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"Practicing massage is an opportunity to make a difference in peoples lives."  Andre F. Fountain RN, Director of Praxis College

Praxis College was established in Oklahoma Indian Territory in 1903 with St. Anthony Hospital’s massage training program. The curriculum is founded in the work of Mary Johannsen, who trained Oklahoma City massage therapists in the 1960's. In 1975, Andre F. Fountain RN taught the first Skilled Touch Class inside St. Anthony Hospital, then at several universities and Vo-Tech centers. Praxis College was separated from St Anthony Hospital in 1988, and became licensed by the State through the Oklahoma Board of Private Vocational Schools (OBPVS) in 1987. For three years (1991-1994) Praxis College leased classrooms in a quiet, second floor area of French Market Mall while the current campus was being planned and prepared. 

Praxis College sponsored a competition of OSU architecture students to design a massage school. Massage therapists and community leaders were invited to a reception at the Marriott ballroom. While a string quartet played, several hundred people visualized our future. 

In 1994 the current campus with a 5,000 sq ft classroom building on one and a half city blocks of land was purchased in an underdeveloped area of Oklahoma City.  Our campus has expanded to making up 33% of this 18 city block neighborhood. We are located 3 blocks east of Nichols Hills. JMarshall Square condos across the street West. We are two miles North of Whole Foods, Restaurant Row, Chesapeake and Classen Curve.

Praxis College has a quiet rural atmosphere due to the large amount of  green space while being in the center of an area that OKC has designated the Britton revitalization district. The city is investing several million dollars to upgrade and expand the infrastructure. Britton Road and Classen Boulevard (the NE corner of the campus) will be the starting point of the bike trail that will end at Scissortail Park Downtown.

The Bamboo SPA at Praxis College was purchased in 2000. The 8,000 sq ft SPA was originally the Britton hospital. It is located on the Southwest corner of the Campus at NW 88th on the East side of Western Avenue. The campus is made up of our classroom buildings, center for healthy living & dojo, service annex, retail spaces, along with married student housing and single student dormitories. 

Regarding our educational program which is our crowning jewel in 2010 the program was completely redesigned as a totally integrated 3,000 hour “flipped classroom” program. We became the first massage program in the Nation to offer 3 unique things: 1) "full ride" scholarships for all students. 2) Providing students a stipend for their clinical rotation. 3) All academics completed by the students on-line, at their own schedule, doing away with any traditional classroom lecture. The student only comes to the campus for one-on-one skills education and conducting services in our state of the art SPA. Even this is on the student's schedule not determined by the college.

Praxis College is able to provide the highest level of education at no cost to students, due to several factors, including an unmatched financial stability, gifts, grants and endowments from the medical and business community. The faculty has designed programs that allow flexibility and respects your experience.

*                        OUR PHILOSOPHY AT PRAXIS COLLEGE                  * "Science & Art is looking at the same thing from different sides of the coin "  DaVinci

Praxis is from a Greek word meaning "the conduct of an art and science" or alternately “to perform with precision.” This is the focus of Praxis College. Praxis College emphasizes that both art and science are important to developing a successful massage practitioner. As the College logo states, Praxis aspires to be "a bridge between two worlds," the Western and the Eastern disciplines. The program has been designed to incorporate opposing theories of massage. The education provided is focused on principles and theories, and the universal truths of the healing Arts. The intent of the Praxis College experience is to give you a well rounded, liberal arts education in massage.

 Therapists certified by Praxis have a medical and scientific base interwoven with a strong sense of “the Art” and possesses the talent needed for effective, therapeutic massage. This education leads to the development of a massage therapist rather than a technician, whose focus is narrowed to learning a limited number of styles of massage. Those less or minimally educated in massage have a trade, Praxis graduates have a community. 

We strive to inspire a sense of ethics and personal responsibility to all body workers.