July 24, 2025 • 11 mins
The massage therapy landscape is shifting with regulatory changes and developments across states, including the Interstate Massage Compact passing in five states and ongoing advancements in state licensing requirements. Recent months have seen significant changes including Vermont's increased registration fees, Idaho's elimination of continuing education requirements, and new regulations addressing human trafficking in multiple states.
• Interstate Massage Compact has passed in five states, with two more needed for implementation
• Vermont raised application and renewal fees for massage registration
• Idaho eliminated continuing education requirements while extending renewal cycles to two years
• Oregon increased massage therapy fees by 35% for budget rebalancing
• Utah now requires massage establishment registration starting October 1st
• Arkansas added massage businesses to those required to display human trafficking hotline information
• AMTA highlighted new research supporting massage for anxiety and depression
• Upcoming events include AMTA National Convention and Black Massage Therapist Conference
• International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork June edition features various research studies
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The American Massage Therapy Association is proud to
sponsor the Rub Podcast.
With AMTA, you'll gain accessto a welcoming community
dedicated to supporting yourcareer every step of the way.
As the nonprofit association inthe profession, amta is focused
on award-winning advocacy,research and education for
massage therapists Ensure you'reat the forefront of your
profession with benefits such ascomprehensive liability
(00:21):
insurance, discounts on productsand services, the Massage
Therapy Journal, networkingopportunities and top-tier
continuing education, includingfree online courses.
Join AMTA today and become partof a dynamic, inclusive
community dedicated to shapingthe future of massage therapy.
Visit amtamassageorg to learnmore.
(00:49):
Welcome to the Rubdown, a newsupdate about massage therapy.
I'm your host, kori Rivera,licensed massage therapist and
correspondent.
I promise that I'm going to dobetter to bring you news from
the world of massage therapy,but today's Rubdown will include
news from March, april, may andJune 2025.
Don't forget, the HealWellsub-stack has a helpful glossary
(01:17):
of terms.
You can find the link to thisguide in the show notes and if
we've missed any, please let usknow by emailing us at podcast
at HealWellorg.
First up, healwell News.
The HealWell Service Departmenthas provided 4,271 total
massage sessions in 2025 in theDC, maryland, virginia area.
Healwell has started asub-stack called More Than Hands
(01:38):
.
You can find the link in theshow notes.
We've had two standout articlessince launching last month the
Secret Health Crisis of MassageTherapists, written by myself,
and Massage Therapy's MainstreamMoment, written by Cal Cates.
To support our efforts andreceive our posts in your email
inbox, please subscribe andshare with your friends, family,
co-workers and baristas.
Next state and national news.
(01:58):
The Interstate Massage Compacthas passed in five states Nevada
, montana, virginia, arkansasand Ohio.
Two more states must pass thecompact in order for it to begin
to be hammered out.
The compact was introduced butfailed to pass in nine states
Florida, washington, georgia,illinois, new York, nebraska,
(02:20):
maine, hawaii and North Carolina.
The compact was also introducedin two other states Alabama and
Connecticut, and efforts areactive in seven states New
Jersey, michigan, pennsylvania,massachusetts, wisconsin, dc and
West Virginia.
Much of the pushback to thecompact centers on states losing
control over who can workwithin their borders, concerns
about allowing therapists withfewer requirements to enter and
(02:42):
work in the state and concernsabout excluding current
therapists who don't meet thenew requirements, which really
just goes to show that you can'tplease anyone.
Vermont has raised applicationfees for state registration from
$75 to $90 and two-year renewalfees from $240 to $275.
Vermont has a mandatoryregistration process instead of
state licensing, but you'd beforgiven for getting confused
(03:05):
because the Vermont Secretary ofState website uses the word
license.
Registration does not legallyprotect the terms massage or
massage therapist the way alicense does, but the fees for
registration in Vermont arecomparable to, and in some cases
more than, licensing fees inmany other states.
The American Massage TherapyAssociation continued to push
for state licensing when it wasdiscussing fees with the state,
(03:26):
but the licensing request wasdenied.
Idaho has transitioned fromone-year to two-year renewal
cycles.
Beginning May 19th, theDivision of Occupation and
Professional Licenses statedthat the intent is to give
massage therapists more time tofocus on clients and their
profession.
The state also eliminatedcontinuing education
requirements entirely.
Licensing fees will double toreflect the extended renewal
(03:49):
period.
