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massage therapy musings &
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Finding Your Perfect Massage Therapist: Validating Their License


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Finding the right Massage Therapist can be hard.


There's so many personal factors to consider:

  • geographic location

  • price range or budget

  • your wellness goals

  • emotional/physical considerations

  • schedule and availability

  • potential health risks

And there's so many professional factors to consider too:

  • the therapeutic approach

  • their education level

  • treatment environment

  • professionalism and presentation

  • value provided in each session

So the "Finding Your Perfect Massage Therapist" series is here to help.


* * *


This article is all about "legit-ness" - how you can validate if the massage therapist you are considering is a license-carrying massage therapist.

First, licensing and state regulations are never a perfect system. They never guarantee that every single person within a profession is in fact, a professional. Bad apples happen even with extensive training and processes. But, it does guarantee some minimum standards set in place to protect the general public.


Massage therapist that are licensed:

  • met a baseline of initial educational requirements

  • passed a massage therapy state board exam

  • passed a state criminal background and fingerprint check

  • agreed to uphold basic ethical responsibilities

  • commit to continuing education courses (18 credits every three years)

If someone is not licensed and are providing and charging clients for massage therapy, it's a red flag in terms of professional credibility, but they are also breaking the public health code law.

How would you know if someone's licensed? You can ask to see their license, or you can also look it up online as professional licenses are public information.

In Michigan, use the Verify a License website. Below is a screenshot of what it looks like when you look up me.

screenshot of LARA website verifying a license

When you select the Permanent ID# you can also browse any formal complaints or disciplinary actions filed against the individual.

If their name doesn't produce any results it doesn't automatically mean they're not licensed. If they are a brand new massage therapist, or transferred their license from another state, or had a recent name change, it may take a bit for records to update.


But it may be worth asking them what the deal is, before scheduling your appointment.


* * * Need additional guidance on other factors related to finding your perfect massage therapist? Check the rest of the articles in the series below:

Perfect Massage Therapist Article Series

Finding Your Perfect Massage Therapist: Verifying Their License Finding Your Perfect Massage Therapist: Massage Tables 101

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Raechel Haller Massage Therapist Holland MI Michigan

Whoa, you made it all the way down to the footer!
And might be wondering... who wrote all these words?
Well hello! My name's Raechel and I'm a massage therapist.

I enjoy researching and writing about pain and wellness; nerding out about sci-fi or Dungeons & Dragons; gardening; sailing; thoughtful conversations; loving my German Sheppard dog; and getting lost in a book. Or two. Or three.

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