An Austin massage school has been abruptly shuttered after state regulators said staff helped students cheat their way into the massage industry. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation ordered Austin Massage Academy in northwest Austin to close and yanked the licenses of two instructors, accusing the school of cutting corners on training and paperwork while students allegedly worked illegally at illicit massage businesses.
According to KEYE, the department’s emergency order not only shut the doors of the school but also revoked the massage therapist and instructor licenses of Xue Lian Wang and Travis Engebretson. State investigators say staff at the academy helped students fraudulently obtain massage therapy licenses through false representation and by submitting falsified documents. They also reported repeated violations involving student registration, attendance tracking, and required recordkeeping. Regulators said the pattern of problems was serious enough to trigger immediate action in the name of consumer protection.
State official's warning
“Massage schools are expected to uphold rigorous educational standards to ultimately protect the health and safety of Texas consumers,” TDLR Executive Director Courtney Arbour said in a statement, according to KEYE. Her remarks accompanied the emergency order and highlighted why the agency moved so quickly to pull the instructors’ credentials. Under the order, Wang and Engebretson are barred from working in massage therapy anywhere in Texas while the administrative case plays out.
School profile and where it taught
The Austin Massage Academy website promotes a condensed 500-hour training program with evening and weekend classes and advertises job placement support for graduates, according to Austin Massage Academy. The school lists a Pond Springs Road address and contact information on its site. Regulators say that despite the marketing pitch, the program failed to meet state requirements for training and recordkeeping. Students and employers have been warned to expect delays when trying to verify credentials while the enforcement and administrative review move forward.
Legal and regulatory consequences
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has the power to issue emergency orders and revoke licenses when it believes public health or safety is at risk, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Once an emergency order is in place, affected parties can challenge it through administrative review under state law. That process can include formal hearings, financial penalties, and longer-term suspensions or permanent revocations, depending on what investigators and hearing officers ultimately decide. For now, the order keeps Austin Massage Academy closed and prevents the named instructors from practicing while the investigation continues.
What students and consumers should do now
Students and anyone who received services from the school are being urged to hold onto their training records, save copies of any payments, contracts, or transcripts, and regularly check licensure status on the TDLR website while the case works through the system. The department stresses its mission, “Safeguarding Texans is what we do,” as it pursues enforcement and encourages consumers to report suspected unlicensed or improper operations through its online complaint portal. Officials have not said whether criminal charges might follow, framing the emergency order instead as an administrative tool to protect consumers while they decide what comes next.
