The truth about California massage licenses

Many people are confused about the California massage therapy license. Much of this confusion comes from massage therapists advertising their state certification. This is simply not true; There is no such thing as a state license or state certification for massage therapists in California.

First, some terms:

Licensing vs. Certification. Students earn a certificate when they complete a massage training program from a state-approved school and then use the title “Certified Massage Therapist.” Licensed means that the massage therapist has a business license in the local entity (city or county) in which he does business.

Another area of ​​confusion is the different titles and abbreviations used by massage therapists.

CMT – Certified Massage Therapist – means you have a certificate as a massage therapist

LMT – Licensed Massage Therapist – Used in some states where there is a state license for massage therapists

RMT – Registered Massage Therapist – used in some Canadian provinces where therapists are registered with the province

All massage therapist licenses in California are issued by the city or county due to the fact that California currently does not have state certification. Most California cities and/or counties require you to graduate from an approved massage therapy program. This is why some therapists claim to be “state certified massage therapists.”

Licensing requirements vary greatly from city to city and county to county. In southern California, several communities require 500 hours of training. Here in Northern California, most municipalities require a minimum of 100 hours of training for our 126-hour massage certification program or 120-hour acupressure certification program to meet your requirements. Two major exceptions in our area are the City of Auburn, which requires 200 hours of training, and the City of Sacramento, which requires 250 hours of training, plus 12 hours of continuing education per year. By taking one or both of our certificate programs plus some of our continuing education classes, graduates can earn enough hours to satisfy Auburn or Sacramento licensing requirements.

One strategy some Sacramento students follow is to take our 126-hour massage certification program and then become licensed to massage in Sacramento County (Orangevale, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, etc.). They can then practice outside of the Sacramento city limits until they complete enough training to qualify for a Sacramento city license. Once they are working in the field, any continuing education may be tax deductible.

However, future license requirements may change in California. Legislation (SB 412) is currently being discussed that would license massage therapists statewide and require 500 hours of initial education. There is a provision for a 250 hour certification level that will be phased out by 2013. In another article, “Shorter Training May Be Better,” I describe why I believe high starting hours are not necessarily better and have a chilling effect. in many who are just starting out and cannot afford the increased time and cost to start a new business. The outcome of the legislation is uncertain and the earliest it would take effect is January 1. 1, 2009. The legislation also has grandfather provisions to protect therapists who are licensed or certified before the law goes into effect.

You are now an expert in licenses and certifications in the state of California!