Washington

House Bill 1981 was introduced in the Washington state legislature on March 7, 2013. The bill proposes to require that massage therapy businesses, or “establishments,” obtain establishment licenses from the Department of Health in order to operate.

On March 29, 2012, Governor Gregoire signed Senate Bill 6103, which amends and supplements the existing massage licensing statute by requiring the certification of reflexologists. Because massage practitioners must be licensed in Washington under existing law, and reflexology falls within their scope of practice, the new certification provisions will not have an impact on currently licensed massage practitioners.

Introduced on January 11, 2012, Senate Bill 6103 proposes to regulate reflexology by requiring the registration of reflexologists. Since massage therapists are already licensed in Washington, and reflexology fits within a massage therapist’s scope of practice, this legislation will not have an impact on massage therapists. In addition, the bill provides that any individual registered as a reflexologist may not use the term “massage therapist” or any similar term to describe or advertise his or her services.

Introduced on January 11, 2012, Senate Bill 6104 would grant the secretary of health the authority to inspect massage business establishments during business hours. If the secretary is denied access, it may apply for a warrant authorizing access. ABMP is in communication with Senators Keiser, Fraser, and Kline, the bill’s sponsors, to advocate for language that would limit the secretary’s authority to inspect establishments only if a complaint is received.

HB 1133, signed into law by Governor Gregoire on May 3, 2011, will require massage practitioners to include their name and license number on all advertisements and conspicuously display his or her license in his or her principal place of business. If the massage practitioner does not have a principal place of business or conducts business in multiple locations, he or she must have a copy of his or her license available for inspection while performing any activities related to massage therapy. The law goes into effect on July 22, 2011.

The Washington Board of Massage is now accepting the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx) offered by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB: www.fsmtb.org) as a qualification for licensure.