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Alaska State Guide

Massage Therapy in Alaska

Explore Alaska massage licensing requirements, education starting points, professional organizations, insurance considerations, continuing education, workforce data, and official resources, with links to official sources.

Statewide requirements and local rules are identified separately. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Regulator
Alaska Board of Massage Therapists, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing
Verified
Credential
Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT)
Verified
AK · main-state atlas plateAlaska
AK
500 mi
Locator · same geometry as the atlas
Albers equal-area · 158.8°W · SP 54.6/68.0°NCanonical 1 PX ≈ 2.8 MI · footprint 273 px · MASS-limited

01 · Licensing

State license required to practice massage therapy for compensation or represent oneself as a massage therapist

VerifiedOpen the full record →

This record covers Alaska's statewide professional license and massage-establishment registration framework. It does not determine municipal business licensing, zoning, land-use, tax, facility, employer, or contract requirements. Practitioners and establishments should confirm general state and local business obligations for each practice location.

Verified

Minimum education

625 hours

Statewide entry-education orientation; pathway details remain in the licensing record.

Verified

Renewal

Massage therapist licenses renew biennially. The next regular expiration after this record's July 2026 verification is September 30, 2027.

Renewal cadence only; deadlines, fees, and mechanics are in the state's CE and renewal requirements.

Review needed

Continuing education

16 hours

The 16-credit continuing-education period is the same biennial period used for the September 30 odd-year renewal cycle.

Reviewed official sources conflict or include superseded wording; confirm the current detail in the state's CE and renewal requirements.

Details worth confirming

3 reviewed licensing details should be confirmed before applying or renewing in Alaska. Each is summarised from the licensing record, which keeps the full caution and its official context.

Review needed

Current filing instructions control

The current applications page offers online and paper filing, while an older FAQ retains mail-only wording. Follow the current Board instructions when applying.

Detail worth confirming · Application

Review needed

Board-meeting credit sources differ

The controlling regulation awards three credits for at least 75 percent attendance once per biennium. Board forms and FAQ contain lower, inconsistent values; the regulation controls this record.

Detail worth confirming · Continuing education

Bounded

Apprenticeship is not operational

Statute preserves a Board-approved apprenticeship pathway, but the Board states it cannot operate until implementing regulations are adopted.

Detail worth confirming · Endorsement or alternate pathway

Review Alaska licensing details worth confirming →

Entry

Bounded

Examination — One or more examination details were not identified

Reviewed sources do not resolve every examination category.

Renewal and continuing education

Verified

Carryover — No provision authorizing carryover of continuing-education credits into a later biennium was identified in the reviewed current massage rules or centralized audit rules.

From the licensing record

Read these in the Alaska CE and renewal requirements →

02 · Education

Massage education in Alaska

Bounded

Legal education requirements, official starting points, and selected MassageData program records are distinct.

See the Alaska school records and official lists →
Bounded

Selected program record

Alaska Institute of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture & Massage Therapy

The program page publishes full-time and part-time availability.

Confirm current tuition, fees, supplies, admissions requirements, delivery details, start dates, and completion schedule directly with the school before enrolling.

State approval context — The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education's current institution list identifies the Anchorage school with status A and an authorization-through date of October 31, 2027. The school's program page describes the 750-hour program as authorized by Alaska postsecondary education.

Appearing on a state list is not a finding that this programme satisfies that state’s licensing requirement.

Reported program length
750 hours
Location
Anchorage
Format
Campus-based; confirm whether any current coursework uses an authorized distance format directly with the school
Published tuition
Not established in reviewed materials
Visit official program →

Verified October 6, 2026

These are selected records, not a complete school directory.

Bounded

Selected program record

Alaska Career College

Confirm current tuition, fees, supplies, admissions requirements, schedule, delivery details, start dates, and total program cost directly with the college before enrolling.

State approval context — The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education's current institution list identifies Alaska Career College in Anchorage with status A and an authorization-through date of January 31, 2027. The school reports 920 contact hours and 48 semester academic credits for the Therapeutic Massage Specialist program.

