Arkansas Massage Therapy: Licensing, MBLEx, and Renewal

To work as a massage therapist in Arkansas, you need a license from the Arkansas Department of Health, and meeting the Arkansas massage therapy license requirements takes several steps in a specific order: get a learning permit before you enroll in school, complete at least 500 hours of approved training, pass the national MBLEx exam, clear state and federal background checks, and submit your application with the required fees. The license then renews every two years with continuing education.

Get a Learning Permit Before You Enroll

Arkansas is unusual in requiring a state-issued learning permit before a massage school or apprenticeship program can enroll you. The school is prohibited from taking you on as a student unless you already hold a valid permit from the Department of Health.¹

To get the permit you must be at least 18 years old and submit:

Proof of age
A valid photo ID or driver’s license and a Social Security card, both in the same name
A state (Arkansas State Police) and federal (FBI) criminal background check, including fingerprinting²
A sworn declaration that you have no felony convictions listed under Arkansas Code 17-3-102 and no prostitution convictions in any state
The $75 nonrefundable permit fee³

The application must be notarized. Your school or apprenticeship program also sends enrollment confirmation directly to the Department of Health.

Complete 500 Hours at an Approved School or Apprenticeship

Arkansas requires a minimum of 500 hours of instruction, taken at a Department of Health-licensed massage therapy school or through an approved apprenticeship program.⁴ The curriculum covers anatomy, physiology, hands-on technique, and professional ethics, among other subjects.

Apprenticeship is a legitimate alternative to classroom training. An approved program must be recognized by the U.S. Office of Apprenticeship and operate under a registered sponsor who holds a massage therapy instructor license. The training standards mirror what schools provide.

Check that your school is licensed by the state before you pay tuition. Operating a massage therapy school without proper licensure is itself a violation of Arkansas law, and hours logged at an unlicensed school will not qualify you for a license.¹

Pass the MBLEx

Arkansas uses the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination, known as the MBLEx, administered by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. The exam is graded pass/fail, with no numeric score reported.⁵

The test covers seven content areas, weighted as follows:

Client assessment, reassessment, and treatment planning — 17%
Ethics, boundaries, laws, and regulations — 16%
Benefits and effects of soft tissue manipulation — 15%
Guidelines for professional practice — 15%
Pathology, contraindications, and special populations — 14%
Kinesiology — 12%
Anatomy and physiology — 11%⁶

The FSMTB does not cap the number of retakes, though you must submit a new application and pay the exam fee each time. Arkansas may impose its own limits, so confirm with the Department of Health before scheduling a retake.⁵

Restrictions on What You Can Call Yourself

Once you hold a license, Arkansas gives you exclusive use of a long list of professional titles. You cannot call yourself a massage therapist, massage practitioner, myotherapist, masseur, masseuse, master massage therapist, or massage therapy instructor, or advertise under any variation of these titles, unless your license is current.¹

The law also bars anyone without a license from practicing massage therapy for payment, barter, donation, or any other exchange, and prohibits clinics and schools from employing or contracting with unlicensed people to perform massage.

Renew Every Two Years With 18 Hours of Continuing Education

An Arkansas massage therapy license is valid for two years and expires on your birthday in the renewal year. Each renewal must include proof of at least 18 hours of continuing education approved by the Department of Health.⁷

If your renewal is postmarked after the first day of the month before your birth month in the renewal year, expect a late penalty of up to $25. If you want to stop practicing temporarily without losing your credentials, you can pay up to $80 per two-year cycle to go on the inactive list. Inactive status preserves your license and waives continuing education, but you cannot perform massage therapy for pay while on it.⁷

Who Doesn’t Need a Separate Massage Therapy License

A few groups can perform massage in Arkansas without going through the licensing process, but the exemptions are narrow:

Physicians, osteopaths, podiatrists, physical therapists, physician assistants, nurses, physical therapy assistants, acupuncturists, midwives, and chiropractors already licensed in Arkansas, when massage therapy falls within their existing scope of practice.¹
Recent graduates and apprentices, who may practice under the direct supervision of a licensed instructor for up to six months after finishing their program while their license application is processed.
Instructors approved by the Department of Health to teach approved school curricula or continuing education, when instructing and demonstrating techniques.
Students, when the massage is incidental to a program of study at a licensed school and performed under the direct supervision of a licensed instructor employed by that school.

The healthcare exemption is scope-bound. A physical therapist using soft tissue mobilization during a PT session does not need a massage license on top of the one already held. A nurse who wants to open a standalone massage practice outside the scope of nursing does need to go through the full licensing process.

What Happens If You Practice Without a License

Any violation of Arkansas’s massage therapy chapter is a misdemeanor. A conviction can bring up to six months in county jail, a fine of up to $1,500, or both.⁸

The Department of Health or any Arkansas citizen can also seek a court injunction to shut down unlawful practice, and that remedy is separate from criminal prosecution. Facing one does not shield you from the other.⁸

If you are already licensed, the Massage Therapy Technical Advisory Committee can suspend, place on probation, or revoke your license for a range of reasons that include felony or prostitution convictions, practicing outside your scope, malpractice or gross incompetence, employing unlicensed workers, untruthful advertising, or failure to follow the Department of Health’s Code of Ethics.⁹

1
Arkansas Department of Health. Arkansas Massage Therapy Law 2025 – Section 17-86-301
2
Justia Law. Arkansas Code 17-86-104 – Criminal Background Checks
3
Arkansas Department of Health. Arkansas Massage Therapy Law 2025 – Section 17-86-303
4
Arkansas Department of Health. Massage Therapy
5
FSMTB. MBLEx Candidate Handbook 2025
6
FSMTB. MBLEx Content Outline
7
Justia Law. Arkansas Code 17-86-309 – Renewals – Inactive List
8
Justia Law. Arkansas Code 17-86-103 – Penalties
9
Arkansas Department of Health. Arkansas Massage Therapy Law 2025 – Section 17-86-311