Wellspring massage school closes abruptly, displacing students

Last edited 11:49 p.m., June 19, 2026 [Editor's note: The address has been corrected.]

by Claudette Riley · criley@sbj.net 

The Wellspring School of Allied Health, which trained massage therapists at campuses in Springfield and Kansas City, has closed unexpectedly, according to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. 

The Springfield campus was located at 3033 S. Kansas Expressway. A sign on the door notified students, staff and others that all clinic appointments had been canceled and “location changing updates” were coming. 

No one answered calls to the Springfield campus, and there were no details related to the closing on the answering machine. The school website has been taken down. 

Wellspring’s Springfield campus opened in 2017 on Commercial Street, formerly the home of the Professional Massage Training Center. It relocated to its current location in 2022. The company was founded in 1988 as the Massage Therapy Training Institute. 

Amanda Morris, the campus director, and Tara Rigger, massage therapy program manager, said they voluntarily left their jobs in mid-May because they were worried about the company. They are working together to create an apprenticeship program to help the displaced students. 

“They’re very hungry for someone who knows what they’ve been through and can take everything in those experiences and really cater to their needs at this point. That is what we are doing,” Rigger said, in an interview.  

Morris said she and Rigger resigned because there were “a lot of red flags” that the company was struggling. They have reached out to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the Missouri Board of Therapeutic Massage and others to develop this program. 

“Tara and I immediately started trying to look for solutions for the students,” Morris said. “We care about the students and the staff, and what has happened to them is just awful and our hearts are broken.” 

Efforts to reach Don Farquharson, president and CEO of Wellspring Resources, Inc. were unsuccessful, but Morris and Rigger said the company was in talks with a potential buyer but that a deal did not materialize. 

“We had to make the decision that was best for us. We did not know the school was going to close whenever we left,” Morris said. “They reassured use over and over that was not going to happen.” 

Wellspring’s Kansas City campus was listed on the U.S. Department of Education’s watch list of institutions with shaky financial stability. Records posted to studentaid.gov show that the campus was listed in quarterly reports for heightened cash monitoring since September 2020. It has been subject to additional federal oversight. 

According to the Missouri Department of Higher Education, the closure occurred June 3, and it was working with Wellspring Resources Inc. – the corporate office – and the Missouri Board of Therapeutic Massage to get more details for students. 

For example, the department was seeking information on how students can request their official transcripts and complete their program elsewhere. 

Data reported to the National Center for Education Statistics showed 19 employees, including 15 instructors, in fall 2024, the most recent report available. For the same period, the school listed 90 students in massage therapy or medical assisting programs. 

The annual cost to attend the for-profit school in 2024-25, according to the report, was $16,500 for tuition and fees and $2,086 for books. Financial aid, including federal student loans, was available. 

Rigger said the school provided an option for students, and many in Springfield’s massage therapy community are mourning its loss. 

“It’s very disheartening. I’m sure a lot of people feel betrayed,” she said. “If we can band together, which we have, and provide resources and support for these students, that is what we are doing.” •