This board is a department in the state Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ division of Professional & Vocational Licensing. It licenses massage therapists and apprentices, as well as establishments.
The panel adopts standards for MT schools regarding total content hours and the amount of instruction in certain subjects. It determines the post-graduation testing required to qualify for a license to practice in Hawaii, and enacts rules for renewing licenses.
An additional mandate is to conduct investigations and hold hearings concerning alleged violations of laws and ethics. The board’s website provides a form for filing complaints against practitioners or businesses.
The five-member board consists of three licensed massage therapists and two people who represent state residents.
Minimum Education Requirements for Massage Therapy Programs in Hawaii
Upon receiving a high school or general education diploma, attending a postsecondary institution is essential to become a massage therapist in Hawaii.
The school must be nationally accredited and provide a program that complies with the state board’s minimum standards. The curriculum needs to total 570 or more contact hours of classroom instruction and hands-on training. This is to include at least 50 hours of courses in anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology.
Another 100 hours must be committed to topics such as client assessment, massage procedures, techniques for clients with certain conditions, contraindications, draping, hygiene, and recordkeeping. There have to be 420 hours of real-world experience in a student clinic or other facility, under the supervision of instructors or licensed massage therapists.
Some curricula go beyond these criteria. They may expose students to a greater variety of massage modalities, train them to establish their own businesses, or allow for additional time in clinics.
Unlike most states, Hawaii does not require license applicants to take a national certification test. Instead, students need to register for a state exam that addresses physiology, anatomy, massage history and theory, clinical situations, and laws and regulations. A score of 75% or better is necessary to pass the 100-question test, which Prometric administers on five Hawaiian islands.
Students might want to consider signing up for the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx). They will probably need to do so if their careers lead them to other states. The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards is the contact agency.
Those practicing in the field must fill out an online license renewal form on the board’s website every second year. There are no continuing education requirements.