The Iowa Board of Massage Therapy Examiners govern the issuance of massage therapy licenses in Iowa. They are regulated by the Department of Health. Anyone wishing to practice massage therapy in Iowa must become licensed. Escorts transitioning into the field of massage therapy will find the guidelines fairly standard in regard to other states. Guidelines include:
Applicants must have either a high school diploma or the equivalent.
Applicants must complete the application packet, which includes disclosure of information about criminal history, education and school curriculum, test scores and other typical contact and identification information. A non-refundable application fee is due at the time of the submission.
Massage therapy licensing applicants are required to provide official transcripts from a school of massage therapy that provided at least 500 hours of supervised coursework. Coursework must have included at least 200 hours of classes covering anatomy, pathology, physiology, fundamentals of massage therapy, indications and contraindications and other related subjects.
Massage therapists must provide evidence of completion of CPR and first aid courses certified by the American Heart Association, American Red Cross or the National Safety Council.
Massage therapists must provide official passing test results from one of two testing organizations:
National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).
Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx).
Massage therapists moving from other states must provide evidence of their current license in good standing, information about their education and official passing test scores of national examinations.
Licenses are renewed every two years and require continued CPR certification and mandatory reporter training.
