NEPA School of Massage at home in the New Bridge Center - The Times Leader

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KINGSTON — Christine Mooney is the owner and school director of the NEPA School of Massage, which has just taken up a new space in the New Bridge Center at the corner of Pierce Street and 3rd Avenue.

It’s familiar territory for Mooney, who grew up just across the bridge in Wilkes-Barre. While growing up, she gave massages to her family and became interested in holistic healing following her father’s death. It was actually her father who encouraged her to take up massage therapy as a career.

For training, Mooney went to the Pittsburgh School of Massage Therapy, and later to Hawaii. She brought insights and a unique set of massage techniques back to Northeast Pennsylvania, where she started her first business: Massage Now.

Through Massage Now, a strong clientele was built, but Mooney found herself struggling to keep up with the public’s need.

“It became increasingly hard to find other therapists to help me with the demand, so I had the passion to open the school,” Mooney said of her next career steps. “I knew there wasn’t any other small, privately-owned massage schools in the area.”

With that, the NEPA School of Massage was born.

Building the business

Mooney brought the NEPA School of Massage to 311 Market Street in Kingston at first. She spent a year — 2022 to 2023 — marketing the business and improving her website’s search engine optimization (SEO) through the Mountain Top-based company ContentMender. She also made good use of old-school recruitment techniques such as going to high school job fairs.

The first students of the NEPA School of Massage were enrolled in 2023, and that initial class of four graduated in 2024. Future graduations are set to include a small ceremony. The students have come from in and out of Pennsylvania, from Easton to New York.

Since the first class graduated, Mooney has received attention from the industry at large.

“There’s less than 4,000 licensed massage therapists in the entire state, so we’re in huge demand right now,” Mooney said. “As much as I get calls for people wanting to enroll in the school, I also get lots of calls wanting to hire the graduates, so the demand for massage therapists is really high.”

The students come from a number of backgrounds and are from all walks of life and ages. Some are fresh out of high school, while others are mothers or experienced professionals looking to switch careers. Some students have medical or cosmetology backgrounds, but some have a more broad, untapped interest in health and wellness.

“Just like massage is for everyone, being a massage therapist could be for anyone as well,” said Mooney.

The New Bridge Center

The latest development in the story of the NEPA School of Massage is their move to the New Bridge Center, a prime, iconic building in Kingston at a busy intersection. Mooney says she and her students feel safe in the building, especially because of its comfortable interior.

“We wanted to surround ourselves around other health care providers to fit into that space,” Mooney explained. “We also really love our lobby. It’s really nice with the water fountains. They do a really nice job around the holidays with Christmas trees and all that stuff.”

As far as Suite 220, where the school is situated within the building, the design was deliberate. It came as a challenge, as Mooney needed to balance the energy of a school, a business, and a generally relaxing space.

“We tried to make it comfortable but educational, too, so spa meets education plus a little personal,” Mooney said.

One of the defining features of the massage table room is a skeleton with a hat on. It’s become something of a tradition, according to Mooney, for students to take a picture with the skeleton during their enrollment. Between the photo opportunities and the genuine, extensive learning experiences they receive from Mooney, the students have become good friends.

“We are all very close. [The students] are close,” Mooney said. “It’s fun to witness that.”

The public can schedule an appointment at the NEPA School of Massage by calling 570-371-9089 or using their booking site online. Mooney recommends Friday appointments between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.