computer. It is a 24/7 online program. As an example, let’s say this week is extra hectic and you only have Friday and Saturday available; as long as you complete at least 5 hours of your studies in those two days, you remain in compliance with your hourly commitment and proceed onto the next week’s curriculum.
Each student has the option to make the full tuition payment at the start of school or divide into 3 payments. If the student chooses to pay in 3 installments the payment must be made to move to the next section of training.
Acceptable Methods of Payment are Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, bank check, bank ACH, money order, cashier check, check, cash, Venmo, Paypal. Convenience charges will be applied for using credit card, bank ACH or paypal.
The Professional Massage Academy does not accept FAFSA or federally funded loans or grants.
Private Scholarships – A number of organizations and corporations offer scholarships. Check with your employer or parents’ employers for available scholarship programs.
The Professional Massage Academy Scholarship – It is up to PMA’s discretion to develop and provide internal scholarship opportunities for the program, start dates, and/or schedules. Any internal scholarship opportunities will be communicated to all existing enrolled and prospective students, who meet the qualifications to apply.
Private Loans – If you wish to borrow from another private loan lender you can also do so. PMA does not have a preferred-lender listing for private loans.
While The Professional Massage Academy does not offer career placement, we do conduct our Hands-On Training in partner clinics which gives each Student an opportunity to get acclimated to a professional work environment, it’s employees and management. In many instances, graduating students choose to interview and work at their training sites after graduation.
Yes! We would love to connect our students with potential job opportunities. Click here to submit a job listing for our review, and when approved we will post it to our student portal.
The Professional Massage Academy and it’s curricula is reviewed and approved annually by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. The Office of Higher Education provides consumer protection for students and prospective students. PMA is not accredited by any other agencies at this time.
The Professional Massage Academy is a hybrid program. Classroom work is done online and hands on is done in person at one of our PMA classrooms in St. Cloud or Edina.
If you have any questions not covered here, our admissions team will be happy to assist!
The PMA curriculum and instructional approach is designed to train and provide students with the skills and confidence needed to excel in all aspects of their future massage therapy careers. All PMA instructors are experienced, licensed massage therapists currently employed and working in the field of Massage Therapy. PMA requires their instructors to remain current with modalities of massage therapy – through education and hands-on training themselves.
Instructor
Tanya has been a massage therapist since 2009. She has moved quickly into leadership roles and is highly recommended by...
Instructor
Meagan Sutliffe has been a Massage Therapist since 2010. She specializes in various massage modalities like deep tissue massage, trigger...
School Manager
Ranae is graduate of cosmetology in 1998. She has worked in the cosmetology field as a stylist, recruiter, instructor and...
Owner/President
As a reputable, active MN business owner for over 15 years with a variety of Health & Wellness business ventures,...
Vice President of Operations
Tammy co-founded The Professional Massage Academy with the overarching commitment that a career should directly evolve from an affordable, hands-on...