The state board, which operates within the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, grants licenses to massage therapists, schools, teachers, and businesses.
These officials determine criteria for the subject matter that school curricula cover, and for the qualifications of instructors. They specify pre-licensing examinations and continuing education requirements; and conduct inspections of massage schools and establishments to enforce health, safety, and recordkeeping regulations.
The board looks into allegations of legal or ethical misconduct by practitioners, businesses, and schools. Hearings are held to determine whether penalties like fines or license suspensions are warranted.
San Antonio authorities oversee massage establishments, requiring those charged with violations to obtain city permits. A municipal statute dictates operating hours and limits businesses to areas zoned for commercial operations. Establishments are subject to regular inspections concerning health, safety, sanitation, and equipment.
Minimum Education Requirements for Massage Therapy Programs in San Antonio, TX
After successfully finishing high school or securing a general education diploma, a prospective practitioner has to graduate from an accredited massage therapy school with a curriculum that satisfies the state board’s requirements.
Instruction, hands-on training, and real-world experience in a postsecondary program must total 500 or more contact hours. Courses are to include 50 hours of anatomy; 50 hours of kinesiology; 25 hours of physiology; 40 hours of pathology; 20 hours of hydrotherapy; 45 hours of laws, rules, ethics, and business practice; 20 hours of health, hygiene, first aid, CPR, and universal precautions; and 50 hours in an internship.
There also need to be 200 hours of classes teaching massage theory and techniques, and soft tissue manipulation. At least 125 hours must be devoted to Swedish massage.
To become a massage therapist in San Antonio, the following step is to go online to apply for permission from the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards to take the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination. This entails a fee of approximately $200. Pearson VUE provides the test at various locations in Texas.
The state also requires a certain score on a jurisprudence exam about Texas and U.S. laws governing massage therapy. The test is available online.
Every second year, practicing professionals must contact the board for licensure renewals. To qualify, they have to complete 12 continuing education hours.