Happy Holidays from FSMTB!

Our office will be closed from December 23–27 as our staff takes time to recharge and celebrate with loved ones. We’ll be back on December 30, ready to support you!
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Examination
The Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) provides consistent and nationally recognized entry-level standards that assist state regulators in evaluating an individual’s ability to practice massage safely and competently. Examination
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Education
FSMTB plays a crucial role in supporting schools and promoting continuing education within the field of massage therapy. FSMTB recognizes the importance of maintaining standards in massage education to ensure that practitioners are well-prepared and equipped with the necessary skills. Education
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Regulation
FSMTB membership is comprised of the massage therapy regulatory boards and agencies in the United States and its territories. Through the provision of education, legislative policy expertise, and regulatory programs and services, FSMTB supports our members in their work to ensure that the practice of massage therapy is provided to the public safely and competently. Regulation
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News & Events
Stay up-to-date on industry news with updates from FSMTB. Network with fellow regulators and other industry professionals at FSMTB hosted events. News & Events
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Resource Center
The FSMTB wants to ensure that consumers of massage and bodywork services have adequate knowledge about what they can expect from a massage and bodywork practitioner. Most importantly, FSMTB wants to ensure that the public is aware of the requirements for licensure for each state and that resources are available to check the license status of practitioners. Resource Center

 

The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) is a non-profit organization whose current membership includes the licensing boards and agencies of 45 jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia, and the US territory of Puerto Rico. Our mission is to support our Member Boards in fulfilling their responsibilities of public protection.

The FSMTB serves as a resource for information for our members, a facilitator for member-to-member communication, the provider of a valid and reliable licensing examination, and an advisor for implementation of initiatives that improve the regulatory environment of the massage profession and foster and enhance public protection. If you work for one of our member agencies, we are here to work for you.

 

The following information summarizes the regulatory landscape in the United States:

Licensure required in 49 states/territories: Mandatory (education, competence exam, continuing education)

Registration required in Vermont: Mandatory (no education, no competence exam, no continuing education)

Certification optional in California: Voluntary (education, no competence exam, no continuing education)

No state regulation in Kansas, Minnesota and Wyoming (no practitioner requirements, no regulatory oversight or path for consumer recourse)

 

We keep up to date with best practices in regulation by serving as a governing member of the Federation of Associations of Regulatory Boards (FARB) and by being an active member of the Council on Licensure, Enforcement, and Regulation (CLEAR). We communicate regularly with our Member Boards and Agencies as these best practices evolve and change.

FARB Website CLEAR Website

 

 

IMpact is the interstate occupational licensure compact for massage therapy. IMpact will enable licensed massage therapists to practice in all states that join the compact, rather than get an individual license in every state in which they want to practice. Each compact member state agrees to mutually recognize the practitioner licenses issued by every other state in the Massage Therapy Compact.

Interstate Massage Compact Model Legislation IMpact Website