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Massachusetts massage licensing record

Massachusetts licenses massage therapists and many massage facilities. The statute supplies a 500-hour floor, while the current Board standard curriculum is 650 hours. Annual renewal includes a 3-hour CE requirement after the first renewal, and professional liability insurance is required.

Statewide requirements and local regulation are identified separately. This record is general information, not legal advice.

Massachusetts Board of Registration of Massage Therapy

US-MA · VERIFIED 2026-07-25

Overview

State massage therapist license required

Last verified 2026-07-25 · next review 2026-08-25

Local boards may regulate bodywork outside the state massage definition, and general local business or zoning requirements may apply.

Regulatory authority

Massachusetts Board of Registration of Massage Therapy

Visit the official authority

Local business, facility, zoning, and professional rules may apply in addition to statewide requirements. Confirm current requirements with the responsible authority before acting.

Entry requirements

Education, examination, and application

Credential
Licensed Massage Therapist
Minimum education
650 hours
Approved education
The statute supplies a 500-hour minimum floor, while the current Board curriculum governs the standard pathway at 650 hours: 100 anatomy and physiology, 45 pathology, 45 kinesiology, 300 massage theory and technique, 60 ethics and business practices, and 100 unpaid clinical experience, with at least 60 hands-on hours.
Examination
MBLEx or qualifying NCBTMB examination evidence is used conditionally when the applicant cannot document 300 hours in massage theory and technique; examination credit may account for up to 100 hours of that component but does not reduce the 650-hour total.
MBLEx relationship
MBLEx is a conditional examination-credit route in the current application framework, not a substitute for the total 650-hour curriculum.
Application
Submit the online application, education and identity records, references, criminal-history disclosures, liability-insurance declaration, and fee.
Application fees
The current application page lists a $225 application fee.
Background check or fingerprinting
The application includes criminal-history questions and CORI review; a universal fingerprint requirement was not established in the reviewed sources.
Reciprocity or endorsement
Massachusetts law and 269 CMR 3.00 authorize the Board to issue a reciprocal license when another jurisdiction's requirements are reasonably equivalent, but the Board's current operational guidance states that no reciprocity process is in place and directs every out-of-state practitioner to submit a new license application. Treat the framework as authorized but not currently operational.
Additional requirements
Applicants provide a liability-insurance declaration and satisfy current education, identity, reference, and disclosure requirements.

Renewal

Renewal and continuing education

Cycle
Licenses renew annually.
Deadline model
The license expires on the 28th day of the licensee's birth month.
Fees
The current Board page lists $150 renewal and a $57 late fee when renewal is more than three days late.
Continuing education
Complete 3 hours during the 12 months immediately preceding renewal; the first renewal is exempt.
Required subjects
The 3 hours relate to massage-practitioner ethical obligations or laws and issues concerning human trafficking as applied to massage practitioners.
Documentation
Attest at renewal and retain proof. The Board may audit the current and two prior renewal periods.
Carryover
The hours must be completed during the immediately preceding 12 months; no carryover is authorized.
Late renewal
The Board page lists a $57 late fee after more than three days.
Inactive license
Use the current procedure rule and licensing portal for expired or reinstatement status; no simplified inactive pathway is asserted.

Practice information

Scope, titles, and local requirements

Scope of practice
Massachusetts law defines massage therapy and regulated massage practice; the statute and 269 CMR control exact inclusions and exclusions.
Protected titles
A Board license is required for regulated massage practice and protected representations, subject to statutory exemptions.
Restrictions
The credential does not authorize diagnosis, prescription, chiropractic manipulation, or acts reserved to another licensed profession.
Municipal or local requirements
Massachusetts separately licenses many massage facilities, while local boards may regulate bodywork outside the state massage definition and general business matters.
Practitioner notes
Professional liability insurance is required at entry and renewal, but no minimum coverage amount was established from the reviewed authority.

Authoritative sources

Official record evidence

Change history

Public record revisions

Future verified changes will be listed from this Git-backed record.