Bill

Bill > SB1003


WI SB1003

WI SB1003
Licensure and regulation of establishments providing massage therapy or bodywork therapy, the practice of massage therapy or bodywork therapy, and granting rule-making authority. (FE)


summary

Introduced
02/12/2026
In Committee
02/12/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead

Introduced Session

2025-2026 Regular Session

Bill Summary

This bill provides for licensure of massage therapy or bodywork therapy establishments and makes other changes related to the regulation and practice of massage therapy or bodywork therapy. The bill requires an establishment providing massage therapy or bodywork therapy to obtain a license granted by the Massage Therapy and Bodywork Therapy Affiliated Credentialing Board. The bill defines massage therapy or bodywork therapy establishment to mean a place of business held out to the public where massage therapy or bodywork therapy is regularly practiced or proposed to be regularly practiced, as further established by the board, but specifically including mobile massage therapy or bodywork therapy services and massage therapy or bodywork therapy schools. The bill exempts from the licensure requirement locations to which a licensed massage therapist or bodywork therapist who operates an out-call massage service travels and health care facilities providing massage therapy or bodywork therapy that are licensed or approved by the Department of Health Services. The bill provides for three types of establishment licenses: 1) a sole practitioner license, which entitles a single massage therapist or bodywork therapist to practice massage therapy or bodywork therapy from the location designated in the license; 2) a mobile massage therapy or bodywork therapy license, which entitles one or more massage therapists or bodywork therapists to practice massage therapy or bodywork therapy or offer to do so from the vehicle, mobile unit, or mobile facility or structure covered by the license; and 3) a multiple practitioner license, which entitles two or more massage therapists or bodywork therapists to practice massage therapy or bodywork therapy from the location designated in the license. The bill includes a number of requirements to be satisfied in order for an establishment to be granted a license, including that a responsible manager be designated, that the responsible manager pass an examination on state laws and administrative rules governing massage therapy and bodywork therapy, that each owner and responsible manager not have a disqualifying criminal record, and that the establishment pass a prelicensing inspection, if required by the board. The bill includes a number of requirements for licensed establishments and requires the board to establish standards of professional conduct in massage therapy establishments and minimum standards and requirements concerning the maintenance, equipment, plans, and specifications for licensed massage therapy or bodywork therapy establishments as they relate to the public health, safety, and welfare, which may allow for inspections, in addition to those required for initial licensure or renewal of a license, in response to a complaint about an establishment or massage therapist or bodywork therapist. The bill also modifies a number of requirements, prohibitions, and grounds for LRB-6095/1 MED:skw 2025 - 2026 Legislature SENATE BILL 1003 professional discipline that exist under current law, including adding references to human trafficking to provisions on mandatory reporting, automatic revocation, and disqualifying offenses, specifically prohibiting any individual from having sexual contact or sexual intercourse on the premises of a massage therapy establishment or from practicing massage therapy or bodywork therapy in the nude or in clothing designed to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of a client or other individual, and making other modifications to account for the licensing and regulation of establishments under the bill. For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

AI Summary

This bill establishes a licensing system for establishments that provide massage therapy or bodywork therapy, requiring them to obtain a license from the Massage Therapy and Bodywork Therapy Affiliated Credentialing Board. It defines a "massage therapy or bodywork therapy establishment" broadly to include places where these services are regularly offered, including mobile services and schools, but exempts licensed massage therapists traveling for out-call services and licensed health care facilities. The bill outlines three types of establishment licenses: sole practitioner, mobile, and multiple practitioner, and sets forth requirements for obtaining them, such as designating a responsible manager who must pass an exam on relevant laws and have no disqualifying criminal record, and passing a pre-licensing inspection. It also mandates standards for professional conduct and establishment operations, with provisions for inspections in response to complaints, and strengthens regulations by adding references to human trafficking in reporting requirements and disqualifying offenses, explicitly prohibiting sexual contact on the premises and practicing in a sexually suggestive manner.

Committee Categories

Government Affairs

Sponsors (6)

Last Action

Fiscal estimate received (on 02/27/2026)

bill text


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