Look the therapist up on your state’s license search and ask for a Certificate of Insurance. Licensure is required in 49 states and territories, so any on-demand service should give you a license number to check. Massage therapists on Blys hold a valid license in their state wherever the state issues one, and are insured and background checked.
Which states require a massage license
Massage is regulated state by state. The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) summarizes the US picture like this:
| What the state requires | Where |
|---|---|
| A license (education, a competence exam and continuing education) | 49 states and territories |
| Registration, with no education or exam requirement | Vermont |
| Voluntary certification | California |
| No state regulation | Kansas, Minnesota, Wyoming |
California is different: the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) issues a certificate that therapists can choose to hold. Cities and counties can also regulate massage on top of state rules, according to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA).
How to look up a therapist’s license
You need the therapist’s full name and, ideally, their license number. Then use the state’s own search:
- FSMTB Look up a License lets you pick a state on a map and go to its license search, so start here if you are unsure which board to use.
- In Texas, a license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) is required to advertise or practice massage therapy. Its massage therapy page links to a license search.
- In New York, the Office of the Professions offers a Verify a License search that also shows enforcement actions.
- In California, search the CAMTC Verify Certification tool by certificate number, city of work or name.
A good result shows the name matching, an active status and no open discipline. If the search turns up nothing, ask the therapist for the exact name on the license before assuming there is a problem.
What insurance a massage therapist carries
The main cover is professional liability insurance, sometimes called medical malpractice insurance. It protects the therapist if they are sued for malpractice. AMTA’s member policy, as one example, covers up to $2,000,000 per claim.
To see proof of that cover, ask for a Certificate of Insurance (COI). Therapists insured through AMTA can view and download theirs from their account. If an office, hotel or event venue wants protection under the therapist’s policy too, it can be added as an additional insured, which covers that organization for liability arising from the therapist’s professional services.
Two policy types exist. A claims-made policy covers incidents reported while the policy is still active. An occurrence policy covers any incident that happened during the policy period, whenever the claim is filed.
Questions to ask any on-demand massage service
| Ask | A useful answer |
|---|---|
| Do you check state licenses? | Yes, and the therapist’s license number is something you can look up yourself |
| Are therapists insured, and can I see a COI? | A named policy type and a certificate on request |
| How is identity confirmed? | A government-issued ID, not just an email address |
| Does a person review applications? | A manual review before the therapist can take bookings |
| Can I message the therapist without sharing my number? | In-app chat or calls that keep contact details private |
| Who do I contact if something goes wrong? | Support you can reach at any hour, with a clear way to report an incident |
What Blys checks
Blys is a marketplace that connects clients with independent providers. These are the checks Blys describes on its US pages, and the limits worth knowing:
| Check | What Blys does |
|---|---|
| State license | Massage therapists hold a valid license in their state wherever the state issues one, and Blys checks and verifies it |
| Qualifications | Providers submit qualification documents for every treatment they want to offer, and each one is reviewed |
| Identity | A government-issued ID, a verified mobile number and a confirmed email address |
| Screening | A phone screening, then a follow-up session that looks at equipment, professionalism and technique, and a manual review before the account is activated |
| Insurance | Massage therapists are insured, and Blys reviews public liability insurance as part of its routine compliance checks |
| Background check | Massage therapists are background checked when they sign up, and Blys reviews these checks as part of its routine compliance checks |
| Certificate of Insurance | A COI is available to a corporate client or venue on request |
Kansas, Minnesota and Wyoming do not license massage therapists, and Vermont registers them instead, so the license check applies in every state that issues a license.
Once you book, you can chat with or call your provider through Blys without exchanging personal details, and support is available 24/7 by call or SMS. The full list is on the Blys Trust & Safety page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do massage therapists need a license in every US state?
No. According to the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, licensure is required in 49 states and territories. Vermont requires registration, which carries no education or exam requirement. California offers voluntary certification through the California Massage Therapy Council. Kansas, Minnesota and Wyoming have no state regulation of massage at all, which FSMTB notes also means no regulatory oversight or path for consumer recourse. Cities and counties can add their own rules, so check local rules too if you are booking for a business or an event.
Is a CAMTC certificate the same as a license?
Not quite. CAMTC describes its certificate as voluntary certification that lets massage therapists practice statewide in California. A license is mandatory wherever a state issues one: AMTA explains that once a licensing law passes, practicing without a license is illegal. You can check a California therapist on the CAMTC Verify Certification tool using their certificate number, the city they work in or their name.
Can I get a Certificate of Insurance for an office or event booking?
Yes. Blys can provide a Certificate of Insurance to a corporate client or venue on request, so ask for it when you set up the booking. An office or venue can also ask to be named as an additional insured on the therapist’s policy. AMTA describes this as cover for the organization’s liability arising from the therapist’s professional services, and its members can add one from their account at no extra charge.
What should I do if something feels wrong when the therapist arrives?
Trust that feeling and stop before the session begins. A professional provider will not push back on that. On Blys, incidents can be reported by email at hello@getblys.com or by phone on +1 314 876 8255, and serious matters go to the Trust & Safety team. A low rating also triggers a review by the Blys team, and a provider you block is never matched with you again.
Book a massage at your door
Choose a massage type, a length and a time, and add any notes for your provider when you place the booking. You can read how providers are checked in How are mobile massage and beauty providers verified and screened.
