Inspirit Institute to offer massage courses

Dubuque's Inspirit Institute promises to offer more than specialized job training.

"We're sending them out with a vocation, not a job," said faculty member Patrick Sterenchuk.

Owned by Lynn Young, Inspirit Institute will begin offering massage therapy and other courses in January. Young owned a massage therapy school in Madison, Wis., for several years beginning in 1997.

Massage therapy is one of the fastest-growing occupations in health care, and Young believes Dubuque is ready to begin producing more massage therapists.

"Dubuque reminds me of Madison right before I moved there," she said. "It's cutting edge."

Inspirit's 700 hours of course instruction equals about 10 months for full-time students or 11/2 years for part-time students. Iowa licensing regulations require 500 hours of study. Graduates will exceed the requirements necessary to sit for the National Certification Board Exam for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.

Inspirit's coursework also includes business and marketing classes, in addition to the

body work, so students are prepared to strike out on their own after graduation. A couple faculty members boast nursing degrees, and coursework will include anatomy study related to massage. Kinesiology and Reiki study is also included.

Tuition is $7,500 and includes a massage table and text books. About 16 students have already signed up for classes.

"We're going to keep classes small," Sterenchuk said, "no more than 20 students."

Students will practice by utilizing what they have learned, but Young has a different model than traditional clinicals that provide members of the public massages for a flat fee.

"Wouldn't it be better if we went out to the community, working with Hospice, the Riverview Center, and gave back to the community," she said.

Sterenchuk said "there's nothing wrong with the traditional model -- it just doesn't suit this endeavor."