(*) The department determines "good moral character" by conducting electronic fingerprint verification. Applicants must submit fingerprint information to the state police through a state-approved vendor.
(**) Schools must meet certain educational and other criteria in order to qualify

For additional information for massage therapy licensing in Illinois, please click the "Massage Therapist Rules" link on the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation website.

Licensing requirements vary from state to state and in absence of state licensing requirements, municipalities may have their own licensing requirements. For a list of state requirements please visit the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals public education website.

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Do I need to go to college to become licensed massage therapist?

Typically, a state-approved school which specializes in massage therapy training and has a Diploma program with at least 500 hours is sufficient.

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How is the demand for massage therapists?

Demand for massage therapists is at an all-time high and is continuing to grow. There are many reasons for this growth, such as the aging population of the United States, the public's changing view on health and wellness, the state of the health care and health insurance system, to name a few. Massage Therapy, along with allied health professions, has been identified by the U.S. Department of Labor as one of the top-growing professions in the United States in the next decade.

Once limited to upscale salons and spas, massage therapy is now ubiquitous. Massage therapists can be found working at spas, salons, hospitals, clinics, alternative health care settings, cruise ships, dental and medical spas, airports, as well as at corporations that offer massage therapy services to their employees. Some massage therapists work as employees, while most work as private practitioners and independent contractors.

Although the number of massage therapists in our industry has increased in the past few years, demand for quality massage therapists is continuing to exceed supply.

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What is clinical massage? Do you teach it?

Over the years, several terms have popped-up in the massage industry, with the intention to carve out a niche in the marketplace. 'Medical Massage' and 'Clinical Massage' are two such marketing terms which mean "condition-specific massage", in other words application of massage therapy for medical conditions and using massage as part of a treatment plan determined by a licensed healthcare practitioner. The term has been created to distinguish massage that is intended to treat specific conditions from relaxation massage.

As a school that takes massage therapy very seriously and has an extremely challenging science program in which a student will learn everything there is about the human body, we naturally *do* teach condition-specific massage. Yet, as the name of our school implies, that is not all that we teach. We take pride in offering a truly comprehensive program that includes several modalities, and which takes a holistic approach toward the individual.

Incidentally, the American Massage Therapy Association in a press release dated March 27, 2006, announced that it has no plans to define "medical massage", as "all massage is therapeutic" and "empirical evidence hasn't been provided to support or refute the concept of medical massage as a distinct area of specialization within massage therapy practice." Read the press release here.

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What is ABMP? AMTA? NCBTMB? FSMTB?

AMTA is the American Massage Therapy Association. Founded in the early 1940s as the American Massage and Therapy Association, the association has evolved to a politically influential force in the field of educational standards in massage therapy. AMTA spearheaded the development of the National Certification Board and COMTA, the accrediting body for massage therapy programs. Although it is formally independent from these bodies, it shares the same philosophical principles as COMTA and NCBTMB, and promotes the interests of these organizations. Between the competing memberships organizations, AMTA recognizes fewer modalities for professional membership than their competing organization: ABMP.

ABMP is the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals organization. Founded in the 1980s, ABMP has evolved to be the largest organization of bodywork professionals in the United States, offering professional liability insurance and a code of ethics to over 57,000 massage therapists and other modalities. In recent years, due to its size, ABMP has evolved to a major stakeholder in the development of educational requirements for massage therapy.

NCBTMB is the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. It is a non-for-profit organization that defines standards for competency for massage therapists and administers the National Certification Exam (NCE). With the help of AMTA's influence, this exam is currently accepted in most states that use an exam as prerequisite for massage licensing.

FSMTB is the Federation of State Massage Licensing Boards. This is a non-profit organization that consists of 27 state massage licensing boards. FSMTB has created a licensing exam which can be taken as an alternative to the National Certification Exam as prerequisite for licensure. The number of states accepting FSMTB's exam has been growing since FSMTB's inception, and some states are accepting this exam exclusively.

The New School for Massage is a member of the AMTA Council of Schools and Institutional Member of ABMP. Graduates of the Diploma program may take the National Certification Exam offered by NCBTMB or the Massage Bodywork Licensing Exam offered by FSMTB.

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Some schools offer programs with 500 hours, some with 600, and some with 700. Which one should I pick?

Some forces in the industry are pushing for curriculums with a higher number of hours, while others ponder why a therapist needs to have studied 1,000 hours to perform chair massages.

The length of training at various schools is not always an indication of the school's quality and may depend on other factors. For example, schools that offer federal financial aid must have a minimum of 600 hours to offer federal loans or 720 clock hours to offer federal grants.

Considering that a Diploma program is your first step to becoming licensed, you must determine the requirements in the state in which you will eventually practice. Most states require between 500 and 600 hours, with few exceptions, and some states have no licensing requirements at all. Illinois requires 500 hours. Also, AMTA and ABMP require 500 hours for membership, and the National Certification Board and FSMTB also require 500 hours to allow you to take their exams.

While the decision to select a Diploma program should not be based on the number of hours alone, you should look at programs that will give you at least the number of hours which will qualify you for licensing. You can always add hours to your training at a later time in continuing education, but taking a shorter rather than a longer program will allow you to enter the market (and start recovering your investment) sooner without any significant difference in acquired knowledge or skill level.

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