FACT SHEET: The Basics
For all media inquires, please email info@nyssmmt.org
Massage therapy is one of oldest forms of medicine as an ancient healing art rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the US, New York City is the birthplace of massage therapy coming from the East and Europe. On the national scope of the industry, New York State has the highest educational training and practice standards thus making the New York license the most coveted license to attain. Massage therapy as a healing modality is flexible, portable, manageable, versatile, complementary, scalable and non-pharmacological. The versatility of the massage therapy profession makes it an easily misunderstood therapy thus making it vulnerable to exploitation. Below are the basic facts that we find the media could use some guidance.
The Profession
The massage therapy profession is a healthcare profession regulated by the New York State Education Department and the Office of the Professions. A person claiming to provide any modality of massage therapy (aka massage or bodywork) must have a New York State massage therapy license AND a registration in good standing to legitimately practice any modality of massage therapy. There is no option to do massage therapy without a license as a hobbyist or part-time side activity. Claiming to provide massage therapy without a license and current registration -even if not using a named modality of massage therapy- is a felony in the state of New York. New York state does not accept out of state licenses or credentials.
The Therapy
The massage modality as a bodywork therapy is protected by regulation and cannot be disguised as another name. Massage therapy is Eastern medicine and Western medicine. Examples of Eastern medicine would be Shiatsu, Thai, Amma, Ayurvedic. Examples of Western medicine is Swedish, Sports, Deep Tissue, Pregnancy, Hot Stone, Manual Lymph Drainage, Myofascial Release. There are over 400 bodywork modalities of massage therapy and all are protected under regulation.
Massage therapy addresses emotional stress and physical stress in two main categories: wellness prevention or restoration rehabilitation. The human body doesn't know the difference of the environment it is receiving the massage therapy and the human body will always receive the medical benefits of massage therapy whether it's a couples massage on the beach or in a clinic being treated for whiplash. Though doctors can prescribe massage therapy and some insurance carriers require a prescription for coverage, a prescription is not required to access massage therapy in New York State.
The Therapist
A massage therapist is a healthcare professional who can choose to work independently self-employed or in a team environment as an employee of a clinical, spa or event setting. No matter where they work such as providing an in-home massage for a spa party, chair massage in the office, sports massage on-site at a sporting event or working in a hospital, they are a healthcare professional. Only a person licensed and registered as a massage therapist are allowed to use the following protected titles and terms: "massage therapy", "masseuse", "masseur", any variation of the term "massage", and names of the modalities regulated under massage therapy. Illegal providers will create confusion by stating they are a "massager" "massage worker" "bodyworker" or whatever title combination using "massage." Lastly, while the terms "masseuse", "masseur" are protected, the professional prefers to be called a "massage therapist" because of the emphasis on the care in "therapy" best illustrates what we are actually providing.
Upon receiving licensure, a massage therapist will also advertise themselves as a licensed massage therapist aka LMT. ie. Jane Doe, LMT. Every 3 years a LMT renews their registration after completing 36 hours of continuing education credits. It's through continuing education and years of experience a massage therapist will decide what is their specialty either by patient population, wellness specialty and/or decide if they want to accept insurance. ie. general practitioner, maternal, hospice, sports, rehab, cancer, chair massage
Visit the NY State Massage Therapy Board for more FAQs