The transition is staggered,based on birth year, with those
born in odd years moving to thenew two-year cycle.
First.
Oregon increased all massagetherapy fees by 35 percent in an
effort to rebalance the statebudget.
Initial and renewal licensefees increased from $200 to $270
.
The fee changes took effectApril 1st.
In Gresham, oregon, a proposedmassage therapy ordinance aimed
(04:12):
at addressing human traffickingwas halted after advocacy
efforts.
The ordinance was draftedwithout the input of licensed
massage professionals in Oregon.
The ordinance was removed fromtheir calendar, allowing for
input from the massage therapycommunity.
An example of a problematicrule from the ordinance is no
massage business may operatebetween the hours of 10 pm and 6
am.
This means that late shiftworkers, like those who work
(04:34):
between 3 pm and 11 pm, areessentially unable to receive
massage.
Utah now requires massageestablishment registration for
most massage businesses.
The new requirement takeseffect October 1st and applies
to all massage businesses exceptsole practitioners, as long as
they don't employ or contractwith other licensed individuals.
Establishments must completeapplications, submit fees,
(04:56):
undergo criminal backgroundchecks and maintain specific
signage and documentationrequirements.
The law also includes strictprovisions against advertising
sexual services and requirescompliance with health and
sanitation codes just like everyother healthcare establishment.
Minnesota implemented criminalbackground checks for massage
therapy business owners.
This applies to individualpractitioners, llcs,
(05:18):
partnerships, directors andmanagers.
Iowa amended continuingeducation requirements to allow
licensed massage therapists tocarry over up to 50% of excess
completed CE hours from previousrenewal cycles.
For example, if a therapistcompleted 16 extra hours, they
may carry over up to 8 hoursinto the next cycle.
The intended benefit is toensure Iowa therapists maintain
(05:41):
up-to-date standards of practicewhile providing cost savings on
required CE.
The change became effective May21st.
Arkansas added massagebusinesses and nail salons to
the list of establishmentsrequired to display national
human trafficking hotlineinformation.
Businesses offering massagetherapy must present an eight
and a half by 11 poster inrestrooms and in a visible space
(06:02):
near the entrance.
A bill in Arkansas that wouldhave required the state to
create its own exam has beendefeated.
The bill was opposed by bothAMTA and ABMP and would have
caused a large administrativeburden on the state.
Pennsylvania proposed mandatorychild abuse recognition
training for massage therapistsin new rules that were published
by their state board of massagetherapy.
(06:24):
The proposed rules would addLMTs to the list of health
professionals consideredmandated reporters, which would
require initial licenseapplicants to complete three
hours of training and currentlicensees to complete two hours
during renewal.
The two CE hours would counttowards the existing 24-hour CE
requirement rather than addingadditional hours.
24-hour CE requirement ratherthan adding additional hours.
(06:50):
Arizona secured renewal of theirState Board of Massage Therapy
through 2031 after an unusualweek in the Arizona Capitol,
where the Senate abruptlyadjourned on June 20th without
passing any bills.
Amta's lobbyists and governmentrelations team worked behind
the scenes to keep the renewalactive.
As the House reconvened toavoid a government shutdown, the
language that authorized theBoard's renewal was successfully
added to a House bill whichpassed both chambers and headed
to the governor's desk.
Oklahoma faced potentiallicensing setbacks when their
(07:14):
governor vetoed a bill thatwould have extended the sunset
date for the Oklahoma StateBoard of Cosmetology and
Barbering, which overseesmassage therapy.
However, a bill was passed thatincluded a one-year extension
for the Cosmetology andBarbering Board.
This victory was made possibleby people at all, which oversees
massage therapy.
However, a bill was passed thatincluded a one-year extension
for the cosmetology andbarbering board.
This victory was made possibleby people at all levels,
including associations andpractitioners, who continually
advocated for the massagetherapy licensing in the state.
(07:38):
Next up we have association news.
The American Massage TherapyAssociation has an article that
highlights new researchsupporting massage therapy for
anxiety and depression,including systemic reviews and
clinical studies.
Amta has also submittedstatements supporting the
National Center forComplementary and Integrative
Health's existence and fundingand opposing the current
(08:01):
administration's proposal toeliminate it.
As of this recording, the NCCIHstill exists.
Amta has also launched a freeMBLEC study video series
featuring five modules coveringexam preparation strategies.
Abmp has an ongoing scholarshipsweepstakes that we haven't
mentioned before, so we're goingto now.
