Recent News and Legislative Updates

South Dakota HB 1027, introduced this legislative session, would make several changes to South Dakota’s massage law if passed. ABMP submitted public comments during the bill’s…

SB 568, a bill introduced in Wisconsin, and its companion bill AB 726, is an attempt by some to reduce “red tape” in regulatory affairs. The bill would…

The Beauty Changes Lives (BCL) Foundation is accepting applications through March 28, 2016 for the 2016 BCL-Massage Envy Scholarship Competition. Six students enrolled in a massage therapy education program at a qualified school will receive a $1,500 tuition scholarship toward their…

HB 562, introduced in the Virginia legislature…

Two bills recently introduced in the Washington State Legislature would open a pathway for applicants who attended certain massage schools that are not approved by the Washington Massage Board, including out-of-state schools, to obtain a Washington state massage license. Under the bills,…

Green Spa Network, a not-for-profit association dedicated to promoting sustainability in and through the spa and wellness industry, announced that its 9^th Annual Green Spa Network (GSN) Congress will be held at Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort and Spa in the majestic Colorado Rocky…

In a randomized controlled trial, 15-minute daily back massages for one week performed on 44 family caregivers of patients with cancer resulted in improved blood pressure, cortisol level, heart rate, sleep quality, and state anxiety in the caregivers.

The study concluded that oncology…

Vermont is one of five states in the United States that currently does not have state licensing or other state regulation of massage therapists. In June 2015, ABMP and the Vermont Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association submitted a Sunrise Application…

A new study led by University of Colorado Boulder researchers found pregnant and postpartum women at risk of depression are less likely to suffer depression when they meditate or get in a yoga pose than when they are treated with psychotherapy and antidepressants.

The study focused on…

In a pilot study aimed to determine the impact of reiki therapy on the pain perception of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA), reiki was shown to have a statistically significant effect on pain reduction.

The study sample included 43 patients undergoing TKA. All subjects had…