Appearing on a state list is not a finding that this programme satisfies that state’s licensing requirement.

Reported program length
920 hours
Location
Anchorage
Format
Campus-based clinical career program
Published tuition
Not established in reviewed materials
Visit official program →

Verified October 6, 2026

These are selected records, not a complete school directory.

Bounded

Selected program record

New Seasons School of Massage

Confirm current enrollment availability, start dates, tuition, fees, supplies, delivery controls, required in-person attendance, admissions requirements, and total cost directly with the school before enrolling.

State approval context — ACPE's current institution list identifies New Seasons School of Massage in Soldotna with status A and an authorization-through date of October 31, 2027. The Spring Quarter 2026 ACPE authorization packet describes a 625-hour hybrid massage program and its Soldotna instructional location.

Appearing on a state list is not a finding that this programme satisfies that state’s licensing requirement.

Reported program length
625 hours
Location
Soldotna
Format
Hybrid, with identified academic topics online and foundations and clinical practicum in person
Published tuition
Not established in reviewed materials
Visit official program →

Verified October 6, 2026

These are selected records, not a complete school directory.

Bounded

Selected program record

THE Beauty School

The school publishes an approximately 26-week full-time Monday-Friday schedule and says part-time study is available.

The school page publishes a $15,425 total from tuition, kit, and books and a $3,500 seat deposit. Confirm whether every published amount remains mandatory, nonrefundable, and current, and confirm admissions requirements, supplies, schedule, start dates, and payment terms directly before enrolling.

State approval context — The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education's current institution list identifies THE Beauty School in Wasilla with status A and an authorization-through date of April 30, 2027. The school publishes a 625-hour massage program at its Wasilla location.

Appearing on a state list is not a finding that this programme satisfies that state’s licensing requirement.

Reported program length
625 hours
Location
Wasilla
Format
Campus-based with supervised clinical practice
Published tuition
$13,900 · Published massage-program tuition
Visit official program →

Verified October 6, 2026

These are selected records, not a complete school directory.

Legal entry requirement

625 hours

Verified

Statewide entry-education orientation; pathway details remain in the licensing record.

Review the detailed licensing pathway →

Official starting point

Alaska Massage Therapist Apprenticeship Status

Official Board status page for the statutory massage apprenticeship pathway and its current implementation limitation.

Open official resource ↗

Official starting point

Alaska Postsecondary Institution Directory

Official ACPE directory of Alaska postsecondary institutions, status codes, aid participation, and authorization-through dates.

Open official resource ↗

Before enrolling

School approval is not the same as massage licensure, accreditation, or a guarantee of outcomes.

03 · Organizations

Professional organizations

Bounded

These are selected governed organizations, not a comprehensive state directory.

State chapter of a national professional association

American Massage Therapy Association — Alaska Chapter

AMTA identifies Alaska among its volunteer-led state chapters and describes chapter participation as a route to local professional connection, education, volunteering, and advocacy.

Massage therapists and massage-therapy students eligible for AMTA membership.

AMTA credits the Alaska chapter and volunteers with advocacy opposing Executive Order 127 and reports that the proposal to dissolve the independent Massage Board was overturned in March 2024.

AMTA describes chapter participation generally as including local education and networking; this record does not claim a current Alaska event calendar or that a particular course satisfies Alaska renewal rules.

Member support

  • Alaska chapter connection
  • National AMTA member resources
  • Professional advocacy
  • Education and networking opportunities described for AMTA chapters
Visit the official organization →

Verified October 6, 2026

National professional association with Alaska-specific regulatory coverage

Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals

ABMP supports massage and bodywork practitioners nationally and maintains an Alaska-specific regulatory update feed that documents state licensing developments and advocacy.

Massage therapists, bodywork practitioners, students, and educators eligible for the applicable ABMP membership category.

The Alaska feed records ABMP commentary supporting continuation of the Alaska Board of Massage Therapists and earlier participation in Alaska massage rulemaking.

