• Massage Schools don’t want to change their curriculum (So they write the proposed bill to equal their program).
• Massage therapists are upset at people that don’t have a lot of training and they want everyone to have a certain requirement.
• Some states want regulation, because there is money in the registration process.
• Continuing Education programs want it because some states require extra classes.
• NCBTMB want it, because they will profit it the state wants to use their test as a requirement.
• Certain massage associations, because it will help them if the state requires them to have liability insurance.

As you can see, there is a lot of people and organizations that will profit from state regulation. The nice thing about the NCBTMB is that they have requirements to take their test and most massage schools have to gear their curriculum around that (So there is some system to it). On the other hand, it would be nice for the NCBTMB to have some say in the rules and regulations for each state and have all the states come together. Many therapists have to take more training if they are going to move from one state to the next. How upset would you be if you had to take more?

I actually fought regulation in my state the other year, because 2 massage schools and one association (Names withheld) wanted regulation and their fingerprints where all over the proposed bill. They did not contact others in the profession and they snuck around most peoples backs (No pun intended). Luckily it was stopped in the senate and we have another year to relax and get a massage. Would you really want another organization (Nurses, Chiropractors, ect…) to dictate what we can do? I really think most massage therapists would want their own regulation board. But that brings up another problem, we all can’t get along. There are so many different styles of massage and most styles want to be separated from massage and they want their own identity (Totally understandable). But if Reflexology, Energy work and others would have their own board, then we would have to pay $1,000’s on classes to call yourself their title. In the proposed bill that was stopped the other year, they actually wanted to have separate bills: One Massage and another one Asian Medicine. That’s understandable, but most therapists incorporate many different techniques and modalities into their massage and that would only limit everyone. Again, think about all the extra money just to call yourself an Asian practitioner and a massage therapist. You can never get enough of massage and Asian medicine training and you are only as good as your school you went to. Have you ever heard the term: The more you know, the less you really
know? That statement is so true in so many avenues, you actually start to take on the beliefs of your instructors (And who is to say they are right). There are so many different beliefs out there and if you put 10 massage therapists in a room and ask them a question, then you will get 100+ answers.

In conclusion: if the schools, states, and associations would not worry how they would benefit from regulation, then we could find a neutral regulation for everyone. I honestly don’t see that in my life time, but I can always have a dream.