CE detail relies on interim Board guidance
Current Board guidance supplies CE detail while the posted massage rules have not yet been updated to codify the program standards.
Hawaii State Guide
Hawaii massage therapy guide
Explore Hawaii massage licensing requirements, education starting points, professional organizations, insurance considerations, continuing education, workforce data, and official resources, with dated official sources and scheduled review.
Statewide requirements and local rules are identified separately. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Claim-level cautions
Check these bounded details
These cautions apply only to the named fields. They do not invalidate the rest of the independently supported Hawaii record.
Proposed MBLEx changes are not current law
Hawaii does not currently accept MBLEx in place of its licensing examination. Board discussion and proposed rules do not create a current alternative pathway.
Hawaii licensing
State massage therapist license required to perform massage for compensation
Hawaii requires an individual Massage Therapist license to perform massage for compensation. The standard pathway requires 570 hours of qualifying education and training, current adult-and-infant CPR, Board approval, and passage of the Hawaii Massage Licensing Examination administered through PSI. Hawaii also licenses massage establishments and regulates principal massage therapists, out-call services, and apprentices separately.
A Hawaii Massage Therapist license is required to engage in massage for compensation unless a statutory exemption applies. Establishments and out-call services have separate licensing duties.
View the full Hawaii licensing record →- Regulator
- Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Board of Massage Therapy
- Credential
- Massage Therapist (MAT)
- Education
- 570 hours
- Renewal
- Massage therapist and massage establishment licenses renew every two years and expire on June 30 of each even-numbered year regardless of the original issuance date.
Education
Massage education in Hawaii
Review four verified school-and-program starting points across Oahu, Kauai, and Maui alongside HIDOE's institution-level license directory. This is not a ranking, recommendation, complete program directory, or defensible school count. This is a selected starting set, not a complete directory.
Hawaii Healing Arts College
- Program
- 600 hours
- Format
- Campus-based
- Published tuition
- Not established in reviewed materials
The school currently describes an intensive program of approximately seven months and a part-time program of approximately eleven months; cohort dates and schedules are subject to change.
Visit official program →Pacific Center for Awareness and Bodywork
- Program
- 740 hours
- Format
- Campus-based
- Published tuition
- Not established in reviewed materials
The school currently describes a six-month program and identifies its next cohort as January 4 through June 25, 2027; dates remain subject to direct confirmation.
Visit official program →IBS School of Cosmetology and Massage
- Program
- 600 hours
- Format
- Campus-based
- Published tuition
- $8,500 · Massage Therapy tuition as reported by the school on July 13, 2026
The school currently lists massage as part-time, Thursday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; dates and schedules are subject to change.
Visit official program →School approval is not the same as massage licensure, accreditation, or a guarantee of outcomes. Confirm current approval, cost, schedule, and admissions directly before enrolling.
Professional support
Professional organizations
Review a limited verified AMTA Hawaii chapter reference without treating membership, benefits, events, or affiliation as a state requirement or default professional choice.
State chapter of a national professional association
American Massage Therapy Association — Hawaii Chapter
AMTA's public chapter directory identifies Hawaii as one of its volunteer-led state chapters for member connection, education, networking, and advocacy.
Member support
- State chapter connection
- National AMTA member resources
- Education, networking, and volunteer opportunities
Practice risk
Insurance considerations
The reviewed Hawaii massage statute, posted massage rules, current practitioner application, and Board FAQ do not state a general statewide professional-liability-insurance mandate for each individual massage therapist. This bounded finding does not resolve employers, contracts, health-plan participation, workers' compensation, automobile claims, establishments, out-call services, landlords, venues, local rules, or other business obligations.
General information only—not legal, financial, or coverage advice.
Insurance sources
- Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 452 — Massage
- Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 84 — Massage Therapy
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Massage Therapist Application Requirements
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Frequently Asked Questions
- Hawaii DCCA — Insurance Division
- American Massage Therapy Association — Professional Member Benefits
Questions for an insurer
- Which massage modalities, islands, mobile settings, establishments, and out-call services are covered or excluded?
- Are defense costs inside or outside the policy limit?
- Are employees, contractors, apprentices, students, products, premises, prior acts, and business entities covered?
- What incident-reporting, consent, documentation, and renewal deadlines apply?
- Is the insurer and producer authorized in Hawaii, and how can that status be verified with the Insurance Division?
AMTA describes massage liability insurance as a professional membership benefit. This is an identified option, not a ranking or endorsement; verify current policy terms and Hawaii eligibility directly.
License renewal
Continuing education
Hawaii requires 12 CE hours per renewal biennium, including two hours of first aid, CPR, or other emergency-related training with a hands-on component. The statute directs the Board to establish program standards, but the posted HAR chapter does not yet contain the CE framework; current Board guidance identifies accepted provider categories and interim compliance details.
Licensees attest to CE completion at renewal. The Board may randomly audit and requires a selected licensee to provide verification within 60 days of notice. The reviewed materials did not identify a uniform certificate-retention duration or CE carryover rule.
See detailed Hawaii renewal and CE requirements →Employment and wages
Hawaii workforce outlook
May 2025 federal OEWS data estimate 1,330 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in Hawaii, with a median wage of $39.08 per hour or $81,280 annually. O*NET's Hawaii local-trends view separately reports a 2022 base of 1,960, a 2032 projection of 2,400, 22 percent growth, and 320 average annual openings. The current-estimate and projection levels are kept separate because their source vintages and coverage are not established as directly comparable.
BLS estimated wage-and-salary jobs
BLS median hourly wage
O*NET local-trends projected employment change
Federal OEWS measures wage-and-salary jobs for SOC 31-9011 and publishes current employment and wage estimates. O*NET OnLine's Hawaii local-trends view presents a separate state long-term projection series for 2022–2032. The two sources differ in period and have unresolved coverage and method differences, so their employment levels are not blended, subtracted, or treated as a continuous trend.
BLS OEWS excludes self-employed workers, which is a material limitation for massage therapy. The reviewed O*NET projection display does not establish a coverage definition that can be safely equated with OEWS or a self-employed-practitioner count; its level remains isolated pending methodology reconciliation.
Workforce sources and regional projections
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — May 2025 Hawaii OEWS query for Massage Therapists
- BLS API — Hawaii Massage Therapist Employment, May 2025
- BLS API — Hawaii Massage Therapist Employment Relative Standard Error, May 2025
- BLS API — Hawaii Massage Therapist Median Hourly Wage, May 2025
- BLS API — Hawaii Massage Therapist Median Annual Wage, May 2025
- BLS API — Hawaii Massage Therapist Mean Hourly Wage, May 2025
- BLS API — Hawaii Massage Therapist Mean Annual Wage, May 2025
- BLS API — Hawaii Massage Therapist Mean Wage Relative Standard Error, May 2025
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS Technical Notes
- O*NET OnLine — Hawaii Local Trends for Massage Therapists
Hawaii agencies and data
Official resources
Go directly to DCCA PVL, current statutes and rules, MyPVL, HIDOE, BLS, O*NET, and DCCA Business Registration for current licensing, education, workforce, and business information.
licensingHawaii Board of Massage Therapy
Primary DCCA PVL landing page for massage license types, applications, renewal dates and fees, approved workshops, board information, and current notices.
licensingHawaii massage applications and formsOfficial practitioner, apprentice, establishment, workshop, coursework, and reactivation application materials from DCCA PVL.
licensingHawaii massage statutes and rulesOfficial DCCA index linking HRS chapter 452, HAR chapter 84, the uniform licensing act, and sanitation rules relevant to Hawaii massage practice and establishments.
licensingHawaii massage examination dates and deadlinesCurrent Board entry point for Hawaii Massage Licensing Examination deadlines, PSI scheduling information, and examination notices.
licensingHawaii professional and establishment license searchOfficial MyPVL public search for current Hawaii professional, vocational, and business license records, including massage therapist and massage establishment credentials.
educationHawaii licensed private trade, vocational, and technical schoolsHawaii Department of Education directory of institution-level licenses, including massage therapy schools by island, address, and license number.
workforceHawaii massage therapist workforce dataOfficial federal entry points for current OEWS state employment and wage estimates and separately sourced Hawaii long-term occupational projections.
businessHawaii business registration resourcesOfficial DCCA Business Registration Division entry point for creating and maintaining Hawaii business entities; professional and establishment licensing remain separate.
licensingHawaii proposed massage rule revisionsOfficial DCCA PVL page for proposed HAR chapter 84 changes. Proposed examination, education, safety, and other provisions are change-watch material, not current requirements unless adopted.
Sources and updates
Reviewed July 13, 2026
Information was reviewed against the linked official and first-party sources. Next scheduled review: August 13, 2026.
Official authority and source list
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Board of Massage Therapy
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Application Forms and Publications
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Massage Therapist Application Requirements and Instructions
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Education and Training Hours Coursework Form
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Massage Therapist Apprentice Registration Requirements
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Massage Therapy Establishment Application Requirements
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Frequently Asked Questions, revised April 2025
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Application Deadlines and Examination Dates
- Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 452 — Massage
- Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 84 — Massage Therapy
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Continuing Education Guidance and FAQ
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Reactivation Application
- Hawaii RICO — Licensed Massage Establishments in Hawaii
- Hawaii MyPVL — Public License Search
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Meeting Minutes Index (May 6, 2025 minutes reviewed)
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Proposed HAR Chapter 84 Massage Therapy
- Hawaii Legislature — HB 1862 (2026), Relating to Massage Therapy
Local business, zoning, facility, and professional rules may apply in addition to statewide requirements. Confirm current requirements with the responsible authority before acting.