Massage Licensing

Professional Massage Licensing is usually regulated by each State's Massage Therapy Board. Each state has different legal requirements to become a massage therapist in the US. The requirements vary by number of hours of training and number of hours of specific classes needed to successfully complete the massage licensing process.

Most states require that you take an exam after completing your massage school classes. There are two main exams that are used to qualify massage therapists to get their license. One is the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) and one is the Federation of Massage State Boards. (FSMTB)There are a few states that may also offer their own exam and a few such as Oregon require practical (hands on) exams.

There are still a few states that do not have any massage licensing requirements. They include Alaska, Kansas, Idaho, Montana and Michigan currently. While professional licensing may not be required, it may be difficult to start and run a successful massage business without formal training in massage.

A Professional Massage License is required in most states. This is different from a business license that you will need if you start your own massage business or work as a sub-contractor in the massage profession.

Currently there are two different exams that are being accepted for massage licensing. There is an exam created by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) and the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx)which is a newer exam created by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards The MBLEx is not accepted yet in all states but hopefully will be soon. It is a much fairer exam and the complaints and problems with the NCBTMB seem to be endless.

For more information see the list of state massage licensing boards at www.thebodyworker.com

Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards

National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork

Books for help in passing your exams - See Massage School Textbooks at www.thebodyworker.com and click on Test resources

Massage Licensing on my Squidoo.com page.

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