The Truth About California Massage Licensing

Numerous folks are confused about massage therapy licensing in California. Significantly of this confusion comes from massage therapists that promote their state certification. That is merely not correct; There's no such issue as state licensing or state certification for massage therapists in California.

Very first of all, some terms:

Licensing versus Certification. Students massage  get a certificate once they complete a Massage Coaching system from a state authorized college and then make use of the title of "Certified Massage Therapist." Licensed indicates the massage therapist holds a organization license in the regional entity (city or county) that they do company in.

Another region of confusion is the unique titles and abbreviations utilized by massage therapists.

CMT - Certified Massage Therapist - it suggests you've got a certificate as a massage therapist

LMT - Licensed Massage Therapist - utilized in some states where there's state licensing of massage therapists

RMT - Registered Massage Therapist - employed in some Canadian provinces where therapists are registered using the province

All licensing of massage therapists in California is accomplished by the city or the county due to the fact that California at the moment has no state certification. The majority of cities and/or counties in California need which you graduate from an authorized program in massage therapy. Therefore why some therapists promote becoming a "state certified massage therapist."

Licensing requirements vary considerably from city to city and county to county. In Southern California, several communities demand 500 hours of coaching. Right here in Northern California most municipalities require a minimum of 100 hours of instruction in order that our 126 hour massage certification program or our 120 hour acupressure certification system will satisfy their needs. Two major exceptions in our region will be the city of Auburn, which demands 200 hours of coaching, plus the city of Sacramento which requires 250 hours of coaching, plus 12 hours of continuing education per year. By taking a single or both of our certification applications plus a number of our continuing education classes, graduates are in a position to get adequate hours to satisfy the licensing requirements of Auburn or Sacramento.

One strategy some Sacramento students pursue is usually to take our 126 hour massage certification plan and after that get licensed to do massage in Sacramento County (Orangevale, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks, and so forth.). Then they will practice outdoors Sacramento city limits till they full enough training to qualify for any Sacramento city license. Once they are working inside the field any continuing education may very well be tax deductible.

Future licensing needs may perhaps adjust in California although. At the moment there is legislation (SB 412) beneath discussion that would license massage therapists in the state level and call for 500 hours of initial education. There's a provision for any 250 hour amount of certification that may be phased out by 2013. In yet another post "Shorter Instruction Is usually Better", I outline why I believe the higher initial hours are not necessarily better and possess a chilling effect on many that are just beginning out and can't afford the improved time and price to start a brand new small business. The outcome of the legislation is uncertain plus the earliest it would take impact is Jan. 1, 2009. The legislation also has grandfathering provisions to shield therapists that are licensed or certified before the law would take effect.