WHO WE ARE:
IPSB (School of Integrative Psycho Structural Bodywork)
Founded in 1979, we are a community-focused massage school that has trained massage therapists and bodyworkers with the highest standards of ethics, safety, and integrity. Serving Los Angeles and beyond for over 40 years, we have created a legion of bodyworkers who consistently bring these values to their practices. IPSB's proven approach, emphasizing proper body mechanics, allows our students to have careers that span decades longer than most massage therapists.
Proudly LGBTQIA+ and woman-owned, IPSB is committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and supportive space for our students, alumni, and local community. IPSB is newly owned by long-time teachers Sabrina and Cyndi Ortolano who have been an integral part of IPSB for many years, first as students, then teachers, and most recently, as school director and curriculum director. This rich involvement has allowed them to develop a vision for what IPSB can truly be, not just a school, but a collective hub for students, practitioners, caregivers, essential healthcare workers, neighbors, and friends.
WHAT WE ARE RAISING MONEY FOR:
Expand The School, Open A Wellness Clinic
During the pandemic, IPSB made the decision to downsize our facility space and move our theory and anatomy classes online. This allowed us to continue serving our students while keeping our entire staff employed. We have been operating in person again for two years now, and demand for our classes has rebounded. In fact, many of our largest classes are regularly waitlisted now. We are back to pre-pandemic enrollment, but are now severely limited by lack of space. Additionally, IPSB recently learned that our current facility will be demolished in early 2025 to make way for a recreation complex. The time is now to expand and meet our potential.
IPSB has recently been offered a beautiful new space that will not only accommodate our increasing student demand, but will also allow us to open a wellness clinic to the general public. This clinic will bring life-changing, accessible and ongoing care to our students, alumni, and community at large.
WHAT WE STAND FOR:
Career Longevity - Healer Heal Thyself
Bodywork is among the professions with the highest rate of work-related injury. A whopping 78% of massage therapists will be afflicted with repetitive motion injuries while on the job. IPSB believes that we, as bodyworkers, must care for ourselves first, in order to best care for our communities. While the average career lifespan for massage therapists is 3-5 years, IPSB trains practitioners who have decades-long careers with no injury. Through extensive training in Tai Chi and proper body mechanics, IPSB graduates experience some of the lowest rates of work-related injuries in the industry.
In addition to our long-standing training practices, we have a host of innovative ideas that will improve health and safety standards for bodyworkers in LA and wherever our graduates take root. Moving into a larger, more dynamic space will allow us to implement these ideas, expanding the myriad ways we can support student and alumni wellness.
Support Community - Humans Need Collectivism To Thrive
Bodywork is often a solo occupation by nature. As a result, it is common for massage therapists to suffer from feelings of isolation and lack of a peer-based community in their day-to-day life, heightening the risk of career burnout. This new space will be Los Angeles’s first large-scale community center of its kind, serving bodyworkers, providing ongoing peer support, lifelong instructor guidance, continuing education, and career resources. Bodywork sessions, yoga classes, assisted stretching, enrichment workshops, and other resources will be offered through a membership format to ensure that ongoing self-care and support services are available at affordable rates.
Commitment to Giving Back - Mutual Aid Is The Only Real Way To Affect Change
One of our core principles is giving back. We can only do the work that we do because we are part of a greater collective. By offering bodywork services to historically underserved members of our community, through partnerships with neighborhood organizations across Los Angeles, we try to contribute everything we can toward building a more equitable and loving world. We have a robust group of volunteers who donate their time to support groups they feel strongly about. These range, in part, from families experiencing housing challenges, to first responders (in partnership with the LA Fire Department), the LGBTQIA+ community (in partnership with the LA Gay & Lesbian Center), and animal rights (in partnership with Walk For The Underdog and Wags and Walks).
With some of our funding, IPSB plans to establish a new equity-focused nonprofit organization. This will allow us to expand our impact in several ways. First, we will be able to extend our volunteer efforts, reaching an ever-larger swath of the community by allowing us to work more closely with other nonprofits to partner in bringing bodywork and the IPSB trainings to the groups they serve.
WHAT YOUR DONATION WILL ALLOW US TO DO
Move into our new home
We have recently been offered a beautiful space, less than 6 blocks from where we are now, that perfectly fits our needs at a competitive price. It is just under 10,000 square feet which will allow us to offer trainings beyond our pre-pandemic volume and also fully commit to launching our Wellness Clinic
While the space requires little to be a space we can use, we will still need to invest in outfitting it and building out a space for us to offer yoga.
Launch our Wellness Clinic
Scaling the business will take investment,and like with any new venture, it will take several months to begin operating in the black. These funds will ensure we have adequate capital to enable a smooth expansion, allowing us to pay our staff and purchase needed equipment as we transition
- Staffing
- 1 new marketing and PR position
- 10 bodyworkers/massage therapists
- 5 yoga teachers
- 6 assisted stretch technicians
- 4 part-time receptionist positions
- Equipment
- Assisted stretch rooms
- Stretch tables, bolsters, straps, sheets, etc.
- Massage rooms
- Massage tables, bolsters, sheets, etc.
- Yoga studio
- Mirrors, blocks, etc.
- Reception area
- Front desk, chairs, phone system, etc.
- Retail space
- POS, shelving, display cases, etc.
Establish our Nonprofit
This will only require a small percentage of funds raised, and will provide an enormous return. We will be able to formalize the nonprofit, and bring on a qualified alumna of the school to develop a strategic plan and organizational vision, grow our volunteer program, write grant proposals, and build an advisory board.
We appreciate your time and generosity as we evolve into our purpose to provide a safe and supportive space for an even wider community here in Los Angeles. Thank you!
Sabrina & Cyndi Ortolano
