2023 Oklahoma Statutes › Title 59. Professions and Occupations › §59-4200.3. Licensed massage therapist - When license is required - Restrictions on practicing massage therapy

A. Unless a person is a licensed massage therapist, a person shall not:
1. Use the title of massage therapist;
2. Represent himself or herself to be a massage therapist;
3. Use any other title, words, abbreviations, letters, figures, signs or devices that indicate the person is a massage therapist; or
4. Utilize the terms "massage", "massage therapy" or "massage therapist" when advertising or printing promotional material.
B. A person shall not maintain, manage or operate a massage therapy school offering education, instruction or training in massage therapy unless the school is a licensed massage therapy school pursuant to Section 7 of this act.
C. Individuals practicing massage therapy under the Massage Therapy Practice Act shall not perform any of the following:
1. Diagnosis of illness or disease;
2. High-velocity, low-amplitude thrust;
3. Electrical stimulation;
4. Application of ultrasound;
5. Use of any technique that interrupts or breaks the skin; or
6. Prescribing of medicines.
D. Nothing in the Massage Therapy Practice Act shall be construed to prevent:
1. Qualified members of other recognized professions who are licensed or regulated under Oklahoma law from rendering services within the scope of the license of the person, provided the person does not represent himself or herself as a massage therapist. A physician or other licensed health care provider providing health care services within the scope of practice of the physician or provider shall not be required to be licensed by or registered with the State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering;
2. Students from rendering massage therapy services within the course of study when enrolled at a licensed massage therapy school;
3. Visiting massage therapy instructors from another state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia or any foreign nation from teaching massage therapy, provided the instructor is duly licensed or registered, if required, and is qualified in the instructor's place of residence for the practice of massage therapy;
4. Any nonresident person holding a current license, registration or certification in massage therapy from another state or recognized national certification system determined as acceptable by the Board when temporarily present in this state from providing massage therapy services as a part of an emergency response team working in conjunction with disaster relief officials or at special events such as conventions, sporting events, educational field trips, conferences, traveling shows or exhibitions;
5. Physicians or other health care professionals from appropriately referring to duly licensed massage therapists or limit in any way the right of direct access of the public to licensed massage therapists; or
6. The practice of any person in this state who uses touch, words and directed movement to deepen awareness of existing patterns of movement in the body as well as to suggest new possibilities of movement while engaged within the scope of practice of a profession with established standards and ethics, provided that the services are not designated or implied to be massage or massage therapy. Practices shall include but are not limited to the Feldenkrais Method of somatic education, Rolf Movement Integration by the Rolf Institute, the Trager Approach of movement education, and Body-Mind Centering. Practitioners shall be recognized by or meet the established standards of either a professional organization or credentialing agency that represents or certifies the respective practice based on a minimal level of training, demonstration of competency, and adherence to ethical standards.
E. A physician or other licensed health care provider providing health care services within their scope of practice shall not be required to be licensed or registered with the State Board of Cosmetology.
Added by Laws 2016, c. 292, § 3, eff. Aug. 26, 2016.