01/19/2026
We want to take a moment to speak with care and clarity to our broader wellness community.
Massage therapy is a licensed healthcare profession that exists to protect client safety and uphold high standards of care. Licensed massage therapists dedicate hundreds of hours to education, supervised clinical training, and testing in order to practice ethically and responsibly.
We deeply value the many wellness professionals who provide meaningful, skilled services within their own training and scope of practice - yoga, reiki, holistic health, energy work, breathwork, fitness, and other wellness disciplines - each has its own valuable scope and purpose in supporting health and wellbeing, and that work deserves respect.
At the same time, it’s important that massage therapy—and work that closely resembles it—be practiced only by those who are properly trained and licensed to do so. Using alternative terminology in an attempt to bypass regulations and avoid training to perform massage-like work creates confusion for the public and unintentionally diminishes the integrity of a profession that continues to work toward broader recognition and acceptance within healthcare.
When we all honor licensure laws, scopes of practice, and professional boundaries, we help protect clients, elevate our respective professions, and strengthen the wellness community as a whole.
— Synergy Wellness Academy
