Model massage therapy practice act

This is the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards' model statute for regulating massage therapy, written to give state boards and legislators suggested language. An FSMTB task force worked on it from 2011 to 2014, with two public comment periods, and FSMTB says the model is meant to be reviewed and changed over time.

It defines the practice of massage therapy broadly as structured touch applied to soft tissue, including manual techniques, stretching within normal range, devices that imitate the hands, topical applications, heat and cold, hydrotherapy and client education. It also protects the professional titles and abbreviations.

The model sets up a board of massage therapy and its powers. It bases initial licensure on graduation from an approved program of at least 625 clock hours and passing the FSMTB examination, and it covers licensure by endorsement, renewal, continuing competence, discipline and unlicensed practice. Each section comes with commentary explaining the drafters' reasoning.