A quick glance at massage therapist licensing requirements in the U . S . reveals part of the challenge massage therapists face . According to the American Massage and Bodywork Practitioners ( ABMP ), nearly every state requires massage therapists to be licensed ( Minnesota , Wyoming and Kansas have no statewide licensure requirements ). The requirements that must be met to attain licensure are often similar from state to state — usually , candidates must pass one of two qualifying exams and perform a certain number of hours ’ worth of massage therapy practice acts verified by a massage therapy school or program to apply for their license . But the number of practice hours required varies . Florida requires 500 hours , for example , while Nevada requires 550 hours and New York and Nebraska require 1000 .
The requirements for license renewal in each state often varies as well , which means that any massage therapist looking to practice in a new state must , at the very least , pay the cost associated with obtaining a new license and may , in some cases , have to make up any difference in practice hours between their old state and their new one . At best , it ’ s a clunky process that makes any such move inconvenient . At worst , the process drags down the spa industry both by keeping existing massage therapists from pursuing opportunities in other states and discouraging others from pursuing a career in massage therapy at all .
CHANGE ON THE HORIZON Earlier this year , those advocating for greater portability of massage therapy licensure were given new hope that a solution to these problems would arrive sooner , rather than later . In March , the U . S . Department of Defense selected the profession of massage therapy to receive technical assistance from The Council of State Governments ( CSG ) to craft an interstate compact that would allow therapists to practice in any state that joins the compact , all without requiring a separate license . The Department of Defense ’ s involvement is owed to the fact that interstate compacts of this type are often designed specifically to benefit spouses of military personnel , who must frequently relocate . The agreement , however , would not apply solely to those affiliated with the military but to any practicing therapist in a state belonging to the compact .
The process of developing the compact and determining which states will ultimately participate will take time , but the ball is already rolling . The Council of State Governments is working with stakeholders from various organizations such as the American Massage Therapy Association ( AMTA ), ABMP and state
“ At worst , the process drags down the spa industry both by keeping existing massage therapists from pursuing opportunities in other states and discouraging others from pursuing a career in massage therapy at all .”
EDITOR ’ S NOTE : Visit compacts . csg . org to learn more about The Council of
State Government ’ s work on interstate compacts and view project updates . board administrators and attorneys . “ This group is going to be convening in August to come up with a set of recommendations as to the contents of the compact , the core components , which will be handed off to the drafting team , who will actually write the compact legislation ,” says Matthew Shafer , project manager at CSG . This team , known as a “ compact
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