ABMP publishes an on-demand education library for members. Alaska's rule names ABMP as an example of a professional organization through which qualifying CE may be completed, but each course and its documentation must still satisfy the current rule.

Member support

  • Alaska regulatory update feed
  • National legislative advocacy
  • On-demand continuing education
  • Practice resources
  • Member insurance offerings
Visit the official organization →

Verified October 6, 2026

04 · Insurance

Insurance considerations

An absence is an answer, not a gap.
Verified not applicable4 sources

The Alaska Board of Massage Therapists FAQ expressly states that the Board does not require massage therapists to carry liability insurance and strongly recommends coverage. This Board-specific finding does not determine employer, independent-contractor, facility, landlord, lender, event, vendor, payer, municipal, or other contractual requirements.

Limits of this finding

The reviewed authority explicitly did not require insurance in the stated scope; other obligations may still apply. General information only—not legal, financial, or coverage advice.

Professional risk context

Professional liability coverage is designed around allegations arising from professional services. Compare covered modalities, territorial scope, defense-cost treatment, exclusions, occurrence versus claims-made terms, consent-to-settle provisions, prior-acts treatment, and whether services at every fixed, mobile, temporary, and remote location are included.

General liability commonly addresses third-party bodily injury, property damage, and premises risks outside the professional service itself. Confirm whether it is included in a professional policy, subject to separate limits, or requires separate coverage.

  • The Board's no-requirement statement is limited to the Board's licensing requirement and does not answer private or local obligations.
  • A nonexempt fixed or mobile massage therapy establishment must register separately under 12 AAC 79.930 and hold a current Alaska business license; insurance does not replace those requirements.
  • Remote travel, weather, transport, mobile operations, and work at temporary or maritime locations may create coverage questions that should be described precisely to the insurer.

Questions for an insurer

  • Which massage and bodywork modalities are covered or excluded?
  • Are defense costs inside or outside the liability limit?
  • Does coverage follow the practitioner across every Alaska location, mobile visit, event, and temporary site?
  • Are employees, independent contractors, students, products, premises, prior acts, cyber/privacy events, and business property covered?
  • What incident-reporting deadlines, record duties, consent requirements, and Alaska-specific endorsements apply?

05 · Continuing education

Legal orientation and official starting points

Review needed

Legal CE orientation

16 hours

The 16-credit continuing-education period is the same biennial period used for the September 30 odd-year renewal cycle.

Review needed

Reviewed official sources conflict or include superseded wording; confirm the current detail in the state's CE and renewal requirements.

Use official starting points to explore continuing-education resources in Alaska. Legal renewal and continuing-education requirements are on Alaska's CE and renewal page.

See detailed Alaska renewal and CE requirements →Compare Alaska CE and renewal with other states →

06 · Workforce

Alaska workforce outlook

Bounded

The federal May 2025 OEWS estimate for Alaska reports 570 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs, a $64.87 median hourly wage, and a $134,930 median annual wage. The employment estimate has a 13.8 percent relative standard error. A separate Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development projection begins at 475 jobs in 2024 and projects 520 in 2034, a gain of 45 jobs or 9.47 percent, with 66 average annual openings. The datasets have different reference periods and methods and are not blended.

Employment

Bounded

570

BLS OEWS Alaska employment estimate, SOC 31-9011

Alaska · May 2025

Definition, limits, and sources
Definition
Estimated number of wage-and-salary jobs for massage therapists in Alaska in May 2025 under the federal OEWS program.
Method
Reported by BLS OEWS for area 0200000 and SOC 31-9011; the exact series is OEUS020000000000031901101.
Limitation
OEWS excludes self-employed workers and other categories described by BLS. The estimate has a 13.8 percent relative standard error and is not a practitioner census.
Comparability
Comparable only within appropriately matched OEWS geography, occupation, period, and measure definitions; not directly comparable to the Alaska projections base employment.
Observed or accessed
October 6, 2026
Uncertainty
13.8 percent: BLS series OEUS020000000000031901102 reports the employment estimate's relative standard error.

