Program-duration wording differs
Official materials describe the minimum approved program duration with differing week and month language. Applicants should verify current program approval directly.
Washington State Guide
Washington massage therapy guide
Explore Washington 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 Washington record.
Education and endorsement rules are active
Washington lists active rulemaking for endorsement and education requirements. Recheck the official rule-progress page before relying on those fields.
Washington licensing
State license required to practice or represent oneself as a massage therapist
Washington generally requires a massage therapist license to practice massage or use protected massage titles. The standard pathway requires completion of a Board-approved 625-hour program over at least 24 weeks, passage of a Board-approved national examination and the Washington massage jurisprudence examination, current first-aid and CPR certification, and completion of the Department of Health application process. Statutory exemptions and endorsement, transfer-program, apprenticeship, animal-massage, and intraoral-massage pathways may apply.
A Washington massage-therapist license is generally required statewide to practice massage or use protected massage titles. Local governments may license massage businesses within the limits stated by state law but may not add discriminatory therapist-licensing requirements.
View the full Washington licensing record →- Regulator
- Washington State Department of Health, Board of Massage
- Credential
- Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT)
- Education
- 625 hours
- Renewal
- Massage therapist licenses renew annually.
Education
Massage education in Washington
Start with the Department's current approved-school list and a selected verified program; this is not a complete school directory. This is a selected starting set, not a complete directory.
Discoverypoint School of Massage
- Program
- 750 hours
- Format
- Campus-based
- Published tuition
- Not established in reviewed materials
The published program spans four 11-week quarters over approximately 12 months, with daytime and evening cohorts and one required weekend per quarter.
Visit official program →Sources and review
- Discoverypoint School of Massage — Professional Licensing Program
- Washington Department of Health — Approved Massage Schools
Verified 2026-07-11
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 verified professional-association chapter without treating membership or benefits as state requirements.
State chapter of a national professional association
American Massage Therapy Association — Washington Chapter
AMTA identifies Washington as one of its volunteer-led state chapters for member connection, education, networking, and advocacy.
AMTA published a current Washington-specific advocacy update on reimbursement legislation enacted in 2026.
Member support
- State chapter connection
- National AMTA member resources
- Education, networking, and volunteer opportunities
Practice risk
Insurance considerations
The reviewed Washington massage licensing chapter and current massage rules do not state a general statewide professional-liability-insurance requirement for each individual massage therapist. This limited finding does not address employers, contracts, health-plan participation, facilities, landlords, events, local rules, or other business obligations.
General information only—not legal, financial, or coverage advice.
Questions for an insurer
- Which modalities and locations are covered or excluded?
- Are defense costs inside or outside the limit?
- Are employees, contractors, students, products, premises, mobile work, and prior acts covered?
- What incident-reporting deadlines apply?
AMTA describes massage liability insurance as a professional membership benefit. This is an identified option, not a ranking or endorsement; review current policy and eligibility terms.
License renewal
Continuing education
Washington defines qualifying subject matter, delivery, instructors, and documentation in rule rather than publishing one general Board-approved CE-provider marketplace. Use the licensing record for the detailed hour and subject requirements.
Licensees attest to CE compliance at renewal and must retain acceptable completion documentation for four years for possible audit. The massage rule defines acceptable documentation details.
See detailed Washington renewal and CE requirements →Employment and wages
Washington workforce outlook
May 2025 federal OEWS data estimate 3,740 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in Washington. The median wage was $42.00 per hour or $87,360 annually. These are survey estimates, not license counts or a census of all practitioners.
Estimated wage-and-salary jobs
Median hourly wage
Federal OEWS measures wage-and-salary jobs by occupation. Annual wage estimates use the survey's standard annualization method and do not imply full-time schedules for every practitioner. Washington ESD also publishes a differently vintaged state series; the two are not blended.
OEWS excludes self-employed workers. Because self-employment is material in massage therapy, the estimate is not a count of all people practicing in Washington.
Workforce sources and regional projections
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — May 2025 OEWS Query System
- BLS API — Washington Massage Therapist Employment, May 2025
- BLS API — Washington Massage Therapist Median Hourly Wage, May 2025
- BLS API — Washington Massage Therapist Median Annual Wage, May 2025
- BLS API — Washington Massage Therapist Employment Relative Standard Error, May 2025
- BLS API — Washington Massage Therapist Wage Relative Standard Error, May 2025
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS Frequently Asked Questions
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — May 2025 OEWS Technical Notes
- Washington ESD — Employment Projections
- Washington ESD — Long-Term Alternative Occupational Employment Projections, July 2025
Washington agencies and data
Official resources
Go directly to Washington and federal authority sources for current licensing, school, workforce, and business information.
licensingWashington Board of Massage and Department of Health
Official licensing, renewal, fee, school, rulemaking, board, and practitioner guidance for Washington massage therapists.
educationWashington Approved Massage SchoolsThe Department of Health's current list of Board-approved massage schools and programs, including transfer and somatic-education sections.
workforceWashington Employment and Wage DataOfficial state and federal tools for occupational employment, wage, and projection data; source years and coverage differ by series.
businessWashington Business Licensing and Small-Business ResourcesOfficial starting points for Washington business licensing, registration, tax, and small-business guidance; massage licensure does not replace business or local requirements.
Sources and updates
Reviewed July 11, 2026
Information was reviewed against the linked official and first-party sources. Next scheduled review: August 11, 2026.
Official authority and source list
- Washington Department of Health — Massage Therapist Licensing Information
- Washington Department of Health — Massage Therapist Licensing Requirements
- Washington Department of Health — Massage Therapist Continuing Education
- Washington Department of Health — Massage Therapist Frequently Asked Questions
- Revised Code of Washington Chapter 18.108 — Massage Therapists
- Washington Administrative Code Chapter 246-830 — Massage Therapists
- Washington Department of Health — Massage Therapist Rules in Progress
- RCW 35.21.692 — City and Town Authority to Regulate Massage Therapists
- RCW 35A.82.025 — Code City Authority to Regulate Massage Therapists
- RCW 36.32.122 — County Massage-Business Licensing
Local business, zoning, facility, and professional rules may apply in addition to statewide requirements. Confirm current requirements with the responsible authority before acting.