MDMassageData
Reading environment
United States Licensing Atlas

South Carolina Massage Therapy Licensing Requirements

South Carolina licenses massage/bodywork therapists through a 650-hour standard path with an accepted examination and state/FBI background checks. Establishments are separately licensed.

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

South Carolina Board of Massage/Bodywork Therapy
SC · licensing record1 MI ≈ 1.5 PX
Albers equal-area · 80.9°W · SP 32.6/34.7°N · footprint 273 px · MASS-limitedFull South Carolina plate on the state guide →

Overview

State massage/bodywork therapist license required

Last verified 2026-10-06

Local business, zoning, and municipal requirements were not researched and may apply independently.

Regulatory authority

South Carolina Board of Massage/Bodywork 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/Bodywork Therapist
Credential requirement
South Carolina requires a Board license for regulated massage/bodywork practice, subject to statutory exemptions.
Minimum education
650 hours
Approved education
The standard pathway requires at least 650 hours in a Board-approved massage/bodywork program.
Examination
Applicants pass an FSMTB examination or another examination approved by the Board.
MBLEx relationship
The FSMTB examination relationship is controlled by current Board instructions and statute; direct Board evidence should be used for the individual application.
Application
Submit the application, approved-program evidence, exam results, state and FBI background review, eligibility records, and fee.
Application fees
The current Board fee page lists a $150 initial application fee.
Background check or fingerprinting
State and FBI criminal background checks are required.
Reciprocity or endorsement
Endorsement is available for a qualifying license from a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent standards, subject to current evidence and application conditions.
Additional requirements
Applicants meet age, secondary-education, program, examination, background, disclosure, and Board documentation conditions.

Renewal

Renewal and continuing education

Cycle
Licenses renew every two years.
Continuing education
12 hrs
Renewal fee
The current fee schedule lists $75 renewal and $210 reinstatement.
Required topics
No universal ethics-subject minimum was identified in the reviewed Board guidance.

Practice information

Scope, titles, and local requirements

Scope of practice
South Carolina defines massage/bodywork therapy through systems of structured touch and manipulation of soft tissue using specified methods for therapeutic purposes.
Protected titles
A Board license is required to practice or hold out as a massage/bodywork therapist, subject to statutory exemptions.
Restrictions
The credential does not authorize diagnosis, prescription, spinal manipulation, or acts reserved to another licensed profession.
Municipal or local requirements
South Carolina separately licenses massage/bodywork establishments and sole-practitioner establishments; local requirements were not researched.
Establishments and other regulated activities
Massage/bodywork establishments and sole-practitioner establishments are separately licensed under state law.
Practitioner notes
Licenses next expire June 30, 2028. Use current Board application, renewal, fee and CE Broker instructions before acting.

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.