Fast Facts about the American Massage Therapy Association

The American Massage Therapy Association® (AMTA®) is the oldest and largest international, member-driven organization representing the massage therapy profession.

F AMTA was founded in 1943.

F AMTA has more than 58,000 members in 27 countries.

F AMTA has chapters in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

F AMTA is governed by an elected National Board of Directors.

AMTA plays an important role in ensuring high standards and ethical behavior in the practice of massage therapy.

F AMTA initiated the creation, in 1992, of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB), which is formally recognized by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies. The National Certification Exam has become the standard for licensure used by most of the 33 states that regulate massage, to measure a competent and qualified practitioner. More than 60,000 massage therapists now have National Certification.

F AMTA develops and re-examines guidelines for the ethical practice of massage to keep them current and to reflect needs of the profession and the consumer. AMTA has a Practice Standards document and a Code of Ethics, and is developing behavioral guidelines for its members. Such standards help to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for all who seek the benefits of massage.

F The Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) was established by AMTA in 1989 to uphold AMTA’s principles of ethics and professionalism in all phases of career training and professional development. COMTA operates independently, determining benchmarks of massage therapy education. COMTA-accredited educational programs must demonstrate compliance with COMTA standards by completing a comprehensive self-study, onsite observation by external professionals and educators, and evaluation by an independent commission.

AMTA promotes and provides for continuing education in the profession.

F AMTA requires its Professional Members to provide evidence of continuing education in the massage field. Through the AMTA National Convention, conferences and workshops it provides continuing education and networking opportunities for massage therapists. AMTA’s educational events feature prominent researchers and educators in the massage profession.

F AMTA’s 52 chapters provide additional continuing-education conferences and workshops at the regional and local levels.

AMTA is a key contributor to the advancement of the art, science and practice of massage therapy.

F AMTA created the AMTA Foundation (a tax-exempt, public charity) to fund massage therapy-related research, community outreach and educational scholarships. The AMTA Foundation has awarded more than $500,000 since its inception in 1993.

F AMTA provided funding toward a pilot study on the use of massage therapy for pain management, directed by David M. Eisenberg, M.D., Director of the Center for Alternative Medicine at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

F AMTA supports its chapters’ legislative efforts to foster a legal climate supportive of the practice of therapeutic massage. To do this, it created a Law and Legislation Assistance Program (LLAP) in 1992, which has distributed more than $1.2 million to support those efforts. Since 1992, the number of states regulating massage has grown from 17 to 37, plus Washington, D.C.

F Through AMTA’s National Massage Therapy Awareness Week, the last full week of October, AMTA actively promotes therapeutic massage and the massage profession to the public, medical professionals and health insurance companies.

F AMTA’s Web site at www.amtamassage.org provides the public with accurate information about the benefits of massage therapy, recent research on its efficacy, and a means to locate qualified massage therapists.