New Mexico Statutes
Article 12C - Massage Therapy Practice
Section 61-12C-3 - Definitions. (Repealed effective July 1, 2028.)

As used in the Massage Therapy Practice Act:
A. "board" means the massage therapy board;
B. "continuing education" means courses, seminars, workshops and classes in areas related to the practice of massage therapy, such as:
(1) massage;
(2) bodywork;
(3) health care;
(4) psychology;
(5) anatomy and physiology;
(6) business;
(7) insurance;
(8) ethics;
(9) professional development;
(10) movement therapy;
(11) stress management;
(12) exempt modalities listed in Subsection C of Section 61-12C-5.1 NMSA 1978;
(13) cardiopulmonary resuscitation or first aid; and
(14) complementary alternative medicine modalities determined by the board to be related to the practice of massage therapy;
C. "continuing education provider" means:
(1) an individual who was an active New Mexico registered independent massage therapy instructor on the effective date of this 2019 act;
(2) a massage therapy school regulated by the requisite regulatory agency where the massage therapy school is located;
(3) a national or international professional association for massage therapists;
(4) an individual or an organization approved by a national or international massage therapy continuing education approval agency;
(5) a health care professional organization; or
(6) accredited post-secondary educational institutions;
D. "department" means the regulation and licensing department;
E. "jurisprudence" means the statutes and rules of the state pertaining to the practice of massage therapy;
F. "massage therapist" means an individual licensed to practice massage therapy pursuant to the Massage Therapy Practice Act;
G. "massage therapy" means the treatment of soft tissues for therapeutic purposes, primarily comfort and relief of pain; it is a health care service that includes gliding, kneading, percussion, compression, vibration, friction, nerve strokes, stretching the tissue and exercising the range of motion and may include the use of oils, salt glows, hot or cold packs or hydrotherapy. Synonymous terms for massage therapy include massage, therapeutic massage, body massage, myomassage, bodywork, body rub or any derivation of those terms. "Massage therapy" does not include the diagnosis or treatment of illness or disease or any service or procedure for which a license to practice medicine, nursing, chiropractic, physical therapy, occupational therapy, acupuncture or podiatry is required by law; and
H. "massage therapy school" means a facility providing an educational program in massage therapy that is registered with the board.
History: Laws 1991, ch. 147, § 3; 1993, ch. 173, § 2; 1999, ch. 240, § 3; 2019, ch. 40, § 1.
Delayed repeals. — For delayed repeal of this section, see 61-12C-28 NMSA 1978.
The 2019 amendment, effective February 4, 2019, defined "continuing education" and "continuation education provider" as used in the Massage Therapy Practice Act; added new Subsections B and C, and redesignated former Subsections B through F as Subsections D through H, respectively.
The 1999 amendment, effective July 1, 1999, deleted former Subsection A which defined "approved massage therapy school"; redesignated former Subsections B and C as Subsections A and B; added Subsection C; in Subsection D, substituted "a person licensed to practice massage therapy pursuant to the Massage Therapy Practice Act" for "a person who uses the title of massage therapist, is licensed pursuant to the Massage Therapy Practice Act and administers massage therapy for compensation"; in Subsection E, substituted the language beginning "primarily comfort and relief of pain" for "as defined in Section 61-12C-4 NMSA 1978"; deleted former Subsection F, which defined "jurisprudence"; and added Subsection F.
The 1993 amendment, effective June 18, 1993, substituted "registered with" for "certified by" in Subsection A; inserted "therapy" preceding "for compensation" in Subsection D; substituted "Section 61-12C-4 NMSA 1978" for "Section 4 of the Massage Therapy Practice Act" in Subsection E; added Subsection F; and made minor stylistic changes throughout the section.