Ordinance Amendment
Update Saint Paul Code of Ordinance Chapters 412 Massage Centers and 414 - Therapeutic Massage Practitioners, to be reflective of the industry and to improve the licensing process.
Background
Saint Paul Ordinance regulates the licensing of individuals conducting massage and bodywork.
Currently, to be licensed as a massage or bodywork practitioner in the City, you must be either:
- Obtain National Certification
or
- Pass the City’s written and practical test
The City’s current written exam was updated approximately 8 years ago.
In 2016, DSI engaged stakeholders in a Massage and Bodywork Workgroup. The workgroup highlighted the following:
- National Certification is not an appropriate level of certification for entry level massage and bodywork practitioners
- The current City testing process negatively impacts the hiring of practitioners in a timely manner. (The current process averages between 3 to 5 weeks.
- The industry has changed.
- The MBLEX exam and school accredited training is a common method of credentialing practitioners in other jurisdictions.
Recommendation
Adopt the proposed ordinance amendments to Chapters 412 and 414 - which include the following principles:
- The City will no longer be in the business of credentialing massage practitioners.
- Accredited schools will be the source of credentialing massage and bodywork practitioners.
- Those individuals licensed in Saint Paul in the past 5 years or meeting the prior national credentialing standards would be grandfathered.
- Ordinance language will be more reflective of the massage and bodywork industry.
- All other requirements, including criminal background checks, will remain intact.