Utah Bill Would Include "non-touch" as Massage

House Bill 114, Sponsored by Representative Tim Cosgrove (D-Murray), would amend the state’s Massage Therapy Act to close a perceived loophole that allows for unsavory purveyors to trade under the name of massage. The primary changes in the law would be to:

• Remove the definition of the word “manipulation,” which is defined as “physical contact, with movement, on the clothed or unclothed body”; and
• Add to the definition of “practice of massage therapy” the phrase “providing, offering, or advertising a paid service using the term massage or a derivative of the word massage, regardless of whether the service includes physical contact.”

The bill has passed both houses of the legislature and has been enrolled. The next stop will be the Governor Herbert for signature into law, which is expected. ABMP understands the desire to limit avenues for illegal activity through the massage law, but is concerned that this rewrite will compromise individuals that solely practice energy work. ABMP will make its concerns known to the Utah Massage Therapy Board, which will have responsibility for interpreting and enforcing the new language.