HB 18: Exempting Bowenwork from Massage Therapy Licensure

This bill passed the House and Senate unanimously. 

Bowenwork is a holistic form of healing that has grown in popularity as an alternative treatment method for back pain, migraines, and fibromyalgia. Bowenwork practitioners use minimal and strategic touch with this method of healing, but unlike traditional massage therapists, everything is performed over clients clothing—meaning a far less invasive process for clients.

The American Bowenwork Academy teaches and certifies individuals to professionally practice, requiring 340 hours for certification—but in Utah, that’s not enough. State law requires individuals to obtain a massage-therapy license with a whopping 1,000 hours of unrelated massage therapy training before they can perform bowenwork in Utah. This law, adding far more extensive and unnecessary training and fees for individuals, simply does not make sense.

To address this technicality error in the law, