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New Mexico massage licensing record

New Mexico requires a massage therapist license to practice or represent oneself as a massage therapist, subject to the Practice Act's exemptions.

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

New Mexico Massage Therapy Board, Regulation and Licensing Department

State licensing guide

Overview

State massage therapist license required

Last verified 2026-07-29 · next review 2026-08-29

State licensure does not replace generally applicable local business, zoning, health, or safety requirements.

Regulatory authority

New Mexico Massage Therapy Board, Regulation and Licensing Department

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
Applicants complete at least 650 hours, including 165 hours of anatomy and physiology with kinesiology and at least 40 pathology hours, 150 hours of massage instruction with contraindications, and 75 hours of general instruction including hydrotherapy, business, ethics, first aid, and CPR; remaining hours follow the current curriculum rule.
Examination
Applicants pass the Board's open-book jurisprudence examination and an accepted national examination: NCETMB, NCETM, MBLEx, or another Board-approved examination.
MBLEx relationship
MBLEx is an accepted national examination option; the New Mexico jurisprudence requirement and license application remain separate.
Application
Apply through the RLD online portal, submit fees, official education evidence, current CPR/AED and first-aid evidence, jurisprudence and national examination results, and pathway-specific forms or verifications.
Application fees
Current fees are $75 application, an initial license prorated at $5 per month, $25 temporary license, $125 biennial renewal, $75 late penalty, and $125 plus the late penalty for reactivation.
Background check or fingerprinting
The Board's current background-report page expressly states that massage applicants do not require background checks; no fingerprint requirement applies.
Reciprocity or endorsement
Credentials and expedited-license paths require pathway-specific education, verification, and examination review; out-of-state education may require Form A from the school and proof of lawful school authorization.
Additional requirements
No statewide practitioner liability-insurance mandate or separate massage-establishment credential was identified in the reviewed current Board and NMAC sources.

Renewal

Renewal and continuing education

Cycle
After an initial period of up to two years, massage licenses renew biennially and expire October 31.
Deadline model
Renewal is due October 31; a 60-day grace period permits renewal with penalty before inactive status.
Fees
Biennial renewal is $125; the late penalty is $75; reactivation is $125 plus the late penalty.
Continuing education
Massage therapists complete 16 hours for each renewal period, including four ethics hours and at least eight hours of live synchronous training.
Required subjects
At least four hours are ethics and at least eight hours are live synchronous training; qualifying subjects relate to massage, bodywork, health care, psychology, business, anatomy, physiology, and other Board-recognized practice topics.
Documentation
Licensees maintain completion evidence and supply it when audited; renewal applicants remain responsible for course qualification.
Carryover
No general excess-hour carryover was identified in the current CE rule or Board guidance; hours must support the applicable renewal period.
Late renewal
A 60-day grace period permits practice and renewal with the $75 late penalty; failure to renew by the end of the grace period moves the license to inactive status.
Inactive license
Inactive status lasts no more than two years and does not authorize practice; reactivation requires the current application, documentation, and fees.

Practice information

Scope, titles, and local requirements

Scope of practice
New Mexico regulates massage therapy as a health-care service directed to soft-tissue treatment for therapeutic purposes within the Practice Act and Board rules.
Protected titles
The Board regulates persons who practice or represent themselves as massage therapists.
Restrictions
Massage therapy does not include diagnosing or treating illness or disease; licensees comply with the professional-conduct rule and display the current license at the practice location.
Municipal or local requirements
Verify generally applicable local business, zoning, public-health, and safety requirements at the intended practice address.
Establishments and other regulated activities
The reviewed current Board and NMAC sources regulate practitioners and massage schools but do not identify a separate statewide massage-establishment credential.
Practitioner notes
Use the RLD license lookup and discipline resources for verification and complaints.

Authoritative sources

Official record evidence

Change history

Public record revisions

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