South Carolina State Guide
Explore South Carolina massage licensing requirements, 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.
South Carolina licensing
State massage/bodywork therapist license required
Local business, zoning, and municipal requirements were not researched and may apply independently.
View the full South Carolina licensing record →Compact statewide or local regulatory orientation; detailed legal treatment remains in the licensing record.
Current state or local authority identified in the licensing record.
Credential title from the canonical licensing record.
Statewide entry-education orientation; pathway details remain in the licensing record.
Required examination categories from the canonical licensing record.
Renewal cadence only; deadlines, fees, and mechanics remain in the licensing record.
Compact legal CE orientation only; subjects, documentation, and renewal mechanics remain in the licensing record.
Education
Legal education requirements, official starting points, and selected MassageData program records are distinct.
Statewide entry-education orientation; pathway details remain in the licensing record.
No individual program record cleared this review. That is not evidence that South Carolina has no massage programs.
These are selected records, not a complete school directory. School approval is not the same as massage licensure, accreditation, or a guarantee of outcomes.
Professional community
These are selected governed organizations, not a comprehensive state directory.
The official AMTA page identifies the South Carolina chapter as a professional-association connection for the state's massage community.
Massage therapists and massage-therapy students interested in AMTA membership.
Practice and risk
The reviewed South Carolina statute and application did not identify a general statewide professional-liability insurance minimum for every massage/bodywork therapist. This does not resolve employers, establishments, leases, schools, events, contracts, or local requirements.
The reviewed sources do not support a universal legal conclusion. General information only—not legal, financial, or coverage advice.
Compare covered modalities, exclusions, defense costs, policy form, prior-acts treatment, occurrence territory, and reporting duties.
General liability addresses premises and other third-party risks that may be distinct from professional services.
Continuing education
12 hours · The 12-hour requirement uses the biennial renewal period, subject to first-renewal exemption.
VerifiedCompact legal CE orientation only; subjects, documentation, and renewal mechanics remain in the licensing record.
Use official starting points to explore continuing-education resources in South Carolina. Legal renewal and continuing-education requirements remain in the licensing record.
See detailed South Carolina renewal and CE requirements →Workforce data
BLS May 2023 OEWS estimated 1,350 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in South Carolina, with a median hourly wage of $22.90. These are estimates, not license or practitioner counts.
Estimated wage-and-salary jobs
South Carolina
Median hourly wage
South Carolina
Mean hourly wage
South Carolina
Annual mean wage
South Carolina
Growth and openings data has not yet been reviewed for public projection.
Population universe: OEWS measures wage-and-salary jobs by occupation through an employer survey.
OEWS excludes self-employed workers, which is material in massage therapy; national self-employment context must not be presented as a state-specific percentage.
South Carolina agencies and data
A selected official starting set, not a complete source ledger.
Official South Carolina entry point for massage/bodywork therapist and establishment applications, renewal, fees, CE, law, and Board notices.
Verified July 25, 2026educationSouth Carolina Non-Public Postsecondary Institution LicensingOfficial South Carolina Commission on Higher Education oversight page, including its massage-program directory. Institutional authorization and massage-license eligibility remain separate determinations.
Verified July 25, 2026Sources and updates
This guide projects 11 distinct official or first-party source links from the governed records. Earliest scheduled review: October 25, 2026.
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.