AMTA is committed to advancing the profession through strategic legislative and regulatory efforts.
August 1, 2025
At AMTA, we remain deeply committed to advancing the massage therapy profession through strategic legislative and regulatory efforts. We continue to promote professional standards, protect public safety and expand access to massage therapy across the country.
Below, we delve into AMTA’s key advocacy areas of focus and the direction we’re taking to move the profession forward.
AMTA is committed to helping champion licensure for massage therapists in all 50 states across the country. The legal recognition of massage therapy and clearly defined requirements will help advance the profession, as well as protect the health and safety of massage consumers.
In states like Kansas and Minnesota, we continue to build broad-based coalitions, strengthening grassroots efforts and communicating the value of statewide licensure for massage therapists. In the face of delays, AMTA remains focused—the 2026 legislative season will present renewed opportunities to move these state licensing efforts across the finish line.
In Oklahoma, we worked quickly to sustain the oversight of licensure to ensure that massage practitioners in the state remain properly trained, meet established qualifications, and uphold professional standards.
Across all these initiatives, AMTA’s guiding principle is clear: licensure protects the public, enhances credibility for massage therapists, and supports a more unified profession.
AMTA remains vigilant in protecting the integrity of existing licensure systems. In states like Utah and Alabama, we’ve recently acted swiftly to prevent regulatory rollbacks and confusing tiered systems that would dilute professional standards. In Arizona, we continue to engage in collaborative review processes to ensure regulatory continuity and transparency.
Our focus is not only to maintain—but to enhance—licensure structures so they reflect the evolving needs of the profession and public.
AMTA’s guiding principle is clear: licensure protects the public, enhances credibility for massage therapists, and supports a more unified profession.
Through our participation in California’s Sunset Review process, AMTA has reinforced its call for transparent, accountable oversight of massage therapy in the state. While the current proposal extends the California Massage Therapy Council's authority, we remain focused on the broader goal of establishing a clear, consistent, and publicly accountable licensure model.
As the opioid crisis continues to challenge communities, AMTA is championing massage therapy as a non-pharmacological pain management solution backed by a growing body of research.
We’re advocating for insurance reimbursement, Medicaid inclusion, and broader health care system integration in states across the country, including Washington, New Hampshire, Minnesota and New York, which currently have active legislation to help achieve these goals.
Our long-term vision is one where massage therapy is accessible as a first-line treatment option—supported by policy, reimbursed by insurers, and recommended by health care providers. AMTA is working to make that future a reality.
AMTA also supports educational excellence. In states like Virginia and Georgia, we backed proposals to increase required training hours, while also advocating for fairness and accessibility in implementation.
We are also exploring innovative pathways to entry, such as apprenticeships, that preserve quality while expanding access, as seen in Montana. Our vision is to balance rigor with inclusivity—ensuring that all qualified individuals can pursue a career in massage therapy without undue barriers.
Establishment oversight is critical to public safety and professional credibility. AMTA is driving policy efforts to strengthen compliance tools in states like Delaware, Oregon and Missouri.
Whether through enhanced penalties, visible notices of non-compliance, or increased inspection authority, our advocacy is helping ensure that massage therapy is practiced in environments that are safe, ethical and transparent.
Human trafficking remains a critical concern. AMTA continues to advocate for targeted legislation that addresses trafficking without reinforcing harmful stereotypes about our profession.
Through education requirements, signage laws, and accountability measures—as seen in Indiana and Hawaii—we continue to support policies that protect vulnerable individuals while preserving the high standards and professionalism of massage therapy.
As part of our forward-thinking vision, AMTA is championing solutions that enable massage therapists to work across state lines more easily. Legislation is under consideration in Arkansas and North Carolina that aligns with our goal of reducing unnecessary regulatory barriers while maintaining quality for the massage therapy profession.
We are also continuing to monitor and provide our input on the Interstate Massage Compact, which aims to increase licensure portability across states. AMTA is committed to advocating for more inclusive portability legislation that serves the best interests of licensed massage therapists across the U.S.
Financial accessibility is a cornerstone of a thriving profession. AMTA continues to oppose unreasonable fee hikes, such as those proposed in Vermont, while supporting efforts to cap and regulate fees in states like Illinois.
We believe that entering and maintaining licensure in this profession should be financially feasible for all qualified individuals.
At AMTA, we’re driven by a bold vision: a future where massage therapy is fully integrated into health care, universally recognized as a licensed profession, and practiced under clear, fair and consistent standards.
We will continue to lead, collaborate and innovate in pursuit of that vision in the next legislative session and beyond! And as always, we are here to support you and the entire massage therapy community every step of the way.
Advocacy: Why Fair Licensing Is Essential
Learn why fair licensing is essential to every massage therapist across the United States.
Advocacy
AMTA advocates for the issues important to massage therapists across the country at the federal, state and local levels of government.