South Carolina State Guide
Explore South Carolina massage licensing requirements, 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.
South Carolina licensing
South Carolina licenses massage/bodywork therapists through a 650-hour standard path with an accepted examination and state/FBI background checks. Establishments are separately licensed.
South Carolina requires a Board license for regulated massage/bodywork practice, subject to statutory exemptions.
View the full South Carolina licensing record →Professional support
The linked AMTA state chapter is a first-party professional-organization starting point, not a regulatory authority.
The official AMTA page identifies the South Carolina chapter as a professional-association connection for the state's massage community.
Practice risk
The reviewed South Carolina statute and application did not identify a general statewide professional-liability insurance minimum for every massage/bodywork therapist. This does not resolve employers, establishments, leases, schools, events, contracts, or local requirements.
General information only—not legal, financial, or coverage advice.
License renewal
South Carolina requires 12 hours per biennial cycle, with a first-renewal exemption, and uses CE Broker for reporting.
Maintain qualifying documentation and comply with the Board's CE Broker reporting workflow.
See detailed South Carolina renewal and CE requirements →Employment and wages
BLS May 2023 OEWS estimated 1,350 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in South Carolina, with a median hourly wage of $22.90. These are estimates, not license or practitioner counts.
Estimated wage-and-salary jobs
Median hourly wage
OEWS measures wage-and-salary jobs by occupation through an employer survey.
OEWS excludes self-employed workers, which is material in massage therapy; national self-employment context must not be presented as a state-specific percentage.
South Carolina agencies and data
Start with the South Carolina massage Board and Commission on Higher Education oversight.
Official South Carolina entry point for massage/bodywork therapist and establishment applications, renewal, fees, CE, law, and Board notices.
educationSouth Carolina Non-Public Postsecondary Institution LicensingOfficial South Carolina Commission on Higher Education oversight page, including its massage-program directory. Institutional authorization and massage-license eligibility remain separate determinations.
Sources and updates
Information was reviewed against the linked official and first-party sources. Next scheduled review: October 25, 2026.
Local business, zoning, facility, and professional rules may apply in addition to statewide requirements. Confirm current requirements with the responsible authority before acting.