Massage therapy licensing guidelines: Phoenix

Phoenix, Arizona, does not require any different guidelines for escorts who wish to work as massage therapists within the city other than those already required by the State of Arizona. Prospective massage therapists who wish to practice their trade in Arizona must become licensed through meeting the following guidelines:

  • Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and be able to provide proof of their ages.
  • Applicants must be U.S. citizens are legal residents of the U.S. with legal documents to prove their status.
  • Applicants must have earned a high school diploma or a general equivalency degree (GED). Official transcripts or GED test scores may be used for proof.
  • Applicants must pay the application fee.
  • Massage therapy license applicants can have no felony convictions within the past 5 years.
  • Massage therapy license applicants can have no prostitution convictions within the past 5 years.
  • Massage therapy license applicants must submit a full set of fingerprints to be used for a federal criminal background check. Felony convictions within the past 5 years may result in denial of license.
  • Massage therapists must have completed at least 700 hours of classroom instruction by a board-approved school within Arizona. Certain curriculum requirements are necessary and determined by the Arizona Board of Massage Therapy.
  • Massage therapists must successfully pass the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCETMB). Official transcripts should be sent to the Arizona Board of Massage Therapy.
  • Applicants must not have had a license revoked by another state and must not be under investigation by any other state board for misconduct.
  • The applicant must receive board approval prior to licensure.
  • Continuing education requirements are at least 25 hours of classroom instruction every 2 years.
  • Unlicensed massage therapists are restricted from advertising massage services. Offenders may be convicted of a class 1 misdemeanor.
  • Massage therapists licensed by another state may obtain an Arizona license if:
    • Currently licensed for at least 5 years in a state with comparable guidelines.
    • Passed the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork with a passing score.

Massage parlors that were run as brothels or escort agencies became quite prevalent in the early 2000s. In order to crack down on illegitimate massage parlors, the City of Phoenix enacted some new laws that require massage establishment owners and managers to acquire licenses in order to operate their businesses. The process includes the following steps:

  • Applicants must submit a completed application and application fee.
  • The completed application includes questions about the applicant's legal name, business name and address, contact information, physical description of the applicant (along with a picture), date/place of birth of applicant, the business hours of the establishment, past residential history of the applicant, employment history of the applicant, evidence that the applicant is 18 years of age or older, self disclosure of criminal history, list of services offered by the business and a map of the business with descriptions for the use of all areas.
  • Applicants are required to be fingerprinted and submit to a criminal background check. The background check requires the applicant to pay a fee. Felony convictions within the past 5 years may result in denial of a license.
  • Candidates for licenses must not be under current investigation in other states or have past revoked licenses in order to be considered for a license to operate a massage establishment.
  • Applications and criminal history checks will be reviewed, and the applicant will be notified of the granting of the license or its denial.