Confirm implicit-bias proration
The current guide states an annualized implicit-bias requirement. Confirm the hours applicable to the exact license cycle when renewing.
Michigan State Guide
Michigan massage therapy guide
Explore Michigan massage licensing requirements, 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 Michigan record.
Proposed amendments are not final
LARA noticed proposed massage-therapy rule amendments, including CE wording, for a June 3, 2026 hearing. The proposal is not treated as current law.
Michigan licensing
State massage therapist license required
Michigan licenses massage therapists through LARA. Current guidance generally requires 625 education hours, an accepted national examination, criminal-background processing, human-trafficking and implicit-bias training, and the state application, with a historical education transition.
A Michigan massage therapist license is generally required unless a statutory exemption applies; local business controls may also apply.
View the full Michigan licensing record →- Regulator
- Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Board of Massage Therapy
- Credential
- Licensed Massage Therapist
- Education
- 625 hours
- Renewal
- Michigan massage therapist licenses renew every three years.
Practice risk
Insurance considerations
The reviewed LARA licensing guide and massage profession page did not identify a general statewide professional-liability insurance minimum for every massage therapist. This does not resolve employers, leases, events, contracts, facilities, or local requirements.
General information only—not legal, financial, or coverage advice.
Questions for an insurer
- Which modalities and locations are covered?
- Are defense costs inside or outside policy limits?
License renewal
Continuing education
LARA defines qualifying CE, topic requirements, documentation, and audit expectations; the licensing record owns the detailed hour requirement.
Licensees retain CE records for five years for possible audit.
See detailed Michigan renewal and CE requirements →Official CE starting points
Michigan LARA massage therapy licensing guideOpen official resource ↗Employment and wages
Michigan workforce outlook
May 2025 BLS OEWS data presented by the U.S. Department of Labor estimate 2,410 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in Michigan. This is not a license count or practitioner census.
Estimated wage-and-salary jobs
OEWS measures wage-and-salary jobs by occupation.
OEWS excludes self-employed workers, which is material in massage therapy.
Workforce sources and regional projections
Michigan agencies and data
Official resources
Start with Michigan LARA's Massage Therapy page.
Sources and updates
Reviewed July 25, 2026
Information was reviewed against the linked official and first-party sources. Next scheduled review: August 25, 2026.
Official authority and source list
Local business, zoning, facility, and professional rules may apply in addition to statewide requirements. Confirm current requirements with the responsible authority before acting.