This agency is a division of the state Department of Health. Its mission is “to protect the public’s health and safety, and to promote the welfare of the state by regulating the competency and quality of professional healthcare providers.”
The board licenses massage therapists. It establishes educational, training, and exam requirements for licensure; approves schools that offer programs meeting curricular and faculty standards; and investigates complaints about schools and practitioners. The officials take disciplinary action ranging from fines to license suspension or revocation.
The board has four members, three of whom are licensed MTs with at least three years’ experience in the state. The other member represents the public.
Minimum Education Requirements for Massage Therapy Programs in Washington
To become a massage therapist in Washington, the first step is to graduate from high school with acceptable grades or earn a GED. A student then needs to enroll in an accredited postsecondary institution with a state-approved MT program.
The Department of Health requires curricula to consist of 500 or more clock hours. Approved programs, which take at least six months to complete, feature at least:
- 265 hours of massage theory and practice
- 130 hours of anatomy and physiology
- 50 hours of pathology
- 40 hours of kinesiology
- 4 hours of HIV/AIDS training
Another 55 hours must teach clinical and business practices such as medical terminology, hygiene, recordkeeping, client interactions, and state and local laws.
The remainder of the coursework is at the discretion of schools. Programs vary in the massage techniques and other therapeutic methods they teach. Most have classes in Eastern and Western modalities.
Graduates apply to the Department of Health for licensure. The process involves passing the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx). The test contains 100 questions about assessing clients, developing treatment plans, massage benefits, pathology, contraindications, treatments for special populations, laws, and ethics. Applicants apply online to the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards to take the exam.
License renewals are required every year. Every two years, they receive 24 hours of continuing education — including eight hours of “direct massage skills training” and four hours of ethics, laws, and regulations.
Those who intend to practice only reflexology may earn state credentials by completing approved 200-hour educational programs and passing the MBLEx.