Regulating California Massage Therapists - Pro

In the state of California, recent arrests in the field of massage therapy have led the city of Visalia to examine the current regulations within the industry. The arrests back in March 2012 pertained to individuals living where they worked, and some were in regards to massage therapists providing services that were a bit questionable.

For safety and sanitation reasons, we support efforts of the city and state to create and enforce laws in the massage therapy industry the same as other health and beauty industries are regulated. Barbers, cosmetologists and estheticians are currently required to follow certain guidelines, and we feel that the massage therapy field should be regulated as well.

One of the areas of concern revolves around certification of massage therapists. As of now, there are no laws that dictate what certification is required. In fact, the law does not indicate that a certification is needed at all. The law that is now up for debate states that massage therapists will need to obtain licensure from the California Massage Therapy Council. The board will also be responsible for conducting background checks on the applicants. Besides identifying the applicant, the council's background check will ensure proper training was obtained from a massage therapy school. A criminal background check will need to be conducted too. The certification is expected to cost $160 for the initial price of getting it, while fines may run from $200 to $500 for those who do not adhere to the rules.

Because certifications will require training that many California massage therapists will not be able to verify and some will be below the standards deemed necessary for certification, current massage therapists are speaking up and against the new laws. However, we feel that the rules protect customers as well as massage therapists, since the laws will ensure they are practicing their craft with certain standards. The standards will dictate the safety of the massage and that it is administered correctly. We feel that this helps massage therapists to provide services that are meaningful, and it will assist massage professionals in creating a better business. Ultimately, these laws serve the purpose of protecting customers from unwanted attention from therapists, and from individuals who are not trained properly in the field.

This article was originally posted and discussed on VisaliaTimesDelta.com. What are your thoughts on massage therapists being regulated?