Each quarter, one studentreceives $5,000 and their school
(08:24):
also receives $5,000.
Please see the link in the shownotes to apply.
As always, the Massage TherapyFoundation continues accepting
student and practitioner casereports and Bob King Legacy
Grant applications forcommunity-based work.
Adrienne Asta, the formerpresident of the Massage Therapy
Foundation, received the JohnBelletto Distinguished Service
Award at the InternationalMassage Therapy Research
(08:45):
Conference, recognizing heroutstanding service to the
massage profession throughvolunteer work with the Massage
Therapy Foundation.
The International Journal ofTherapeutic Massage and Body
Works June edition is out.
It includes the followingarticles An article that
proposes resilience theory as aframework for understanding
massage therapy's role in cancercare.
An article examining massageeffectiveness across different
(09:07):
sports and performance metrics.
A systematic review andmeta-analysis of physiotherapy
for tendinopathies.
A study on a combination offoot reflexology and back
massage for hemodialysispatients.
A systematic review of massagetherapy for musculoskeletal
conditions.
And an editorial exploringresearch as a mechanism for
strengthening collaborativehealthcare.
(09:32):
Live events coming up includethe American Massage Therapy
Association 2025 NationalConvention, august 21st through
23rd in Dallas, texas.
The Black Massage TherapistConference in 2025, october 7th
through 8th in Charlotte, northCarolina.
Their theme is StrongerTogether reflecting the power of
unity and shared purpose withinthe Black massage therapist
community.
Next year's Alliance forMassage Therapy Education
(09:55):
Conference has recently beenannounced.
It will be November 6th through8th 2026 in Kansas City,
missouri.
The conference has openedproposals for keynote talks, 3
CE sessions and 4 CE sessions.
Early bird sponsorship pricingis available through November 30
, 2025.
Their theme is StrongerTogether Elevating Massage
Education Through Unity.
(10:17):
If you'd like to attend a liveclass with HealWell, the
September SCAR class with KathyRyan is sold out, but you can
still join her in Salt Lake Cityin October.
This class is also likely tosell out.
So you can still join her inSalt Lake City in October.
This class is also likely tosell out, so we recommend that
you register soon.
Otherwise, we have thehospital-based massage therapy
course October 28th throughNovember 1st, and next year's
pediatric massage and theclinical setting class is open,
(10:37):
and that will be May 6th through9th.
If you have any national orstate-level news about massage
therapy you'd like to share,please send an email with your
news and a link to your sourceto podcast at healwellorg.
You can always join us at theHealWell online community at
communityhealwellorg.
This has been your news rubdown.
Thank you for listening.
The American Massage Therapy Association is proud to
sponsor the Rub Podcast.
With AMTA, you'll gain accessto a welcoming community
dedicated to supporting yourcareer every step of the way.
As the nonprofit association inthe profession, amta is focused
on award-winning advocacy,research and education for
massage therapists Ensure you'reat the forefront of your
profession with benefits such ascomprehensive liability
(00:21):
insurance, discounts on productsand services, the Massage
Therapy Journal, networkingopportunities and top-tier
continuing education, includingfree online courses.
Join AMTA today and become partof a dynamic, inclusive
community dedicated to shapingthe future of massage therapy.
Visit amtamassageorg to learnmore.
(00:49):
Welcome to the Rubdown, a newsupdate about massage therapy.
I'm your host, kori Rivera,licensed massage therapist and
correspondent.
I promise that I'm going to dobetter to bring you news from
the world of massage therapy,but today's Rubdown will include
news from March, april, may andJune 2025.
Don't forget, the HealWellsub-stack has a helpful glossary
(01:17):
of terms.
You can find the link to thisguide in the show notes and if
we've missed any, please let usknow by emailing us at podcast
at HealWellorg.
First up, healwell News.
The HealWell Service Departmenthas provided 4,271 total
massage sessions in 2025 in theDC, maryland, virginia area.
Healwell has started asub-stack called More Than Hands
(01:38):
.
You can find the link in theshow notes.
We've had two standout articlessince launching last month the
Secret Health Crisis of MassageTherapists, written by myself,
and Massage Therapy's MainstreamMoment, written by Cal Cates.
To support our efforts andreceive our posts in your email
inbox, please subscribe andshare with your friends, family,
co-workers and baristas.
Next state and national news.
