California is NOT regulated

This may come as a shock to the average consumer.

The USA is funny when it comes to massage therapy training and certification requirements. Each state has their own required amount of hours and other check boxes in order to receive a certification or licensure and in some cases it varies by city or county.

It might surprise some people to find out that California is 1 of 5 states that has no state regulated licensure/certification.

Where does CA massage certification come from? A private, non-profit entity: California Massage Therapy Council, or CAMTC.

CAMTC was created by massage professionals to add credibility to the profession and protect consumers by requiring a minimum of 500 hours of education and a Live Scan background check.

Here’s what I learned about how people can legally work giving massage without proper training or licensing: they can work as an employee under the umbrella of the massage establishment business license.

Those low-priced Asian spas? More often than not that’s how their business is operating. They teach their employees a basic cookie-cutter protocol and off they go. Again, this can be regulated by the city or county level but the state has no regulations.

I must stress that CA certification is a MINIMUM of requirements and has no indication of the quality of a therapist’s work just like any other profession.

There’s nothing wrong with patronizing a business that provides a service you’re satisfied with and meets your needs. My intent is to shed some light on how things are in the state of California.

You can verify someone’s certification status by visiting camtc.org provided you have a full name and know what city they are based in.

Questions? Comments? Feel free to start a conversation below

• Richard