North Carolina General Statutes
Article 36 - Massage and Bodywork Therapy Practice.
§ 90-623 - License to practice required.

90-623. License to practice required.
(a) A person shall not practice or hold out himself or herself to others as a massage and bodywork therapist without first applying for and receiving from the Board a license to engage in that practice.
(b) A person holds out himself or herself to others as a massage and bodywork therapist when the person adopts or uses any title or description including "massage therapist", "bodywork therapist", "masseur", "masseuse", "massagist", "somatic practitioner", "body therapist", "structural integrator", or any derivation of those terms that implies this practice.
(c) It shall be unlawful to advertise using the term "massage therapist" or "bodywork therapist" or any other term that implies a soft tissue technique or method in any public or private publication or communication by a person not licensed under this Article as a massage and bodywork therapist. Any person who holds a license to practice as a massage and bodywork therapist in this State may use the title "Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist". No other person shall assume this title or use an abbreviation or any other words, letters, signs, or figures to indicate that the person using the title is a licensed massage and bodywork therapist. An establishment employing or contracting with persons licensed under this Article may advertise on behalf of those persons.
(d) The practice of massage and bodywork therapy shall not include any of the following:
(1) The diagnosis of illness or disease.
(2) Medical procedures, chiropractic adjustive procedures, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, or prescription of medicines.
(3) The use of modalities for which a license to practice medicine, chiropractic, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, acupuncture, or podiatry is required by law.
(4) Sexual activity, which shall mean any direct or indirect physical contact, by any person or between persons, which is intended to erotically stimulate either person, or which is likely to cause such stimulation and includes sexual intercourse, fellatio, cunnilingus, masturbation, or anal intercourse. As used in this subdivision, masturbation means the manipulation of any body tissue with the intent to cause sexual arousal. Sexual activity can involve the use of any device or object and is not dependent on whether penetration, orgasm, or ejaculation has occurred. (1998-230, s. 10; 2008-224, s. 3; 2017-151, s. 3(c).)

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