Utah

Utah’s Senate Bill 180 (SB 180) will be heard in committee November 16, 2022. SB 180 seeks to create two lower tiers of licensure for “massage assistants” and “massage assistants in training.” The public can attend the committee meeting in person or virtually to fight the bill.

Senate Bill 180 was introduced will create a tiered licensing structure for massage therapists: Licensed Massage Therapists (LMTs) and a second tier of Certified Massage Practitioners (CMPs) who practice limited massage therapy. ABMP is opposed to SB 180 as is, because there are no education requirements for becoming a CMP.

Senate Bill 214 removes the provision that English be the sole language for the government in the state of Utah.

Reiki is now exempt from the massage license requirement in Utah if it is used as a “spiritual healing art” and does not involve the methods outlined in the Utah massage statute’s scope of practice for Massage Therapy.  However, should a Reiki Practitioner while performing the “spiritual healing art” involve the use of any of the methods outlined in the scope of practice for Massage Therapy, then the Reiki Practitioner must be licensed as a Massage Therapist.

On April 1, 2014, Governor Herbert signed into law two bills which create new exemptions from the massage licensing law.

House Bill 207 provides that practitioners whose practices are limited to the manipulation of the soft tissues of the hands, feet, and outer ears, including practitioners of reflexology and foot zone therapy, are not be required to have a state massage therapy license, as long as:

Two bills have been introduced in the Utah state legislature that would create new exemptions from the massage licensing law.

House Bill 207 provides that practitioners whose practices are limited to the manipulation of the soft tissues of the hands, feet, and outer ears, including practitioners of reflexology and foot zone therapy, would not be required to have a state massage therapy license, as long as:

• Remove the definition of the word “manipulation,” which is defined as “physical contact, with movement, on the clothed or unclothed body”; and

756 (6) "Practice of massage therapy" means: 757 (a) the examination, assessment, and evaluation of the soft tissue structures of the body 758 for the purpose of devising a treatment plan to promote homeostasis;