§ 5401. Definitions
As used in this chapter:
(1) “Director” means the Director of the Office of Professional Regulation.
(2)(A) “Establishment” means any place of business that:
(i) offers the practice of massage or the practice of bodywork or where the practice of
massage or the practice of bodywork is conducted on the premises of the business;
or
(ii) represents itself to the public by any title or description of services incorporating
the words “touch professional,” “bodywork,” “massage,” “massage therapy,” “massage
therapist,” “massage practitioner,” “massagist,” “masseur,” “masseuse,” “energy work,”
or other words identified by the Director in rules.
(B) A “place of business” includes any office, clinic, facility, salon, spa, or other
location not otherwise exempted under section 5404 of this chapter where a person
or persons engage in the practice of massage or the practice of bodywork.
(3) “Practice of massage” and “practice of bodywork” mean offering or engaging in massage
or bodywork in exchange for consideration.
(4)(A) “Massage” and “Bodywork” mean systems of structured touch that are:
(i)(I) applied to the superficial, soft or deep tissue, muscle, or connective tissue of another
person by manual means, including friction, gliding, rocking, tapping, kneading, and
nonspecific stretching; or
(II) designed to affect the energy fields of the body for the purpose of promoting and
maintaining health and well-being; and
(ii) provided to clients in a manner in which the clients have a reasonable expectation
of privacy.
(B) Massage and bodywork may include the use of therapies such as heliotherapy or hydrotherapy;
the use of moist, hot, and cold external applications; and the use of oils or other
lubricants.
(C) Neither massage nor bodywork include the diagnosis of illness, disease, impairment,
or disability.
(5) “Massage therapist, bodyworker, or touch professional” means a person who holds a
registration from the Office to practice massage or practice bodywork or both. (Added 2019, No. 178 (Adj. Sess.), § 29, eff. April 1, 2021.)