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Massage Therapist — License Requirements by State

Provides therapeutic massage. Most states license via MBLEx (FSMTB) or state exam.

51 of 51 states populated with official data (retrieved 2026-08-20).

By The LicenseFig Editorial Team · independent editorial research project

How to get your Massage Therapist license

  1. Check your state requirements. Open the requirements table for your state on this page — education hours, exam vendor, fees and retake rules.
  2. Complete pre-license education. Finish the required education hours (or approved equivalent) from an accepted provider.
  3. Pass the background check. Submit fingerprints and clear the required criminal background check where applicable.
  4. Register and pass the exam. Register with the exam vendor (PSI, Pearson VUE or Prometric), then pass the national and state portions.
  5. Pay the license fee. Submit the application and license fee to the state board to receive your license.
  6. Keep it active. Track renewal dates and continuing-education hours using the License Renewal Calculator.
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How much does it cost to get your Massage Therapist license?

Costs vary by state. Most charge a modest application or license fee — often between $0 and $120 — and a handful of states also require a small exam fee. A few occupations add pre-license education tuition. See the Fees column in the table below for your state, then compare costs across states with the Exam Cost Compare tool.

StateEducationExamPass %FeesRetakeReciprocityOfficial
AL———————
AK———————
AZ500 hrs——————
AR500 hrs—————Arkansas State Board of Massage Therapy ↗
CA500 hrs—————California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) ↗
CO500 hrs—————Colorado State Board of Massage Therapy ↗
CT500 hrs—————Connecticut Department of Public Health — Massage Therapy ↗
DE500 hrs—————Delaware Board of Massage and Bodywork ↗
DC500 hrs—————DC Board of Massage Therapy ↗
FL500 hrs—————Florida Board of Massage Therapy ↗
GA500 hrs—————Georgia State Board of Massage Therapy ↗
HI500 hrs—————Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy ↗
ID500 hrs—————Idaho State Board of Massage Therapy ↗
IL500 hrs—————Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation — Massage Therapy ↗
IN———————
IA500 hrs—————Iowa Board of Massage Therapy ↗
KS———————
KY600 hrs—————Kentucky Board of Licensure for Massage Therapy ↗
LA500 hrs—————Louisiana Board of Massage Therapy ↗
ME500 hrs—————Maine State Board of Massage Therapy ↗
MD500 hrs—————Maryland Board of Massage Therapy Examiners ↗
MA500 hrs—————Massachusetts Board of Registration of Massage Therapy ↗
MI500 hrs—————Michigan Board of Massage Therapy ↗
MN———————
MS500 hrs—————Mississippi State Board of Massage Therapy ↗
MO———————
MT500 hrs—————Montana Board of Massage Therapy ↗
NE1000 hrs—————Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services — Massage Therapy ↗
NV500 hrs——————
NH600 hrs—————New Hampshire Board of Massage Therapy ↗
NJ500 hrs—————New Jersey Board of Massage, Bodywork and Somatic Therapy ↗
NM650 hrs—————New Mexico Board of Massage Therapy ↗
NY1000 hrs—————New York State Education Department — Massage Therapy ↗
NC500 hrs—————North Carolina Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy ↗
ND750 hrs——————
OH750 hrs—————Ohio State Medical Board — Massage Therapy ↗
OK———————
OR500 hrs——————
PA600 hrs—————Pennsylvania State Board of Massage Therapy ↗
RI500 hrs—————Rhode Island Board of Massage Therapy ↗
SC500 hrs—————South Carolina Board of Massage/Bodywork Therapy ↗
SD——————South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation — Massage Therapy ↗
TN500 hrs—————Tennessee Board of Massage Licensure ↗
TX500 hrs—————Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — Massage Therapy ↗
UT600 hrs—————Utah Division of Professional Licensing — Massage Therapy ↗
VT———————
VA500 hrs—————Virginia Board of Nursing — Massage Therapy ↗
WA700 hrs—————Washington State Department of Health — Massage Therapy ↗
WV500 hrs——————
WI600 hrs—————Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services — Massage Therapy ↗
WY———————

● Data updated 2026-08-20Data retrieved 2026-08-20 from state boards, PSI, Pearson VUE and CMS. Requirements change — verify with your state board before enrolling or paying. Dash (—) = not published / pending verification.

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