Rhode Island State Guide
Explore Rhode Island 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.
Before you act
Requirements can change, and some official materials differ on narrow details. Use the current official instructions when applying or renewing in Rhode Island.
Current law and the Department use an 800-hour entry standard, a two-year license cycle, and 24 CE hours. The active 2024 rule and September 2025 application still contain older 650-hour, annual-renewal, and six-hour language; confirm the current cycle in the Department portal.
Rhode Island licensing
Rhode Island requires a Department of Health massage therapist license for regulated practice and the licensed title.
Cities and towns may regulate the location and operation of massage businesses but may not impose additional background-based practitioner qualifications beyond chapter 5-95.
Rhode Island requires a Department of Health massage therapist license for regulated practice and the licensed title.
View the full Rhode Island licensing record →Practice risk
No statewide practitioner professional-liability insurance mandate was identified in chapter 5-95, the current Department page, application, or active rule.
General information only—not legal, financial, or coverage advice.
License renewal
Chapter 5-95 and the Department require 24 hours during the two-year renewal period; the Department notes the increase from six hours for the July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 cycle.
Licensees retain and supply CE evidence through the Department renewal process; the Department may waive the requirement for documented hardship.
See detailed Rhode Island renewal and CE requirements →Employment and wages
BLS May 2025 OEWS estimates 290 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in Rhode Island; this is not a license count or practitioner census.
Estimated wage-and-salary jobs
Median hourly wage
Projected percentage change
OEWS measures wage-and-salary jobs. Projections Central distributes state long-term occupational projections; its base and projected employment universe is not assumed to match OEWS.
BLS OEWS excludes self-employed workers, which is material in massage therapy.
Rhode Island agencies and data
The official education resource is a verified starting point, not a comprehensive directory.
Sources and updates
Information was reviewed against the linked official and first-party sources. Next scheduled review: August 29, 2026.
Local business, zoning, facility, and professional rules may apply in addition to statewide requirements. Confirm current requirements with the responsible authority before acting.