State Registration

Voluntary Credential -   Those who qualify, either  with education or  experience, can get the credential if they choose and are then exempted from city ordinances, but can continue to practice without being Registered and continue to practice under the current system of local ordinances.


Peer Oversight - Oversight   is by an Advisory Committee working under an already existing board. The credential is voluntary, so fewer practitioners will be paying fees, making creating our own board far too expensive.


Title Protection - Only those with the state credential may advertise that they practice "Registered Massage Therapy".


Grandfathering - Provides an avenue to getting a Registration for those who have been in practice, but who never went to school or never took a national exam.

State License

Mandatory Credential - Anyone practicing Massage Therapy must by law have the state credential, meaning only those who qualify for the credential, either through education or experience, may practice Massage Therapy. City ordinances are completely preempted since all practitioners have a state-level License.


Peer Oversight - Oversight by a newly created Board of Massage Therapy. Since the credential is mandatory, more therapists would be paying fees and would have made creating our own board possible.



Title Protection - Same as Registration, but generally has more protected terms which only the credentialed may use.


Grandfathering - Same as Registration, but has a limited window by which to get the credential.



Registration Basics

The Law we are looking to draft will contain the following...
  • Criteria for becoming a Registered Massage Therapist
    • General Criteria for those just entering the field as a new Massage Therapist
      • At least 18 years old
      • High School diploma or equivalent (GED, etc)
      • Passing a background check screening for Criminal Sexual misconduct
    • Education/Experience 
      • Successfully passing 500 hours of Massage Therapy training from an approved Massage Therapy school
    • Exam 
      • Most states accept the National Certification Exam and many are jumping on board with the new exam, the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx).

  • For those Already practicing when the law takes effect, we have the Grandfathering Clause 
    • It allows individuals who might not meet the criteria for Registration under the hours of education requirement, or the Exam requirement to still be able to get a Registration by virtue of their experience in the field.
    • They still must meet the other criteria, including the background check and other standard criteria, it just takes the place of the education and/or exam requirements.
    • A Registration certificate for a Grandfathered practitioner will look and is the same and just as valid as one earned the other way.
    • Once they are Registered, they then renew that credential just the same as everybody else.
Other Clauses
  • Registration Renewal & Continuing Education
    • We have it drafted so that the credential will be renewed every year.
    • To renew the credential, the Massage Therapist must  complete 12 hours of Continuing Education over every 2 years.
  • Local Preemption clause
    • This says cities or counties may not require a Massage Therapist, Registered by this law to also hold a local city "License" which in most cases is simply a local business permit
    • DID YOU KNOW... No other health care service is regulated at the city level.
    • This also means we will have one state fee to pay and be able to practice anywhere in the state.
    • One State = One License
  • CAP (CAM) Law Exemption 
    • The CAP (aka CAM) Law has served its purpose, to allow freedom of access to Massage Therapists (and other CAP modalities), but the time has come for Massage Therapists to take the next step and become a state credentialed profession, as has happened in 43 other states plus the District of Columbia
    • For more on the CAP Law, and to make sure you are in compliance with the most recent changes, see the MN CAP Law page of this site.
  • Peer Oversight
    • The bill will have one of the following clauses to provide for oversight of our profession
    • To get on the Advisory board, the state takes nominations. You can go to the Secretary of State's website right now and see all the open occupational board positions up for grabs right now.
    • Massage Therapist members of the board must be able to qualify for a Registration (prior to the first Registrations being issued) and must be currently Registered (after Registrations are in effect).
    • The board will approve applications for Registration and renewals and decide when discipline is necessary for a member of our profession.   
  • Title Protection
    • This is a clause that says only those who hold a valid state credential may use the title "Registered Massage Therapist".
    • This will give added teeth to the police's efforts to crack down on prostitution in the state and eliminate the yellow pages ads under the Massage Therapy headings that advertise "Beautiful attendants", "Sensual Massage" and the like, right next to the ads for legitimate Massage Therapists
    • Once the law has passed and been enacted, we will be launching a PR campaign to inform the public about the credential.
  • Portability/Reciprocity
    • This is definitely a hot button topic in regulation. It says a Massage Therapist Licensed in Iowa could come into Minnesota and get a Registration in a fast-tracked way by virtue of the fact that they are Licensed in the other state. It usually requires the regulations be equivalent between the states, and we are working hard to make sure that we have a law that will allow MN Registered Massage Therapists to go pretty much wherever they want and be able to "transfer" their License. A few of the possible exceptions will likely be New York, Nebraska, and unfortunately North Dakota, as these states has regulations that are far more restrictive than what we are aiming for.
  • Exemptions
    • As the law we now going for is a voluntary credential, even for Massage Therapists, there doesn't really need to be an Exemptions clause. We have a very short one in the bill, which exempts those professions regulated as other credentialed health care professionals (DCs, RNs, PTs, etc) and those regulated under the CAP Law (Reflexology, Shiatsu, Trager, etc) just so it is perfectly clear, but that clause may get taken out as we go through the legislative hearing process, as it really doesn't need to be in there. Practitioners of other professions, both licensed and unlicensed are completely uneffected by this law, unless they happen to call themselves a "Registered Massage Therapist." 
    • Whether the exemptions clause stays in or gets taken out, there will be zero change for these other practitioners from the day before the Registration takes effect.

To help with the credentialing effort, get registered as a supporter by going to the Forms, Forms, Forms page of this site.

Page Updated: 22Dec2009
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