Frequently Asked Questions
Where are
you located?
In Rocky River, a western suburb of Cleveland, across from
Westgate Mall. Our building is situated between the Szabo Shoe
Store building and the Sunoco station on the corner of Center
Ridge Road and West 210th St (also called Wagar).
When are
your open houses? Can I tour the school? Can I sit in on a class?
Every school day is a potential "open house".
Prospective students are encouraged to visit and tour the school,
sit in on a class, and speak with students. The best times to
visit are during the mornings on normal school days. It is best
to make an appointment to be certain not to visit on days that
Midterm and Final exams are being held, since watching students
taking exams is probably not all that interesting.
How large
are your classes?
Our "usual" class size is around 15 students.
How well
do your students do in passing their Medical Board examination?
Our history thus far is 92% of our graduates have passed the
Medical Boards and received their licenses!
Why should
I attend Harmony Path?
For many reasons: the quality of the instruction (since our
students have done so well on passing the board examination and
getting licenses), the integration of knowledge about anatomy and
physiology with massage theory and application (since both are
taught by the same person with a balanced background in these two
subjects), the caring educational and learning atmosphere which
the students, faculty and administrators work together to
achieve, and so forth...
When do
your classes start?
Twice a year, near the 3rd week of March and of September.
How late
can I apply to start at Harmony Path?
On rare occasions, we have permitted students to start their
training with us even after a class section has begun - they need
to make up the missed time and information. But we prefer that
students be signed up for their class section about 2 weeks
before we start that section.
Do you
have evening classes?
Each term, we have offered evening classes. However, we have not
yet had sufficient applications and enrollment to actually begin
an evening class section. Students have shared with me that they
prefer to drive to class only once a week, and enjoy learning
both the sciences and massage on the same day, to better
integrate this information.
Do you
have financial aid?
We do not have, nor have we ever sought, the national
acccreditation necessary to offer financial aid. However, we do
offer a monthly payment plan, to spread the cost of the tuition
out over the months of the training. See the details in the
application packet for the monthly payment plan. Our school is
also approved by KeyBank for two of their student loan programs:
the Key CareerLoan, and the Key AchieverLoan programs, both of
which offer long term loans to students seeking tuition to pay
for educational training for careers. You can check www.key.com and search for "careerloan".
Does your
program prepare me to sit for the State Boards in Massage
Therapy?
Yes, successful completion of the massage therapy program meets
the criteria established by the Medical Board of the State of
Ohio as a requirement for application to their examination.
What’s
the difference between the Practitioner program and the Therapy
program?
The training given during the first semester of the therapy
program is identical to that given in the practitioner program -
participants attend the same classes. The practitioner program
takes 6 months, while the therapy program currently takes 18
months - please note that the Medical Board has now put into
force new rules that increase the number of
hours required by therapy programs, so the therapy program in the
future may take longer than 18 months.
What can I
do with a Practitioner’s certificate?
You can give full-body, relaxation massages (otherwise known as
stress-reduction massages) to people who have no
contraindications for receiving such massages. You cannot,
however, perform massage therapy and treat any disorders of the
human body
What can I
do with the Massage Therapy diploma?
You can sit for the medical board examination in massage therapy
that is offered by the Medical Board. If you pass that
examination, you are granted a license in massage therapy. This
allows you to perform any massage procedures that are within the
scope of practice established by the Medical Board, and that are
not contraindicated in case-by-case situations when working with
clients. You can perform massage therapy to treat disorders of
the human body, and also perform relaxation massages (otherwise
known as stress-reduction massages).
Does
Harmony Path have a clinic where people can receive a massage
from the students?
Yes, see the "Public Clinic" link on our main page.