In many places throughout the world, national, state or city governments require a license to practice massage. If you are considering seeking employment as a masseur or masseuse, you should make yourself aware of these requirements. If you operate against the law, you could find yourself having your business shut down or worse. You could be fined or even put in jail.



However, there are places in the world that have no licensing requirements. In these cases, you would not need a license to practice massage, and you could be employed in a massage studio regardless of your certification.

In places where you do need certification, a massage professional is usually required to have completed a minimum amount of hours of training and supervised practice. For example, in most places in the United States, massage professionals are required to have at least 500 hours of practice and learning. Some states require as many as 800 hours. Also, states will only accept these hours if they are completed with an accredited massage school.

Testing is also a major part of massage certification. Most places in America require massage providers to pass the NCETM, a very demanding national exam. There are also many boards and national and international certification organizations, that will accredit a particular massage professional with a membership if they meet requirements and pay dues. Though most of these certifications have little or no legal bearing, they provide a means for a massage professional to prove their qualifications to potential employers and clients.

One of the difficulties of working as a masseuse or masseur in a jurisdiction that requires licensing is that along with those requirements there are zoning laws to contend with, which might make doing business more difficult. In some places, massage is treated as an "adult business," and zoning laws force massage studios to operate in areas dominated by sex shops, strip clubs, adult video stores and other unsavory elements.

This is due to the unfortunate association between massage studios and the sex industry. While many massage studios are in fact facades for illicit and illegal activity, there is no reason a licensed massage practice should be barred from respectable neighborhoods. One of the reasons why the requirements to earn a massage license are demanding is because it inhibits sex workers from earning them falsely.

Many massage professionals debate the effectiveness of tests and certifications. Some of them argue that these requirements safeguard the public from hucksters and frauds posing as legitimate professionals, and ensure that a masseuse or masseur is adequately trained in methods, ethics and laws related to massage. Other people argue that these certifications are a result of the manipulative influence of people who want to control the massage industry for their own personal gain.

They lament that these tests and laws drive therapists out of business, drive up costs, and force people to attend expensive training programs -- even if they've been practicing for years. Also, many people contend that these tests ignore many crucial elements of a massage practice, such as interpersonal skills, ethics and palpitation skills.