Knowledge Base

Massage Therapist: A person who practices or provides therapeutic massage to another for a fee or other consideration paid either directly or indirectly. A massage therapist does not include a medical doctor, chiropractor, osteopath, podiatrist, licensed nurse, physical therapist, athletic doctor or trainer, or beautician (cosmetologist) or barber who confines his treatment to the scalp, face and neck or the lower leg and feet in the case of a pedicure.

Massage Therapy:  The scientific health care or health maintenance techniques or procedures carried out by a massage therapist involving the rubbing, tapping, pounding or kneading of a person's skin, muscles, and tissues or the stretching of body limbs (e.g., Thai massage) for the purpose of easing mental and physical tension, the breaking up of fatty tissues, relaxing muscles, or alleviating muscle spasms, pain relief, aiding in the healing process, promoting health and wellness, and the improvement of circulation through the body.

Cost

• License: $112 
• One-Time Investigation Fee: $150 

Governing Rochester Ordinance

• RCO 5-15

Application

Please contact licenses@rochestermn.gov for a paper application.