Massage License Requirements in Washington
Verified against Washington State Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance — Board of Massage Therapy · 2026-07-24
Compiled and verified against primary state-board sources by GetMassageLicense — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Washington requires a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) credential from the Department of Health before anyone may practice massage therapy, overseen by an advisory Board of Massage Therapy. Applicants complete a minimum 625-hour board-approved program, pass a national competency exam (MBLEx or NCBTMB) plus a Washington jurisprudence exam, and complete a 4-hour HIV/AIDS education course. Licenses renew annually and require 24 hours of continuing education every 2 years.
Washington Massage License Requirements
| Licensing Authority | Washington State Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance — Board of Massage Therapy |
| Title | LMT |
| Training Hours | 625 hours — Board-approved massage school, massage program, transfer program, or apprenticeship program, completed in no fewer than 24 weeks |
| Exam | MBLEx (Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination) (Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB)) Alternatives accepted: NCBTMB (National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork) examination |
| Renewal Period | 1 year |
Fee Breakdown
| Initial License Fee | $210 |
| Renewal Fee (every 1 year) | $150 |
Related & additional fees
Separate or situational costs — not part of the standard initial application.
| HEAL-WA online access fee (charged with initial and renewal) | $16 |
| Late renewal penalty | $75 |
| Intraoral massage endorsement | $25 |
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
24 hours every 2 years, including 4 ethics hours.
WAC 246-830-475 requires 24 hours of continuing education every 2 years, with mandatory minimums within that total: at least 8 hours of in-person, direct-application massage therapy instruction; at least 4 hours covering professional ethics, client/patient communication, professional roles and boundaries, OR Washington state massage laws and rules (up to 2 of these 4 hours may be satisfied by attending board meetings); and at least 2 hours of health equity continuing education. ethicsHours is recorded as 4 to reflect this mandatory minimum, though the category is shared with communication/boundaries/law topics rather than being ethics-exclusive.
Licensure by Endorsement
Available to applicants holding an active, unrestricted massage therapy license in another jurisdiction with substantially equivalent education: either 625+ hours completed in 24+ weeks, or 500+ hours plus 2 years of licensed experience and 24 hours of continuing education completed within the prior 2 years.
Sources
Data last verified: 2026-07-24 | Source: WAC 246-830-475 — Continuing Education Requirements