475

Alaska projections base employment, SOC 31-9011

Alaska · 2024 projection base year

Definition, limits, and sources
Definition
Base-year employment level used by Alaska DOLWD for the 2024-2034 massage therapist occupational projection.
Method
Reported in the Alaska DOLWD occupational projections table for SOC 31-9011 as the base employment for the 2024-2034 projection interval.
Limitation
A projection base is a modeled input for the state projection series, not the May 2025 OEWS employment estimate and not a practitioner census.
Comparability
Do not compare or subtract this projection base directly from the May 2025 BLS OEWS employment estimate because period, purpose, and methodology differ.
Observed or accessed
October 6, 2026

Compensation

Bounded

$64.87/hr

BLS OEWS median hourly wage, SOC 31-9011

Alaska · May 2025

Definition, limits, and sources
Definition
Median hourly wage for wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in Alaska in May 2025 under the federal OEWS program.
Method
Reported by BLS OEWS for area 0200000 and SOC 31-9011; the exact median-hourly series is OEUS020000000000031901108.
Limitation
The median applies to jobs covered by OEWS, excludes self-employed business income, and should not be treated as every Alaska practitioner's rate or earnings.
Comparability
Comparable only with appropriately matched OEWS median-hourly observations; the 4.0 percent wage RSE series describes the mean wage and is not assigned to this median.
Observed or accessed
October 6, 2026

$134,930

BLS OEWS median annual wage, SOC 31-9011

Alaska · May 2025

Definition, limits, and sources
Definition
Median annual wage for wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in Alaska in May 2025 under the federal OEWS program.
Method
Reported by BLS OEWS for area 0200000 and SOC 31-9011; the exact median-annual series is OEUS020000000000031901113.
Limitation
The annual median is the OEWS annualized wage measure for covered jobs, excludes self-employed business income, and is not a practitioner income guarantee.
Comparability
Comparable only with appropriately matched OEWS median-annual observations; the 4.0 percent wage RSE series describes the mean wage and is not assigned to this median.
Observed or accessed
October 6, 2026

Growth and openings

Bounded

520

Alaska projected employment, 2034

Alaska · 2024-2034 occupational projection

Definition, limits, and sources
Definition
Projected Alaska massage therapist employment at the 2034 endpoint of the state occupational projection.
Method
Reported by Alaska DOLWD for SOC 31-9011 as projected employment at the end of the 2024-2034 interval.
Limitation
This is a modeled projection, not an observed 2034 count or a guarantee of future jobs.
Comparability
Comparable within the Alaska 2024-2034 projection series but not directly to the May 2025 BLS OEWS employment level.
Observed or accessed
October 6, 2026

45

Alaska projected employment change, 2024-2034

Alaska · 2024-2034 occupational projection

Definition, limits, and sources
Definition
Reported numeric increase in Alaska massage therapist employment from the projection base to endpoint.
Method
Reported by Alaska DOLWD for SOC 31-9011 as the 2024-2034 employment change.
Limitation
The value is a modeled ten-year endpoint change, not average annual openings and not an observed job gain.
Comparability
Comparable with the base and projected employment values from the same Alaska DOLWD projection row only.
Observed or accessed
October 6, 2026

9.5%

Alaska projected employment percent change, 2024-2034

Alaska · 2024-2034 occupational projection

Definition, limits, and sources
Definition
Reported percentage change in Alaska massage therapist employment across the state projection interval.
Method
Reported by Alaska DOLWD for SOC 31-9011 as the 2024-2034 percent change.
Limitation
The percentage is a projection, not an observed growth rate and not an annual rate.
Comparability
Comparable with percentage changes generated under the same Alaska DOLWD projection vintage and methodology.
Observed or accessed
October 6, 2026

33

Average annual occupational exits, 2024-2034

Alaska · 2024-2034 average annual projection measure

Definition, limits, and sources
Definition
Average annual Alaska massage therapist openings attributed to workers exiting the labor force during the projection interval.
Method
Reported by Alaska DOLWD for SOC 31-9011 as average annual exits across the 2024-2034 projection horizon.
Limitation
This is an annual average derived within a projection model, not a ten-year total and not observed annual turnover.
Comparability
Comparable with exits from the same projection vintage and methodology, not with employment levels or ten-year totals.
Observed or accessed
October 6, 2026

28

Average annual occupational transfers, 2024-2034

Alaska · 2024-2034 average annual projection measure

Definition, limits, and sources
Definition
Average annual Alaska massage therapist openings attributed to workers transferring to other occupations during the projection interval.
Method
Reported by Alaska DOLWD for SOC 31-9011 as average annual transfers across the 2024-2034 projection horizon.
Limitation
This is an annual average derived within a projection model, not a ten-year total and not observed annual turnover.
Comparability
Comparable with transfers from the same projection vintage and methodology, not with employment levels or ten-year totals.
Observed or accessed
October 6, 2026

61

Average annual separations, 2024-2034

Alaska · 2024-2034 average annual projection measure

Definition, limits, and sources
Definition
Average annual Alaska massage therapist separations, combining occupational exits and transfers, during the projection interval.
Method
Reported by Alaska DOLWD for SOC 31-9011 as average annual separations across the 2024-2034 projection horizon.
Limitation
This is an annual average projection measure and is not additive to exits and transfers because it already combines those components subject to source rounding.
Comparability
Comparable with separations from the same projection vintage and methodology, not with employment levels or ten-year totals.
Observed or accessed
October 6, 2026

66

Average annual openings, 2024-2034

Alaska · 2024-2034 average annual projection measure

Definition, limits, and sources
Definition
Average annual Alaska massage therapist job openings from growth and separations across the projection interval.
Method
Reported by Alaska DOLWD for SOC 31-9011 as average annual openings across the 2024-2034 projection horizon.
Limitation
This is an annual average projection measure, not a ten-year total, a guarantee of vacancies, or a count of licensed practitioners.
Comparability
Comparable with annual openings from the same projection vintage and methodology, not with employment levels or multi-year total openings.
Observed or accessed
October 6, 2026

Population universe

BLS OEWS May 2025 and Alaska DOLWD 2024-2034 occupational projections are separate official datasets. The OEWS series provide a May 2025 employment estimate and wage distribution; the Alaska projection table provides a 2024 base, 2034 projection, and average annual exits, transfers, separations, and openings. Reference periods, purposes, and methods differ, so values are displayed independently and are not averaged, spliced, or used as a single trend line.

Self-employment

BLS OEWS excludes self-employed workers, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers, and some other categories described in its methodology. Massage therapy has meaningful independent-practice activity, so the 570-job estimate and wage medians do not describe the full practitioner economy or individual business income. Do not assume the Alaska projections table has identical coverage without checking its current methodology.

Workforce source set

07 · Resources

Official resources

BoundedEvery route leaves MassageData.

A selected official starting set, not a complete source ledger.

08 · Method

How this guide is made

Every field on this page carries a knowledge state, and every state is written as a word before it is drawn as a colour.

Verified
We checked the cited source on the stated date and the requirement exists as published. The date is the claim: it says when we looked, not that the rule is permanent.
Verified not applicable
We checked and there is no such requirement, or the question does not apply in this jurisdiction. This is a complete answer carrying the same weight as a value, not a gap where one is missing.
Bounded
We know part of the answer and can say exactly where our knowledge stops. The boundary is stated in words and the fuller source is linked. A bounded finding is the edge of what we know, never an error.
Review needed
Published sources disagree, or a source carries superseded wording. Both readings are cited with their retrieval dates and neither is shown as fact until the current rule is confirmed. Review needed never means hidden; it means honestly uncertain.

What this guide does not determine

Local business, zoning, facility, and professional rules may apply in addition to statewide requirements. Confirm current requirements with the responsible authority before acting.

Sources and reviewReview needed

This guide projects 33 distinct official or first-party source links from the governed records. Reviewed July 13, 2026.