Massage License Requirements in Oregon
Verified against Oregon Board of Massage Therapists · 2026-07-24
Compiled and verified against primary state-board sources by GetMassageLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Oregon requires a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) credential from the Oregon Board of Massage Therapists (OBMT) before anyone may practice massage for compensation. Applicants complete 625 hours of approved education and must pass three separate examinations — a national written exam (typically the MBLEx), a state practical exam, and an open-book jurisprudence exam — plus an electronic fingerprint criminal background check. Licenses renew every two years and require 25 hours of continuing education, including a mandatory ethics/boundaries/communication component.
Oregon Massage License Requirements
| Licensing Authority | Oregon Board of Massage Therapists (OBMT) |
| Title | LMT |
| Training Hours | 625 hours — In-state school licensed as a private career school, or approved by a community college/university/Higher Education Coordinating Commission, or an accredited college; out-of-state schools must be approved by their home jurisdiction or a regional accrediting body (OAR 334-010-0046) |
| Exam | MBLEx (Massage & Bodywork Licensing Exam), plus OBMT's own practical exam and jurisprudence exam (Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) for the written exam; Oregon Board of Massage Therapists administers the practical and jurisprudence exams) Alternatives accepted: NCBTMB — National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage (NCETM) or for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCETMB); CESI — Certification Examination for Structural Integration |
| Renewal Period | 2 years |
Fee Breakdown
| Application Fee | $100 |
| Initial License Fee | $200 |
| Renewal Fee (every 2 years) | $200 |
Related & additional fees
Separate or situational costs — not part of the standard initial application.
| Practical examination | $150 |
| Credentialing Review (alternative pathway for experienced out-of-state practitioners) | $250 |
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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Mometrix · SponsoredMBLEx Secrets Study GuideFull-length practice tests and step-by-step review for the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination.See the study guide →
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Mometrix · SponsoredMBLEx Online Prep CourseA guided video course with instructor-led lessons, quizzes, and a study plan for the MBLEx — a subscription option for a more structured review.See the course →Continuing Education
25 hours every 2 years, including 4 ethics hours.
OAR 334-010-0050 requires 25 hours of continuing education per biennial renewal, of which at least 15 must be contact hours; at least 4 contact hours must specifically be in Professional Ethics, Boundaries, and/or Communication (a combined category, not an ethics-only carve-out); at least 1 hour must be in Cultural Competency; and licensees must complete a 1-hour Pain Management module (Oregon Pain Management Commission) at least once per reporting cycle. CE is not required at a licensee's very first renewal after initial licensure.
Licensure by Endorsement
OAR 334-010-0008 provides two pathways: 'State Indorsement' grants a license (after passing only the jurisprudence exam, no additional exam) to any applicant holding a valid license from a jurisdiction whose requirements meet or exceed Oregon's; 'Health Indorsement' is available to applicants who already hold an active Oregon license in a related health field and can document at least 300 hours of qualifying curriculum, after passing the practical and jurisprudence exams. A separate Credentialing Review pathway ($250) exists for applicants who have legally practiced massage/bodywork for at least 3 years without formal indorsement eligibility.
Sources
Data last verified: 2026-07-24 | Source: Oregon Board of Massage Therapists — Administrative Rules, OAR Chapter 334 (fees, CE, licensure, indorsement)