While the massage lessons within this website are professionally taught and you'll learn how to give a great massage, this does not lead to being massage therapy certified or licensed as a massage therapist. No online massage training does. And I would be highly skeptical if they said they did. You really need live/hands-on training to become a massage therapist and to get your massage therapy certification.

Professional massage therapists in general need around 600 hours of in class training (and many therapists are trying to up those hours to establish even more credibility with other health professionals, but that's a whole other topic). Many massage therapy certification programs now offer 1,000 hour training.

Currently, as of this writing, there are 33 states that require some sort of certification or licensing to practice massage as a business. This does not include the local regulations that might be in your area or city.

There is a National Certification offered (called NCTMB). Many states require that the National Certification be obtained before they can be licensed or certified by the state. At least that's the way it's done in Virginia. As an example, Virginia requires the National Certification Exam be taken and passed, before being certified to practice massage by the State Nursing Board of Virginia.

After certification then additional continuing education credits must be earned every couple years to maintain certification status.

There are 19 states that require no state-wide certification. Those 19 states might have local regulations however. So it's critical that you check what the massage therapy certification requirements are for your specific area.

If you do intend to practice professionally then it is highly encouraged to attend a massage school. I wouldn't practice as a massage therapist without it and in fact, most states won't allow it.

Are you a massage therapist or student of massage in need of a professionally designed website? Try Massage Web Designs for more help and an easy way to get your own site.