Is it Time for Multiple Massage Licenses in Illinois?

by Mike Hovi

In this article, I want to address the topic of having different licenses within the massage therapy profession.  Please note that this article is an opinion piece, and my opinion may not necessarily be endorsed by AMTA.  The point of this piece is to expose therapists to different points of view regarding titles and licenses.

A Massage Therapist is an individual that applies various “massage techniques” to have a therapeutic or health benefit for the person receiving a massage from a trained individual.

Several newsletters ago, I spoke on how we all call ourselves massage therapists, but when asked what we do, we often answer with “Deep Tissue”, “Myofascial Release”, “Sports Massage”, “Relaxation Massage”, “Cranial Sacral Therapy”, or one of many other techniques.  Rarely do we say, “I do massage.” I also mentioned that I hate the term “Relaxation Massage” because of the connotation that this sounds more like a luxury, than something connected to healthcare.  I much prefer the term “Wellness Massage.”

What made me think about this topic was the recent push by the Illinois Senate and Senate Bill 9 to include massage therapy as a service rather than a health care methodology.  Eventually I see us losing this battle due to the issue of tips.  I have always felt that when a massage is preformed and the therapist expects a tip, the reason for the tip is because the person receiving the massage thinks of it as a service.  If they receive a quality service, they tip.  When this happens, is it really providing health care, or is it actually a service?

I would never consider tipping a nurse, a dental hygienist, an occupational therapist, or speech therapist because they are providing health care rather than a service.  When I work in a chiropractic office, I do not expect or accept tips for my care.  I guess a good question should be, should I expect a tip?

One way to resolve this question might be to have several levels of massage licenses.  We might want to look at a “Wellness Therapist License” and a “Clinical Massage Therapist License.”  Of course, someone could have both.  Or, we could consider educational differences related to the license granted.

For example, doctors can do what nurses are licensed to do, but nurses cannot do all that doctors are licensed to do because of their training.  In much the same way, I believe a wellness therapist would not need all the training that a clinical therapist would need, BUT, the wellness therapist would not be licensed to do everything a clinical therapist would be allowed to do because the clinical therapist would be mandated to receive a large amount of additional training.  As a result, the clinical therapist would be trained in everything the wellness therapist is trained in, plus additional educational training in anatomy, kinesiology, orthopedic assessment, etc.

What I am suggesting is already slowly starting to happen.  The National Certification Board has started to recognize Clinical Based Work Specialty developed by Whitney Lowe and several other prominent therapists.  If you take the additional training, you can then take a test and if passed, you would be recognized as a Rehabilitation Specialist.

I see much benefit in this additional training, though I do not agree with the idea you must take training from one specific group of educators.  What I believe is that if you can take the test after taking specific training in the same areas offered by the above-mentioned group, you should be able to get the same designation.

This tiered licensing would allow some students to complete a training program that is, say 500 hours, and it would allow them to work in the service aspect of massage therapy, but would not necessarily allow the same person to work in a hospital or doctor’s office.  The clinical training would be much more in depth, and would require say 1000 hours of formal training.  

I realize this is just an idea, but it is an idea we as a profession should at least look at in the future.  

Just my thoughts.  If you have an opinion one way or another, please share your comments.