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MDMassageData

Wisconsin State Guide

Massage Therapy in Wisconsin

Explore Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin licensingOpen official resources

Before you act

Details worth confirming

1 reviewed licensing detail should be confirmed before applying or renewing in Wisconsin. The licensing record preserves the detailed caution and official context.

  • Education requirementBounded
Review Wisconsin licensing details worth confirming →

Wisconsin licensing

Licensing overview

Bounded

State massage therapist or bodywork therapist license required

Wisconsin Statutes section 460.17 limits local regulation of practice by a state licensee while preserving specified enforcement authority.

View the full Wisconsin licensing record →
Regulatory model
State massage therapist or bodywork therapist license required
Verified

Compact statewide or local regulatory orientation; detailed legal treatment remains in the licensing record.

Regulator
Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, Massage Therapy and Bodywork Therapy Affiliated Credentialing Board
Verified

Current state or local authority identified in the licensing record.

Credential
Massage Therapist or Bodywork Therapist
Verified

Credential title from the canonical licensing record.

Minimum education
600 hours
Bounded

The reviewed finding is bounded; confirm the current detail in the licensing record.

Examination
MBLEx or another approved national examination; Wisconsin jurisprudence examination
Bounded

Examination acceptance depends on the reviewed pathway.

Renewal
The credential renews biennially and expires February 28 of odd-numbered years.
Verified

Renewal cadence only; deadlines, fees, and mechanics remain in the licensing record.

Continuing education
24 hours · The CE biennium runs from March 1 of an odd-numbered year through February 28 of the next odd-numbered year.
Verified

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

Practice and risk

Insurance considerations

Verified

Legal requirement finding

DSPS application and renewal materials require current professional liability insurance; the reviewed application information states minimum limits of $1 million per occurrence and $1 million aggregate.

A reviewed authority identifies a legal insurance requirement. General information only—not legal, financial, or coverage advice.

Insurance sources

Professional risk context

Confirm current DSPS evidence requirements, limits, covered modalities, exclusions, defense costs, and policy period.

Professional liability does not automatically cover premises, property, employment, cyber, or other general business exposures.

  • Do not treat employer coverage as automatic individual compliance.
  • Recheck current requirements at each renewal.

Questions for an insurer

  • Does the policy satisfy current DSPS limits and evidence requirements?
  • Which modalities and locations are covered?
  • Are defense costs inside or outside limits?

Continuing education

Legal orientation and official starting points

Bounded

Legal CE orientation

24 hours · The CE biennium runs from March 1 of an odd-numbered year through February 28 of the next odd-numbered year.

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 Wisconsin. Legal renewal and continuing-education requirements remain in the licensing record.

See detailed Wisconsin renewal and CE requirements →

Official CE starting points

Bounded
DSPS Massage Therapist or Bodywork Therapist CEOpen official resource ↗

Workforce data

Wisconsin workforce outlook

Bounded

May 2025 BLS OEWS data presented by the U.S. Department of Labor estimate 1,520 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in Wisconsin. This is not a license count or practitioner census.

Employment

Bounded
May 2025 OEWS estimate1,520

Estimated wage-and-salary jobs

Wisconsin

Definition, limits, and sources
Definition
BLS OEWS estimate of massage therapist jobs in Wisconsin 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 29, 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

Wisconsin agencies and data

Official resources

Bounded

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

licensingWisconsin Massage Therapist or Bodywork Therapist

Official DSPS entry point for applications, examinations, continuing education, renewal, credential lookup, and governing materials.

Verified July 29, 2026

Sources and updates

Reviewed July 29, 2026

Verified

This guide projects 11 distinct official or first-party source links from the governed records. Earliest scheduled review: August 29, 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.

Method and sources →Corrections and updates →