• Practicing massage therapy in Californiamassage therapist at work image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
  
  You must obtain a license to legally practice massage therapy in California. To do this, you need to meet the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) requirements. A license is necessary in order to comply with local and state laws, and it also protects the health and safety of both the practitioner and client.
  
  

Required Hours

• You must have completed at least 500 hours of formal education and training in massage therapy from a state recognized school to qualify for the CMT, or Certified Massage Therapist, license. For the CMP, or Certified Massage Practitioner, license, you must have between 250 and 499 hours. Getting the CMP license is also possible with less than 250 hours if you supply documentation of professional work.
  
  

Application

• You register and begin your application online through the California Massage Therapy Council web site camt.org. The application is four pages long.
  
  

Materials

• Gather the following materials to complete your application.
  
  1. Official massage therapy school transcripts.
  
  2. Live Scan fingerprinting and background check.
  
  3. $150 application fee.
  
  5. Recent passport photo.
  
  6. Photocopy of your driver's license or official state identification.