Because massage therapists are regulated and licensed by the Massage Therapy Licensure Board (which is overseen by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation), the city of Chicago does not require massage therapists to meet additional guidelines or restrictions in order to practice their professions within the city's boundaries. However, depending on the type of business a massage therapist hopes to operate, a business license may be required, which would include an Employee ID number, meeting zoning guidelines and upholding other requirements determined by the City of Chicago. Escorts who hope to practice massage therapy as a profession in Chicago must meet the following guidelines:
Massage therapist license applicants must be able to provide proof that they are at least 18 years old at the time of application.
Candidates for massage therapy licenses must have official transcripts proving proof of education. Massage therapists are required to have completed at least 500 hours of classroom instruction and practical experience from a school or program that is approved by the Board. The curriculum must include courses in: physiology, human anatomy, kinesiology, pathology, massage theory and technique, client data collection, contraindications and ethics, among many others. An overall score of 70 percent in all classes is required to pass the program.
Applicants seeking their massage therapy licenses must take and pass (with proof through official test scores) the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodyworks (NCETMB).
Criminal background checks are required for all applicants. Electronic fingerprints are used by the Illinois Department of State Police to check criminal histories in Illinois and across the U.S. through the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A fee is required for this background check.
Submission of a completed application and an application fee is required.
Licensed massage therapists must complete at least 24 hours of continuing education every two years in order to renew his or her license. The courses must include at least 2 hours of ethics instruction.
It is illegal for any unlicensed practitioner to use the words "massage," "massage therapy" or "massage therapist" in any advertising or literature about his or her practice.
A licensee may be fined or have his or her licensed revoked for certain infractions of the law including:
Conviction of a felony or misdemeanor that is related to his or her massage therapy practice.
Conviction of a crime involving immoral conduct, especially sexually-related crimes.
Excessive drug or alcohol use that impairs a licensee's skills or judgment or a client's safety.
Applicants from other states may obtain a license based on their licensing status in their previous home.
