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In Michigan, you must undergo training and an exam in order to get your massage therapist license.
Article Table of Contents
Schooling Requirements
To get your certification, you should have 500 hours of education covering the following areas:
- Instruction in massage/ bodywork theory, technique, and assessment: 200 hours
- Instruction in body systems, to include kinesiology, anatomy, and physiology: 125 hours
- Instruction in business and practice management: 4 hours
- Ethics instruction: 6 hours
- Pathology coursework: 40 hours
You will also need to practice for 40 hours in a massage clinic.
You can attend online classes in pathology, body systems, and business/ ethics/ professional practice.
Popular Programs
But, you cannot take online the classes needed to get your certification.
The program you attend must be approved by the Board.
| School Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Ann Arbor Institute of Massage Therapy | 180 Jackson Plaza #100 Ann Arbor, MI 48103 |
| Baker College | 4500 Enterprise Dr. Allen Park, MI 48101 |
| Baker College | 34950 Little Mack Ave. Clinton Township, MI 48035 |
| Baker College | 1903 Marquette Ave. Muskegon, MI 49442 |
| Baker College | 1020 South Washington St. Owosso, MI 48867 |
| Baker College | 3403 Lapeer Rd. Port Huron, MI 48060 |
| Bayshire Beauty Academy Bay City | 917 Saginaw St. 989 894-2431 Bay City, MI 48708 |
| Blue Heron Academy | 740 West Lake Lansing Rd. #400 East Lansing, MI 48823 |
| Blue Heron Academy | 2040 Raybrook, SE #104 Grand Rapids, MI 49546 |
| Blue Heron Academy | 4341 South Westnedge #2110 Kalamazoo, MI 49008 |
| Blue Heron Academy | 40 East Norton Ave. Muskegon, MI 49444 |
| Blue Heron Academy | 812 South Garfield Ave. #1 Traverse City, MI 49686 |
| Carnegie Institute | 550 Stephenson Hwy. #100-110 Troy, MI 48083 |
| Guardian Massage & Reflexology School | 40580 Van Dyke #D Sterling Heights, MI 48313 |
| Healing Hands Holistic Health Center | 23925 Denton Clinton Township, MI 48036 |
| Health Enrichment Center | 204 East Nepessing St. Lapeer, MI 48446 |
| IHSI Institute of Massage | 121 South Anderson Plainwell, MI 49080 |
| Institute of Natural Therapies | 21464 Paavola Rd. Hancock, MI |
| Institute of Sanative Arts | 0-11279 Tallmadge Woods Dr. Suite C Grand Rapids, MI 49534 |
| Irene's Myomassology Institute | 26061 Franklin Rd. Southfield, MI 48033 |
| Kalamazoo Center for Healing Arts | 6350 West KL Ave. Kalamazoo, MI 49009 |
| Lakewood School of Therapeutic Massage | 1102 6th Street Port Huron, MI 48060 |
| Lansing Community College | 515 N Washington Square Room 108 Lansing, MI 48933 |
| Marquette Massage | 125 West Washington St. Marquette, MI |
| Schoolcraft College | 18600 Haggerty Rd. Livonia, MI 48152 |
| Stautzenberger Institute | 9449 Hix Rd. Livonia, MI 48150 |
Exam Criteria
The MBLEx is the exam required to get licensed and is available in English and Spanish.
The exam costs $195, and you will need to read the information bulletin as well as prove your training.
The exam results are usually available within a day.
Background Check
You will need to have your fingerprints checked electronically by a service that is accepted by the Michigan State Police.
For this, you have to show your agency ID number.
If you come from another state, you will have your fingerprints taken on a standard FBI (FD-258) card and processed by Identogo.
The process costs $62.75.
Application Process
The application includes a section that needs to be filled in by the director of your school, stating you have completed your program.
You also need to send official high school transcripts and provide more info if you answered positively to some questions related to health or criminal offenses.
The application costs $95 and you will have to wait 2 weeks or more before receiving a response.
Coming From Other States
If you were licensed in a different state for less than 5 years, you need to show proof of experience and education.
If your certification is older than 5 years, such verification is not needed.
However, you still need to bring proof you completed high school and passed an exam.
Coming From Other Countries
You need to get your credentials verified by a service that is accepted by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.
If your training was done in another language, you have to show scores from the TOEFLibt or the TOEFL and the TSE.
If you take the TOEFLibt, you need scores of at least:
- Reading: 22
- Listening: 22
- Speaking: 26
- Writing: 24
If you have a score of a minimum 50 on the TSE, a score of 550 TOEFL is also accepted.
Other Info
Contact The Michigan Board of Massage Therapy at ‘bhpinfo@michigan.gov’ if you need extra info and The Michigan Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association for more resources.
You will have to renew your license every 3 years, unlike in many other states where the rule is for 2 years.
The salary is on par with the rest of the country but depends on experience and other credentials you may have.
Below, you can see the median salary in major Michigan cities.
Annual Salary Range:| Location | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Detroit | $52,463 |
| Grand Rapids | $49,959 |
| Warren | $52,463 |
| Sterling Heights | $52,299 |
| Ann Arbor | $53,205 |
| Lansing | $50,133 |
| Flint | $47,499 |
| Dearborn | $52,463 |
| Livonia | $52,299 |
| Troy | $52,272 |
Regional Salary in Michigan
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Arbor, MI | 80 | $61,460 | $29.55 | $93,400 | $31,410 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 920 | $61,450 | $29.55 | $83,200 | $40,450 |
| Flint, MI | 70 | $60,120 | $28.9 | $84,750 | $38,270 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI | 200 | $62,540 | $30.07 | $91,820 | $34,690 |
| Jackson, MI | 50 | $63,770 | $30.66 | $76,960 | $34,070 |
| Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | 80 | $71,880 | $34.56 | $113,500 | $46,450 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 120 | $68,790 | $33.07 | $96,130 | $45,020 |
| Niles-Benton Harbor, MI | 30 | $64,880 | $31.19 | $84,600 | $42,300 |
| Saginaw, MI | 60 | $60,390 | $29.04 | $77,920 | $36,910 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Read the full guide: How to Become a Massage Therapist
Massage Therapy by State