Virginia State Guide
Explore Virginia 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.
Virginia licensing
State massage therapist license required
This record does not determine city or county business, zoning, tax, or establishment requirements.
View the full Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia licensing statute and Board rule did not identify a general statewide professional-liability insurance minimum for every massage 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
24 hours · The 24-hour alternative is measured over the two-year renewal period, subject to the 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 Virginia. Legal renewal and continuing-education requirements remain in the licensing record.
See detailed Virginia renewal and CE requirements →Workforce data
BLS May 2023 OEWS estimated 2,470 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in Virginia, with a median hourly wage of $25.01. These are estimates, not license or practitioner counts.
Estimated wage-and-salary jobs
Virginia
Median hourly wage
Virginia
Mean hourly wage
Virginia
Annual mean wage
Virginia
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.
Virginia agencies and data
A selected official starting set, not a complete source ledger.
Official Virginia entry point for massage therapist application, endorsement, background-check, fee, and Board-resource information.
Verified July 25, 2026educationSCHEV Massage Therapy Program GuidanceOfficial Virginia guidance for postsecondary massage-therapy program oversight. This is an oversight starting point, not a verified directory or an endorsement of any individual program.
Verified July 25, 2026Sources and updates
This guide projects 14 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.