Minimum education
500 hours
Statewide entry-education orientation; pathway details remain in the licensing record.
5 sections published
Georgia State Guide
Massage Therapy in Georgia
Explore Georgia massage licensing requirements, 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
- Georgia Secretary of State, Georgia Board of Massage Therapy
- Verified
- Credential
- Licensed Massage Therapist
- Verified
GA · main-state atlas plateGeorgia
Locator · same geometry as the atlas
01 · Licensing
State practitioner license required with local establishment regulation
VerifiedOpen the full record →
The Board states that it does not license massage establishments. County and city business, establishment, zoning, inspection, and operating rules must be checked by address.
Renewal
Georgia massage licenses renew biennially.
Renewal cadence only; deadlines, fees, and mechanics are in the state's CE and renewal requirements.
Continuing education
24 hours
The 24-hour requirement aligns with the biennial renewal period.
The reviewed finding is bounded; confirm the current detail in the state's CE and renewal requirements.
Details worth confirming
1 reviewed licensing detail should be confirmed before applying or renewing in Georgia. Each is summarised from the licensing record, which keeps the full caution and its official context.
Bounded
CE carryover not established
No carryover authorization was identified in reviewed current Board materials.
Detail worth confirming · Continuing education
Entry
Bounded
Examination — MBLEx; Qualifying legacy NCBTMB examination
Examination acceptance depends on the reviewed pathway.
Verified
Background check — Applicants complete GAPS fingerprint processing for the required criminal-history review.
From the licensing record
Verified
Additional requirements — Applicants must be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, satisfy citizenship or lawful-status requirements, and document $1 million per occurrence and $3 million aggregate liability coverage.
From the licensing record
Coming from another state
Verified
Endorsement or reciprocity — Chapter 345-5 provides endorsement based on current good-standing licensure, substantially equivalent requirements, and background review.
From the licensing record
Scope, title and advertising
Verified
Protected titles — Georgia protects licensed massage therapist status under the Practice Act and Board rules.
From the licensing record
Local rules
Verified
Local requirements — Counties and cities may regulate massage businesses and establishments because the Board licenses individuals rather than establishments.
From the licensing record
02 · Insurance
Insurance considerations
Verified
Georgia requires massage therapist applicants and licensees to maintain liability insurance with at least $1 million per occurrence and $3 million aggregate coverage for bodily injury, property damage, and professional liability as described by current Board guidance.
Limits of this finding
A reviewed authority identifies a legal insurance requirement. General information only—not legal, financial, or coverage advice.
Professional risk context
Confirm that the policy expressly covers professional massage services, every modality, defense costs, and the required limits.
The Board description includes bodily injury and property damage; confirm how professional and general liability components are structured.
- Insurance does not replace the state practitioner license or local business compliance.
- Check county and city rules by address.
- Georgia How to Guide: Massage Therapist Accessed July 25, 2026
- Georgia Board of Massage Therapy FAQ Accessed July 25, 2026
Questions for an insurer
- Does the policy evidence $1 million per occurrence and $3 million aggregate?
- Are bodily injury, property damage, and professional liability all covered?
- Which modalities and locations are excluded?
03 · Continuing education
Legal orientation and official starting points
Bounded
Legal CE orientation
24 hours
The 24-hour requirement aligns with the biennial renewal period.
BoundedThe reviewed finding is bounded; confirm the current detail in the state's CE and renewal requirements.
Use official starting points to explore continuing-education resources in Georgia. Legal renewal and continuing-education requirements are on Georgia's CE and renewal page.
See detailed Georgia renewal and CE requirements →Compare Georgia CE and renewal with other states →Official CE starting points
Bounded04 · Workforce
Georgia workforce outlook
Bounded
May 2025 BLS OEWS data presented by the U.S. Department of Labor estimate 1,700 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in Georgia. This is not a license count or practitioner census.
Employment
Bounded1,700
Estimated wage-and-salary jobs
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS estimate of massage therapist jobs in Georgia in May 2025.
- Method
- Reported in the U.S. Department of Labor CareerOneStop state table sourced from BLS OEWS May 2025.
- Limitation
- OEWS excludes self-employed workers and estimates jobs rather than active licenses or all practitioners.
- Comparability
- Compare only with the same OEWS occupation, measure, geography level, and vintage.
- Observed or accessed
- July 25, 2026
- BLS May 2025 State OEWS Source Tables Accessed July 25, 2026
- U.S. Department of Labor CareerOneStop Current Employment State Table Accessed July 25, 2026
Population universe
OEWS measures wage-and-salary jobs by occupation.
Self-employment
OEWS excludes self-employed workers, which is material in massage therapy.
Workforce source set
- BLS May 2025 State OEWS Source Tables Accessed July 25, 2026
- U.S. Department of Labor CareerOneStop Current Employment State Table Accessed July 25, 2026
05 · Resources
Official resources
BoundedEvery route leaves MassageData.
A selected official starting set, not a complete source ledger.
06 · 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.
- 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.
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 reviewBounded
This guide projects 10 distinct official or first-party source links from the governed records. Reviewed July 25, 2026.