Apply for a New Massage Establishment License

A massage establishment is defined as any place of business that advertises or offers massage therapy or other massage services. The term includes a place of business that advertises or offers any service described by a derivation of the terms "massage therapy" or "other massage services."

No massage establishment can commence operation until the application for licensure of the establishment has been approved. In addition, an establishment may employ only licensed massage therapists to perform massage therapy.

Begin Your Application

Submit a completed application form along with the non-refundable application fee of $200.

Apply Online

Documents submitted with your application will not be returned. Keep a copy of your completed application, all attachments, and your payment.

A massage establishment license is valid for two years.

NOTE: Your license will not be issued until you have completed the fingerprinting requirement (see below).

Fingerprinting Requirement

After submitting your license application, you must be fingerprinted for a national criminal history record review before a license may be issued.

Additionally, massage establishments must submit fingerprints for each individual who has:

• The controlling interest in the entity
• A direct or indirect participating interest through shares, stock, or otherwise, regardless of whether voting rights are included, of more than 10 percent of the profits, proceeds, or capital gains of the entity
• Holdings that include at least 10 percent of the entity's outstanding stock or more than $25,000 of the fair market value of the entity
• A position on the board of directors or other governing body of the entity
• A position as an elected officer of the entity
• A position as a general manager of the entity

This is a one-time requirement, and TDLR will be notified of any arrests or criminal convictions that occur after you are fingerprinted.

Please see the Fingerprinting Instructions for New Massage Applicants page for detailed instructions on the fingerprinting process, including any fees you will be responsible for.

Inspections of Establishments

Licensed Massage Establishments are inspected once every two years. For detailed information on what will be inspected, please see the Massage Establishments Inspections page.

Applicants with Criminal Convictions

If you have ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (other than a minor traffic violation) or pleaded guilty or no contest (resulting in a deferred adjudication) to any in-state, out-of-state or federal criminal offense, you must provide a completed Criminal History Questionnaire (PDF) along with your application materials.

Criminal convictions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Licenses may be denied based on the nature of the conviction and how long prior to the application the conviction occurred. Depending on your criminal history, a review can take from one to six weeks to complete.

Individuals may request TDLR review their criminal background before actually applying for a license. TDLR uses the same process for this pre-application evaluation as the process described below. See the Criminal History Evaluation Letter page for more information.

Please see the Guidelines for License Applicants with Criminal Convictions, which describe the process that TDLR uses to determine whether a criminal conviction renders an applicant an unsuitable candidate for the license, or whether a conviction warrants revocation or suspension of a license previously granted.