New York State Guide

Massage Therapy in New York

Explore New York massage licensing requirements, 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.

View New York licensing Open official resources

New York licensing

Licensing overview

Verified

State massage therapy license and current registration required

This record does not resolve corporate-practice, professional-entity, assumed-name, site, land-use, or municipality-specific business requirements.

View the full New York licensing record →

Regulatory model: State massage therapy license and current registration required
Regulator: New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, State Board for Massage Therapy
Credential: Licensed Massage Therapist
Minimum education: 1000 hours
Examination: New York State Massage Therapy Examination
Renewal: The professional license is valid for life, while authority to practice requires triennial registration.
Continuing education: 36 hours · The 36-hour requirement aligns with the three-year registration period.

Practice and risk

Insurance considerations

Bounded

Legal requirement finding

The reviewed NYSED licensure, Article 155, and Part 78 sources did not identify a general statewide professional-liability insurance minimum for every massage therapist. This does not resolve employers, entities, leases, events, payer contracts, facilities, or local requirements.

The reviewed sources do not support a universal legal conclusion. General information only—not legal, financial, or coverage advice.

Insurance sources

NYSED Massage Therapy License Requirements Accessed July 25, 2026
New York Education Law Article 155 Accessed July 25, 2026
Commissioner's Regulations Part 78 Accessed July 25, 2026

Professional risk context

Compare covered modalities, exclusions, defense costs, policy form, prior-acts treatment, and territorial limits.

General liability addresses premises and other third-party risks distinct from professional treatment claims.

A missing statewide minimum is not a conclusion that insurance is unnecessary.
Confirm New York entity and practice-site rules independently.

Questions for an insurer

Which modalities and locations are covered?
Are defense costs inside or outside policy limits?
How are entity and individual insureds named?

Continuing education

Legal orientation and official starting points

Bounded

Legal CE orientation

36 hours · The 36-hour requirement aligns with the three-year registration period.

Verified

Compact legal CE orientation only; subjects, documentation, and renewal mechanics remain in the licensing record.

Use official starting points to explore continuing-education resources in New York. Legal renewal and continuing-education requirements remain in the licensing record.

See detailed New York renewal and CE requirements →

Official CE starting points

Bounded

NYSED approved massage continuing-education providersOpen official resource ↗

Workforce data

New York workforce outlook

Bounded

May 2025 BLS OEWS data presented by the U.S. Department of Labor estimate 4,500 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in New York. This is not a license count or practitioner census.

Employment

Bounded

May 2025 OEWS estimate4,500

Estimated wage-and-salary jobs

New York

Definition, limits, and sources

Definition: BLS OEWS estimate of massage therapist jobs in New York 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

Compensation

Not yet reviewed

Compensation data has not yet been reviewed for public projection.

Growth and openings

Not yet reviewed

Growth and openings data has not yet been reviewed for public projection.

Population universe: OEWS measures wage-and-salary jobs by occupation.

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

New York agencies and data

Official resources

Bounded

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

licensingNYSED Massage Therapy

Official New York entry point for massage therapy licensure, registration, education, examination, continuing education, laws, rules, and forms.

Verified July 25, 2026

Sources and updates

Reviewed July 25, 2026

Review needed

This guide projects 13 distinct official or first-party source links from the governed records. Earliest scheduled review: August 25, 2026.

A scheduled review date has passed for: State Guide, Official resources. Confirm time-sensitive details before acting.

Review licensing evidence and official sources →

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

Method and sources →Corrections and updates →