Maryland Massage Licensing

Maryland Massage Licensing is regulated by the Maryland Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Massage Therapist must have 500hrs and 60 College credit hours and NCETMB to become a certified massage therapist and 500 hrs and NCETMB to become a registered massage therapist.

The State Board of Chiropractic Examiners (the "Board") operates under the provisions of Title 3 of the Health Occupations Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The Board is the licensing authority of Chiropractors, Chiropractic Assistants and Massage Therapists in the State of Maryland.

From the Maryland massage licensing state board website:

(a) "Massage therapy" means the use of manual techniques on soft tissues of the human body including effleurage (stroking), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (tapping), stretching, compression, vibration, and friction.
(b) "Massage therapy" includes massage, myotherapy, and synonyms or derivatives of these terms, with or without the aid of:(i) Cold packs;(ii) Non legend topical applications; or(iii) Heat limited to hot packs and heating pads.
(c) "Massage therapy" does not include the:(i) Diagnosis or treatment of illness, disease, or injury;(ii) Adjustment, manipulation, or mobilization of any of the articulations of the osseous structures of the body or spine; or(iii) Laying on of hands, consisting of pressure or movement, with the exception of such techniques described in §B(7)(a) of this regulation on a fully clothed individual to specifically affect the electromagnetic energy or energetic field of the human body.

Massage therapists in Maryland can work in spas, hotels, health clubs and in private businesses but they can not work in any health care setting.

There are approximately 3,200 massage therapists in the state.

Some info on educational requirements (from the state board website)

Required Education and Training.A. Classroom Training.(1) Of the minimum 500 hours classroom training required in Regulation .04A(7) of this chapter:(a) At least 100 hours shall consist of:(i) Anatomy; (ii) Physiology;(iii) Pathology; and(iv) Kinesiology; and
(b) The remaining 400 hours shall include a majority of hours in:
(i) Massage therapy theory;(ii) Technique;(iii) Supervised practice;(iv) Professional ethics;(v) Professional standards;(vi) Business practices;(vii) Health and hygiene; and(viii) Contraindications of massage.
(2) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid shall be included but do not count toward the 500-hour minimum.
(3) An applicant may attend more than one training institution, if the applicant graduates from a school requiring satisfactory completion of a minimum of 500 classroom hours in massage therapy education.
(4) Correspondence courses are not recognized by the Board.

For more information on becoming a massage therapist see the Massage Career Guide - The Truth About Becoming a Massage Therapist.