Massage | Louisiana | Licensing updates

Louisiana Adds a Three-Month Provisional Massage License

Louisiana now offers qualifying in-state massage-school graduates a single three-month provisional license with workplace and client-notice restrictions.

  • Confirm graduation from a Louisiana-based, state-approved massage school.
  • Treat the license as one nonrenewable three-month term.
  • Work only at a registered business that employs a fully licensed massage therapist.
  • Give clients notice of provisional status before services begin.

Published: 2026-08-25 · Reviewed: 2026-08-25

Official context

Louisiana Act 452, effective August 1, 2026, directs the Board to make a provisional license available for immediate use by a graduate of a Louisiana-based, state-approved massage therapy school. The provisional license is active for one three-month term and cannot be renewed.

What this means

The provisional license is a bridge to ordinary licensure, not authority to open an independent practice. The provisional therapist may work only at a Board-registered massage business that employs a fully licensed massage therapist. Before the provisional therapist provides services, the facility must notify the client of that therapist's provisional status.

Official sources

Licensing & Industry Updates is an educational summary of official public communications. It is not legal advice, and filing decisions should be checked against the current board page or rule text.

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