Ammon Sisters Close Modern Mindbody Massage After Five Years, Citing Economic Pressures in Idaho
AMMON, Idaho — A popular massage clinic in Ammon has closed its doors after five years in business, with the two sisters who founded and operated it pointing to a sustained wave of economic pressures that ultimately made continued operation unsustainable.
Modern Mindbody Massage, located at 1480 Midway Avenue in Ammon, informed clients via email on April 14 that its final day of operation would be April 18. The abrupt timeline caught many customers off guard and sparked a swift — and at times hostile — community reaction.
“It has been our greatest honor to serve this community over the last 5 years,” owners Nicole Thompson and Brynn Parker wrote in their announcement email. “This has been an incredibly difficult decision for us and was not made lightly. We have poured our hearts into creating a space for healing, relaxation, and restoration, and we are deeply grateful for every one of you who has trusted us with your care.”
Rising Costs and Economic Turbulence Behind Closure
Thompson and Parker, who are sisters, opened the clinic in 2021 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to reporting by EastIdahoNews.com, the pair described a series of ongoing economic headwinds that prevented the business from reaching consistent profitability throughout its five-year run.
Early challenges included a secondary COVID scare shortly after opening, which Thompson said directly impacted client volume. Seasonal fluctuations also played a role — the sisters noted that warmer months routinely brought a slump in massage appointments as customers shifted priorities.
More recently, the owners cited broader macroeconomic conditions, including rising gas prices and global instability, as factors that dampened consumer spending on services perceived as non-essential. As a massage business, Modern Mindbody fell squarely into the category of discretionary spending that consumers tend to cut first when household budgets tighten.
“When the economy gets shocked by what’s going on in the world, we’re affected,” Parker said in remarks reported by EastIdahoNews.com. “People don’t see (massages) as a need. They think of it more as a luxury. When stuff like that happens, people get scared, and they start staying home and focus more on what they deem as important.”
The decision to close came suddenly, the sisters explained, following a management meeting in which they concluded the business could no longer move forward. They had initially planned to finish out the week but accelerated the closure timeline after being inundated with negative emails and messages. Thompson said the priority was to protect their staff from a hostile environment.
Refunds Underway as Community Response Turns Supportive
In the immediate aftermath of the closure announcement, the owners faced significant criticism from clients who held active memberships or unused gift cards and credits. Some accused the sisters of misappropriating funds — allegations Thompson and Parker characterized as deeply painful given what they described as their commitment to honoring every financial obligation to their customers.
“We’re going through (the list of customers) and are working to process those requests,” Parker said, asking clients to be patient as the refund process continues.
As time passed, the tone of the community response shifted. The sisters said they received an outpouring of supportive messages from long-time clients expressing sympathy and understanding. Thompson, reportedly emotional during the exchange with EastIdahoNews.com, said those kind messages helped sustain the owners through a difficult and bittersweet period.
Modern Mindbody Massage is not the only local business navigating economic pressure. Thor’s Chocolate, a Bonneville County-area maker of specialty German chocolate whose owner Christian Becker previously sold products through the Ammon clinic, is also experiencing declining sales. Becker, who rebranded his business last year, described his products similarly as a luxury that customers are deprioritizing as budgets tighten. He told EastIdahoNews.com that his business’s future remains uncertain.
By contrast, Snake River Strings — a music lesson studio located next door to Modern Mindbody Massage — is reporting strong growth at its Ammon location, which opened in 2023. Owner Shelby Murdock said in remarks reported by EastIdahoNews.com that the location carries the largest clientele of the business’s four eastern Idaho sites, with summer demand from parents seeking educational activities for children providing additional momentum.
What Comes Next
Thompson and Parker have not announced future plans for the former clinic space at 1480 Midway Avenue or indicated whether they intend to pursue other business ventures. Their immediate focus, according to the reporting, remains on processing refunds and credits for former clients. Customers with unresolved financial claims related to memberships, gift cards, or unused services are encouraged to reach out directly to the former owners and allow time for requests to be processed.
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