Massage therapy is a regulated profession in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This means that massage therapists must be licensed in order to practice legally. The requirements for licensure vary from state to state, but all states require massage therapists to complete a certain amount of training and pass an exam.
To find out more about the requirements for massage therapy licensure in your state, you can visit the website of your state's board of massage therapy. Here is a list of links to the state boards of massage therapy in the US:
Here is a list of links to the websites of the state boards of massage therapy in the US:
- Alabama State Board of Massage Therapy: https://almtbd.alabama.gov/
- Alaska State Board of Massage Therapy:https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardofMassageTherapists.aspx
- Arizona State Board of Massage Therapy: https://massagetherapy.az.gov/
- Arkansas State Board of Massage Therapy: https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/massage-therapy
- California Massage Therapy Council: https://www.camtc.org/
- Colorado State Board of Massage Therapy: https://dpo.colorado.gov/MassageTherapy
- Connecticut State Board of Massage Therapy: https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Practitioner-Licensing--Investigations/Massagetherapist/Massage-Therapist-Licensure
- Delaware State Board of Massage Therapy: https://dpr.delaware.gov/boards/massagebodyworks/
- Florida Board of Massage Therapy: https://floridasmassagetherapy.gov/
- Georgia State Board of Massage Therapy: https://sos.ga.gov/georgia-board-massage-therapy
- Hawaii State Board of Massage Therapy: https://cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/boards/massage/
- Idaho State Board of Massage Therapy: https://dopl.idaho.gov/mas/
- Illinois Department of Professional Regulation: https://idfpr.illinois.gov/dpr.html
- Indiana Professional Licensing Agency: https://www.in.gov/pla/
- Iowa Board of Massage Therapy: https://hhs.iowa.gov/Licensure/Iowa-Board-of-Massage-Therapy
- Kansas Board of Massage Therapy: http://www.ksbha.org/
- Kentucky Board of Massage Therapy: https://bmt.ky.gov/
- Louisiana State Board of Massage Therapy: https://www.labmt.org/
- Maine State Board of Massage Therapy: http://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/professions/massage-therapy-licensure
- Maryland State Board of Massage Therapy Examiners: https://health.maryland.gov/massage/Pages/home.aspx
- Massachusetts Board of Registration in Massage Therapy: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/board-of-registration-of-massage-therapy
- Michigan Board of Massage Therapy: https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/bpl/health/hp-lic-health-prof/massage
- Minnesota Board of Massage Therapy: https://mn.gov/elicense/a-z/?id=1083-299618
- Mississippi State Board of Massage Therapy: https://www.msbmt.ms.gov/
- Missouri State Board of Massage Therapy: https://pr.mo.gov/massage.asp
- Montana State Board of Massage Therapy: https://boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/massage-therapy/
- Nebraska State Massage Therapy Examining Board: https://dhhs.ne.gov/licensure/Pages/Massage-Therapy.aspx
- Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy: https://massagetherapy.nv.gov/
- New Hampshire Board of Massage Therapy: https://www.oplc.nh.gov/board-massage-therapists-education-training-and-requirements
- New Jersey Board of Massage Therapy and Bodywork: https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/mbt
- New Mexico State Board of Massage Therapy: https://www.rld.nm.gov/boards-and-commissions/individual-boards-and-commissions/massage-therapy/
- New York State Board for Massage Therapy: https://www.op.nysed.gov/massage-therapy
- North Carolina State Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy: https://www.bmbt.org/
- North Dakota State Board of Massage Therapy: https://www.ndbmt.org/
- Ohio State Medical Board: https://med.ohio.gov/
- Oklahoma State Board of Massage Therapy: https://oklahoma.gov/cosmo/licenses/massage.html
- Oregon State Board of Massage Therapy: https://www.oregon.gov/obmt/pages/index.aspx
- Pennsylvania State Board of Massage Therapy:https://www.dos.pa.gov/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardsCommissions/MassageTherapy/Pages/default.aspx
- Rhode Island State Board of Licensing for Massage Therapy: https://health.ri.gov/licenses/detail.php?id=229
- South Carolina State Board of Massage Therapy: https://llr.sc.gov/mas/
- South Dakota Board of Massage Therapy: https://doh.sd.gov/licensing-and-records/boards/massage/
- Tennessee Board of Massage Therapy: https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/health-professional-boards/ml-board.html
- Texas State Board of Massage Therapy: https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/mas/mas.htm
- Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing: https://dopl.utah.gov/
- Vermont State Board of Massage Therapy: https://sos.vermont.gov/massage-therapists-bodyworkers-and-touch-professionals/
- Virginia Board of Massage Therapy:https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/Boards/Nursing/ApplicantResources/ApplyforLicense/MassageTherapist/
- Washington State Department of Licensing: https://www.dol.wa.gov/
- West Virginia Board of Massage Therapy: http://www.wvmassage.org/
- Wisconsin Massage Therapy and Bodywork Affiliated Credentialing Board:https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/BoardsCouncils/MEB/MassageTherapyBodywork/Default.aspx
- Wyoming State Board of Massage Therapy: https://www.massagetherapylicense.org/state/wyoming-massage-license/
Certification for Massage Therapists and Manual Lymphatic Drainage Specialists
In addition to licensure, many massage therapists and manual lymphatic drainage specialists choose to become certified. Certification is a voluntary process that demonstrates a massage therapist's or manual lymphatic drainage specialist's knowledge and skills in a particular area.
There are a number of different organizations that offer certification for massage therapists and manual lymphatic drainage specialists. Some of the most popular organizations include:
- American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA)
- National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB)
- Academy of Lymphatic Drainage Therapy (ALDT)
- Lymphology Association of North America (LANA)
To find out more about the requirements for certification for massage therapists and manual lymphatic drainage specialists, you can visit the websites of the organizations listed above.
Conclusion
If you are interested in becoming a massage therapist or manual lymphatic drainage specialist, be sure to research the requirements for licensure and certification in your state. You can also contact your state board of massage therapy for more information.