(01:58):
The Interstate Massage Compacthas passed in five states Nevada
, montana, virginia, arkansasand Ohio.
Two more states must pass thecompact in order for it to begin
to be hammered out.
The compact was introduced butfailed to pass in nine states
Florida, washington, georgia,illinois, new York, nebraska,
(02:20):
maine, hawaii and North Carolina.
The compact was also introducedin two other states Alabama and
Connecticut, and efforts areactive in seven states New
Jersey, michigan, pennsylvania,massachusetts, wisconsin, dc and
West Virginia.
Much of the pushback to thecompact centers on states losing
control over who can workwithin their borders, concerns
about allowing therapists withfewer requirements to enter and
(02:42):
work in the state and concernsabout excluding current
therapists who don't meet thenew requirements, which really
just goes to show that you can'tplease anyone.
Vermont has raised applicationfees for state registration from
$75 to $90 and two-year renewalfees from $240 to $275.
Vermont has a mandatoryregistration process instead of
state licensing, but you'd beforgiven for getting confused
(03:05):
because the Vermont Secretary ofState website uses the word
license.
Registration does not legallyprotect the terms massage or
massage therapist the way alicense does, but the fees for
registration in Vermont arecomparable to, and in some cases
more than, licensing fees inmany other states.
The American Massage TherapyAssociation continued to push
for state licensing when it wasdiscussing fees with the state,
(03:26):
but the licensing request wasdenied.
Idaho has transitioned fromone-year to two-year renewal
cycles.
Beginning May 19th, theDivision of Occupation and
Professional Licenses statedthat the intent is to give
massage therapists more time tofocus on clients and their
profession.
The state also eliminatedcontinuing education
requirements entirely.
Licensing fees will double toreflect the extended renewal
(03:49):
period.
The transition is staggered,based on birth year, with those
born in odd years moving to thenew two-year cycle.
First.
Oregon increased all massagetherapy fees by 35 percent in an
effort to rebalance the statebudget.
Initial and renewal licensefees increased from $200 to $270
.
The fee changes took effectApril 1st.
In Gresham, oregon, a proposedmassage therapy ordinance aimed
(04:12):
at addressing human traffickingwas halted after advocacy
efforts.
The ordinance was draftedwithout the input of licensed
massage professionals in Oregon.
The ordinance was removed fromtheir calendar, allowing for
input from the massage therapycommunity.
An example of a problematicrule from the ordinance is no
massage business may operatebetween the hours of 10 pm and 6
am.
This means that late shiftworkers, like those who work
(04:34):
between 3 pm and 11 pm, areessentially unable to receive
massage.
Utah now requires massageestablishment registration for
most massage businesses.
The new requirement takeseffect October 1st and applies
to all massage businesses exceptsole practitioners, as long as
they don't employ or contractwith other licensed individuals.
Establishments must completeapplications, submit fees,
(04:56):
undergo criminal backgroundchecks and maintain specific
signage and documentationrequirements.
The law also includes strictprovisions against advertising
sexual services and requirescompliance with health and
sanitation codes just like everyother healthcare establishment.
Minnesota implemented criminalbackground checks for massage
therapy business owners.
This applies to individualpractitioners, llcs,
(05:18):
partnerships, directors andmanagers.
Iowa amended continuingeducation requirements to allow
licensed massage therapists tocarry over up to 50% of excess
completed CE hours from previousrenewal cycles.
For example, if a therapistcompleted 16 extra hours, they
may carry over up to 8 hoursinto the next cycle.
The intended benefit is toensure Iowa therapists maintain
(05:41):
up-to-date standards of practicewhile providing cost savings on
required CE.
The change became effective May21st.
Arkansas added massagebusinesses and nail salons to
the list of establishmentsrequired to display national
human trafficking hotlineinformation.
Businesses offering massagetherapy must present an eight
and a half by 11 poster inrestrooms and in a visible space
(06:02):
near the entrance.
A bill in Arkansas that wouldhave required the state to
create its own exam has beendefeated.
The bill was opposed by bothAMTA and ABMP and would have
caused a large administrativeburden on the state.
Pennsylvania proposed mandatorychild abuse recognition
training for massage therapistsin new rules that were published
by their state board of massagetherapy.
(06:24):
The proposed rules would addLMTs to the list of health
professionals consideredmandated reporters, which would
require initial licenseapplicants to complete three
hours of training and currentlicensees to complete two hours
during renewal.
