Massage License Requirements in Hawaii

Verified against Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs — Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · 2026-07-24

Compiled and verified against primary state-board sources by GetMassageLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →

Hawaii requires a Massage Therapist license from the Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy, part of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs' Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, before anyone may practice or advertise massage for compensation. Applicants must complete 570 hours of approved education/training (school-based or an in-state Board-approved apprenticeship) and pass the state's own written clinical competency exam — Hawaii does not accept the MBLEx, and notably offers no license-by-endorsement pathway, so even out-of-state licensees must meet Hawaii's hour and exam requirements from scratch. Licenses run on a biennium ending June 30 of even-numbered years and, since a 2021 law change, require 12 hours of continuing education (2 of which must be first aid/CPR) each renewal period.

Hawaii Massage License Requirements

Licensing Authority	Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs — Professional and Vocational Licensing Division (DCCA-PVL)
Title	Massage Therapist
Training Hours	570 hours — Massage school licensed by the Hawaii Department of Education (or an equivalent out-of-state school licensing/accrediting agency), the University of Hawaii, or a Board-approved in-state apprenticeship (AMTA, COMTA, and the Rolf Institute are named as Board-recognized approving bodies for workshops)
Exam	Hawaii State Massage License Exam (written clinical competency examination) (Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy, administered by PSI Services, LLC)
Renewal Period	2 years

Fee Breakdown

Application Fee	$50
Renewal Fee (every 2 years)	$164

Related & additional fees

Separate or situational costs — not part of the standard initial application.

Licensure fee if issued July 1 of an even-numbered year through June 30 of an odd-numbered year (full biennium)	$164
Licensure fee if issued July 1 of an odd-numbered year through June 30 of an even-numbered year (prorated half-biennium)	$82
Exam fee, paid directly to PSI upon registration	$90

Recommended MBLEx exam prep

Formal prep pays for itself against a $265 retake. These are the resources we point candidates to for the MBLEx (Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination).

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Continuing Education

12 hours every 2 years.

Per Act 102, SLH 2021 (amending HRS §452-16), all massage therapists must complete at least 12 hours of continuing education within the 2-year period preceding each June 30 (even-year) renewal deadline. Two of the 12 hours must be a hands-on first aid/CPR/emergency-related course sponsored by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association; the remaining 10 hours may be in any subject that enhances massage skills/knowledge (the Board's guidance names 'professional ethics' only as an example topic among several — there is no separate minimum-hour ethics carve-out). Practice-building/business courses do not qualify. CE is not required while a license is renewed on inactive status. No certificates are submitted at renewal (attestation only), but licensees selected for random audit must produce documentation.

Sources

Data last verified: 2026-07-24 | Source: HAR Title 16, Chapter 84 — Board of Massage Therapy Administrative Rules