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SEWELL
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Atlanta School of Massage’s abrupt closure
shocks students
However, several students said the
change in venue was not entirely seamless.
One student said she was supposed to
complete her qualifications on Oct. 11,
and now has to extend her education until
mid-November.
Demise blamed on new ownership
Sources say Gliksberg, who purchased
the Atlanta operation in early 2018 from
founder Leticia Allen, is to blame. The
atmosphere of camaraderie and caring
under Allen flipped to one focused on
profit margins under Gliksberg.
A former staff member, speaking
on the condition of anonymity, said his
employment spanned both ownership
eras. The change in regime was evident
immediately after Gliksberg took the reins.
“The focus went from being people-
oriented to being mostly about profit,”
the employee said. “It became a place
where employees were overworked and
underpaid. Gabi had an attitude that he
could do no wrong and wasn’t interested in
anyone’s input.”
Gliksberg, the employee said, replaced
key management positions with his own
personnel, and staff were kept in the dark
about decisions that impacted them.
Financials paint a different picture
While economic factors and dwindling
enrollment were cited as factors in the two
school closures, financial records at ASM
in Atlanta, at least, seem to counter that
contention.
Business license renewal information
filed by Gliksberg show that gross receipts
more than doubled in the five years
Accelerate Atlanta owned it.
In 2018, actual gross receipts were
almost $2 million, and in 2019, $3.8
million. That number dipped to $3.1
million in 2020, and the following three
years were around $4.1 million each.
The business license information,
obtained by Rough Draft through an
open records request, also reported that an
average of 50 employees worked at ASM
during the five years Accelerate owned it.
The former employee said that while
it was true that enrollment in the massage
school program dwindled over the years,
the aesthetician program was thriving.
Rough Draft has sent an email to
Gliksberg regarding the demise of both
schools and asking for comment regarding
the rent that the Atlanta school allegedly
owes its landlord. Gliksberg did not
respond.
ROUGHDRAFTATLANTA.COM
By Cathy Cobbs
Within three days, the owner of two
of the Southeast’s oldest massage schools
abruptly shut down both operations,
citing declining enrollment and economic
factors.
In a letter dated Sept. 2, Miami-based
Acupuncture and Massage College (AMC)
President Christy Wood announced that
“due to declining enrollments and related
losses, we have determined that our school
cannot continue to operate and hold
classes and consequently it will be closing
as of today, September 2, 2024.”
On Sept. 5, Atlanta School of
Massage’s (ASM) staff members were called
to a mandatory 9 a.m. meeting and told
of its immediate closure as a moving truck
idled in the parking lot, ready to dismantle
the operation as soon as the news dropped.
Business records list Gabriel Gliksberg
as the managing partner for both schools,
operating under the entity Accelerate
Career Colleges LLC in Miami and
Accelerate Atlanta LLC in Atlanta.
While some of the Atlanta School of
Massage equipment was sold, a significant
amount of furniture, textbooks, and
clothing was abandoned. In addition,
sources close to the situation say the school
owes its landlord, Foundry Commercial,
more than $250,000 in unpaid rent.
Former employees interviewed by
Rough Draft say they were forced to sign a
non-disclosure agreement or they wouldn’t
receive two weeks of severance pay.
Both schools had been in operation for
more than 40 years. AMC was founded in
1983 by Dr. Richard Brown and touted
itself as the oldest acupuncture school in
Florida. ASM was also recognized as the
first licensed massage school in Georgia.
ASM students say they were not
informed of the closing and misled about
it up to the date of its shuttering.
On Sept. 23, a post on the Georgia
Postsecondary Education Commission
said it had been informed that the Atlanta
School of Massage had been closed and
that the school had entered into a “teach-
out agreement” with the International
School of Skin, Nailcare and Massage
Therapy in Sandy Springs, which will
accept completed hours and waive
administration and registration fees.
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Sandy Springs, GA
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