The two CE hours would counttowards the existing 24-hour CE
requirement rather than addingadditional hours.
24-hour CE requirement ratherthan adding additional hours.
(06:50):
Arizona secured renewal of theirState Board of Massage Therapy
through 2031 after an unusualweek in the Arizona Capitol,
where the Senate abruptlyadjourned on June 20th without
passing any bills.
Amta's lobbyists and governmentrelations team worked behind
the scenes to keep the renewalactive.
As the House reconvened toavoid a government shutdown, the
language that authorized theBoard's renewal was successfully
added to a House bill whichpassed both chambers and headed
to the governor's desk.
Oklahoma faced potentiallicensing setbacks when their
(07:14):
governor vetoed a bill thatwould have extended the sunset
date for the Oklahoma StateBoard of Cosmetology and
Barbering, which overseesmassage therapy.
However, a bill was passed thatincluded a one-year extension
for the Cosmetology andBarbering Board.
This victory was made possibleby people at all, which oversees
massage therapy.
However, a bill was passed thatincluded a one-year extension
for the cosmetology andbarbering board.
This victory was made possibleby people at all levels,
including associations andpractitioners, who continually
advocated for the massagetherapy licensing in the state.
(07:38):
Next up we have association news.
The American Massage TherapyAssociation has an article that
highlights new researchsupporting massage therapy for
anxiety and depression,including systemic reviews and
clinical studies.
Amta has also submittedstatements supporting the
National Center forComplementary and Integrative
Health's existence and fundingand opposing the current
(08:01):
administration's proposal toeliminate it.
As of this recording, the NCCIHstill exists.
Amta has also launched a freeMBLEC study video series
featuring five modules coveringexam preparation strategies.
Abmp has an ongoing scholarshipsweepstakes that we haven't
mentioned before, so we're goingto now.
Each quarter, one studentreceives $5,000 and their school
(08:24):
also receives $5,000.
Please see the link in the shownotes to apply.
As always, the Massage TherapyFoundation continues accepting
student and practitioner casereports and Bob King Legacy
Grant applications forcommunity-based work.
Adrienne Asta, the formerpresident of the Massage Therapy
Foundation, received the JohnBelletto Distinguished Service
Award at the InternationalMassage Therapy Research
(08:45):
Conference, recognizing heroutstanding service to the
massage profession throughvolunteer work with the Massage
Therapy Foundation.
The International Journal ofTherapeutic Massage and Body
Works June edition is out.
It includes the followingarticles An article that
proposes resilience theory as aframework for understanding
massage therapy's role in cancercare.
An article examining massageeffectiveness across different
(09:07):
sports and performance metrics.
A systematic review andmeta-analysis of physiotherapy
for tendinopathies.
A study on a combination offoot reflexology and back
massage for hemodialysispatients.
A systematic review of massagetherapy for musculoskeletal
conditions.
And an editorial exploringresearch as a mechanism for
strengthening collaborativehealthcare.
(09:32):
Live events coming up includethe American Massage Therapy
Association 2025 NationalConvention, august 21st through
23rd in Dallas, texas.
The Black Massage TherapistConference in 2025, october 7th
through 8th in Charlotte, northCarolina.
Their theme is StrongerTogether reflecting the power of
unity and shared purpose withinthe Black massage therapist
community.
Next year's Alliance forMassage Therapy Education
(09:55):
Conference has recently beenannounced.
It will be November 6th through8th 2026 in Kansas City,
missouri.
The conference has openedproposals for keynote talks, 3
CE sessions and 4 CE sessions.
Early bird sponsorship pricingis available through November 30
, 2025.
Their theme is StrongerTogether Elevating Massage
Education Through Unity.
(10:17):
If you'd like to attend a liveclass with HealWell, the
September SCAR class with KathyRyan is sold out, but you can
still join her in Salt Lake Cityin October.
This class is also likely tosell out.
So you can still join her inSalt Lake City in October.
This class is also likely tosell out, so we recommend that
you register soon.
Otherwise, we have thehospital-based massage therapy
course October 28th throughNovember 1st, and next year's
pediatric massage and theclinical setting class is open,
(10:37):
and that will be May 6th through9th.
If you have any national orstate-level news about massage
therapy you'd like to share,please send an email with your
news and a link to your sourceto podcast at healwellorg.
You can always join us at theHealWell online community at
communityhealwellorg.
This has been your news rubdown.
Thank you for listening.
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