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United States Licensing Atlas

Massachusetts Massage Therapy Licensing Requirements

Massachusetts licenses massage therapists and many massage facilities. The statute supplies a 500-hour floor, while 269 CMR 3.01 requires 650 hours. Annual renewal includes a 3-hour CE requirement after the first renewal, and individual professional liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $1,000,000 aggregate is required.

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

Massachusetts Board of Registration of Massage Therapy
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Overview

State massage therapist license required

Last verified 2026-10-11

Local boards may regulate bodywork outside the state massage definition, and general local business or zoning requirements may apply.

Regulatory authority

Massachusetts Board of Registration of Massage Therapy

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

Entry requirements

Education, examination, and application

Credential
Licensed Massage Therapist
Credential requirement
Massachusetts requires the state license for regulated massage practice, subject to statutory and facility exemptions; local bodywork rules may apply separately.
Minimum education
650 hours
Approved education
The statute supplies a 500-hour minimum floor, while 269 CMR 3.01 and the Board curriculum require 650 hours: 100 anatomy and physiology, 45 pathology, 45 kinesiology, 300 massage theory and technique (150 of which must meet the statutory definition of massage), 60 ethics and business practices, and 100 hours of unpaid, supervised clinical or externship experience, at least 60 of them hands-on. An applicant with three or more years of licensed practice and no discipline may use that experience for the 100 clinical hours (Board Policy 15-001).
Examination
MBLEx or NCBTMB examination evidence (passed in 2010 or later) is used conditionally when the applicant cannot document 300 hours in massage theory and technique; examination credit may account for up to 100 hours of that component but does not reduce the 650-hour total. For applications submitted after January 1, 2027, 269 CMR 3.01(2)(i) requires a passing score on a Board-approved examination, and reciprocal applicants must meet the same requirement (3.01(3)(b)).
MBLEx relationship
MBLEx is a conditional examination-credit route in the current application framework, not a substitute for the total 650-hour curriculum. For applications submitted after January 1, 2027, a passing score on a Board-approved examination such as the MBLEx is required (269 CMR 3.01(2)(i)).
Application
Submit the online application, education and identity records, references, criminal-history disclosures, liability-insurance declaration, and fee.
Application fees
The current application page lists a $225 application fee.
Background check or fingerprinting
The application includes criminal-history questions and CORI review; a universal fingerprint requirement was not established in the reviewed sources.
Reciprocity or endorsement
Massachusetts law and 269 CMR 3.00 authorize the Board to issue a reciprocal license when another jurisdiction's requirements are reasonably equivalent, but the Board's current operational guidance states that no reciprocity process is in place and directs every out-of-state practitioner to submit a new license application. Treat the framework as authorized but not currently operational.
Additional requirements
Applicants provide proof of individual professional liability insurance (at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $1,000,000 aggregate; the application asks for the policy declaration page) and satisfy current education, identity, reference, and disclosure requirements.

Renewal

Renewal and continuing education

Cycle
Licenses renew annually.
Continuing education
3 hrs
Renewal fee
The current Board page lists a $150 renewal fee and a $57 late fee for renewals received after the expiration date.
Required topics
The 3 hours relate to massage-practitioner ethical obligations or laws and issues concerning human trafficking as applied to massage practitioners.

Practice information

Scope, titles, and local requirements

Scope of practice
Massachusetts law defines massage therapy and regulated massage practice; the statute and 269 CMR control exact inclusions and exclusions.
Protected titles
A Board license is required for regulated massage practice and protected representations, subject to statutory exemptions.
Restrictions
The credential does not authorize diagnosis, prescription, chiropractic manipulation, or acts reserved to another licensed profession.
Municipal or local requirements
Massachusetts separately licenses many massage facilities, while local boards may regulate bodywork outside the state massage definition and general business matters.
Establishments and other regulated activities
Many massage facilities require separate state licensure; the facility rule defines conditional exemptions.
Practitioner notes
Individual professional liability insurance is required at entry and renewal: 269 CMR 3.01(2)(g) sets at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $1,000,000 aggregate, and renewal requires proof of coverage consistent with it.

Authoritative sources

Official record evidence

Change history

Public record revisions

No revision to this record has been published yet. Its current review dates are in the overview above, and its official sources are listed below.