How to get a Licensed Massage Therapist (L.M.T.) license in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania massage therapist licenses

Pennsylvania issues 2 massage therapist credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Applies to every license level

These rules are the same for every Pennsylvania massage therapist license on this page, so they are shown once here. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED

Required¹⁵

How to apply

Apply online

pals.pa.gov⁵

Who needs a Licensed Massage Therapist (L.M.T.) license

Structured touch, pressure, movement, holding and treatment of soft tissue to enhance health and well-being, including water, heat, cold, topical preparations, lymphatic and myofascial techniques; excludes diagnosis, medical procedures, chiropractic adjustment, PT mobilization and similar healing-arts practice.¹

Work that does not need this license:

• Not covered: other state-licensed professionals within their scope, federal employees on duty, supervised students in approved programs, reflexology, movement-awareness practices, and energy-based practices such as acupressure, Asian bodywork, polarity, reiki, shiatsu and tui na.¹

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Businesses may not use "massage" or similar words in their name or activity unless the services are provided by licensees, and may not employ unlicensed people in massage therapy.¹

Requirements for a Licensed Massage Therapist (L.M.T.) license

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

Education or training

At least 600 clock hours²
Massage therapy program of at least 600 hours of in-class, postsecondary instruction approved by the Board (regionally accredited college or university, Pennsylvania private licensed school or equivalent), including HIV training and CPR.¹
Who may teach it: In-class instruction in the physical presence of an instructor; no webinars or online courses; externship hours and indirectly supervised practice do not count.⁵
Alternative: Act 41 endorsement: holders of an active out-of-state or foreign license with 2 of the last 5 years of practice are considered case by case if the standard routes do not fit.⁵
Alternative: Act 35 of 2022 (military applicants): education requirement can be met by 2 years of active practice plus passing the required exams.⁶

Education or training

At least 175 clock hours²
Anatomy and physiology, kinesiology and pathology, including HIV training.²

Education or training

At least 250 clock hours²
Massage therapy and bodywork assessment, theory and practice, including sanitation, safety and hygiene.²

Education or training

At least 25 clock hours²
Professional ethics, and business and law related to a massage therapy business.²

Education or training

At least 150 clock hours²
Related courses appropriate to a massage therapy curriculum, including CPR.²

Education or training

3 clock hours³
Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training (Act 31) for initial licensure.³

Exam

Massage and Bodywork Licensure Examination (MBLEx)³
Given by: Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB)⁵
Retakes: Candidates who do not test within 90 days of the FSMTB Authorization to Test must reapply as new candidates.²

Background check

Background check required²
Applicants explain any charges or convictions; felony drug convictions bar licensure for 10 years unless rehabilitation is shown; the Board may refuse a license for crimes of moral turpitude or felonies.²
No pre-application review of a criminal record is offered⁵

Also required

Good moral character¹

Also required

Government-issued photo ID copy²

How much a Licensed Massage Therapist (L.M.T.) license costs

Each line is a separate charge as the board lists it. The board does not publish a combined total, so none is shown here.

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee.

How to apply

1. Complete a Board-approved massage therapy program of at least 600 in-class hours (175 A&P/kinesiology/pathology, 250 massage and bodywork, 25 ethics/business/law, 150 related courses including CPR).²
2. Get adult CPR certification from a Board-accepted provider in a hands-on course (online CPR is not accepted); it must be valid for at least 6 months after you apply.⁵
3. Complete 3 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training (Act 31).³
4. Apply to FSMTB for the MBLEx, schedule within 90 days of the Authorization to Test, and pass it.²
5. Get a Criminal History Record Information report from the Pennsylvania State Police (and every other state you lived in during the past 5 years), dated within 6 months of applying.²
6. Apply online in PALS ("Massage Therapist Licensure by Examination"), upload ID, CPR card, CHRI and diploma proof, pay the $100 fee, and have your school send the official transcript directly to the Board.² pals.pa.gov⁵
7. Supply any missing documents within 6 months, or the application is denied and the fee forfeited.²

Temporary or provisional license

Temporary Practice Permit for recent graduates during the 6 months after completing the program.⁵

Processing time

Incomplete applications are flagged by first-class mail within 8 weeks of receipt.²

Renewal and continuing education

How often

Every 2 years¹

Renewal fee

$175³

Continuing education

At least 24 hours each renewal period⁵

Required topics

At least 4 hours in professional ethics²
At least 16 hours through contact (live, in-person) hours²
At least 2 hours of Act 31 child abuse recognition and reporting from an approved provider⁷
Current CPR certification (hands-on, not online); CPR courses do not count toward the 24 hours²

Approved courses

Pre-approved providers: PA massage schools, Board-approved or USDE-recognized accredited schools, AMTA and its chapters, NCBTMB-approved providers and ABMP; other courses need Board approval ($100).²

Exemptions

Licensees first licensed during a biennium are exempt from the 24 hours for that first renewal, except the 2 hours of child abuse training.⁵
Waiver or extension for illness, emergency or hardship must be requested at least 60 days before expiration.²
Service members: CE extensions for up to 6 months after a deployment (Act 35 of 2022).⁶

If it expires

No practice after the last day of January of the renewal year unless renewed.²
Inactive or expired licenses can be reactivated within 5 years with an application, the current renewal fee, the previous biennium's CE, current CPR and an affidavit of non-practice.²
After more than 5 years, continued competence is needed: continuous active practice in another jurisdiction during the past 5 years, or passing an approved licensure exam.²

Renew online

pals.pa.gov⁷

Moving to Pennsylvania with a license from another state

These are the routes the State Board of Massage Therapy publishes for the Licensed Massage Therapist (L.M.T.) license. The other massage therapist licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Massage Therapist Temporary Practice Permit

Lets a recent graduate practice massage therapy before passing the exam, but the holder may not use "licensed massage therapist" or L.M.T. or advertise.²

Requirements

Education or training

At least 600 clock hours³
All license requirements except the exam, including the 600-hour program; apply within 6 months of completing the program.⁵

Exam

Not required⁵
Exam waived: Anyone who has already taken the exam, including those who failed, is not eligible.⁵

Background check

Background check required²

Fees

How to apply

1. Finish a Board-approved 600-hour program and do not sit the exam yet.⁵
2. Within 6 months of finishing, apply in PALS for the "Massage Therapist Temporary Practice Permit" with ID, CHRI report, CPR card and transcript, and pay $65.² pals.pa.gov⁵
3. Pass the MBLEx and apply for the full license before the permit ends.²

Renewal

How often

Every 6 months²

When it expires

Non-renewable; ends at 6 months or on the date the holder fails the exam, whichever is first.²

From another state

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

City and county rules

Licensed Massage Therapist (L.M.T.)Statewide license; Act 118 preempts local massage-therapist licensing ordinances in effect on its effective date.¹

Check a license or report a problem

Before you hire a massage therapist in Pennsylvania, you can confirm the license is current on the board's own search. Every board we cover in Pennsylvania is on the Pennsylvania license lookup page.

Look up a license

pa.gov⁵

File a complaint

pa.gov⁵

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• Massage Therapy Law, Act of Oct. 9, 2008, P.L. 1438, No. 118 (63 P.S. § 627.1 et seq.)
• 49 Pa. Code ch. 20 (State Board of Massage Therapy)
• 49 Pa. Code § 20.3

Common questions

Massage therapist licenses in other states

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin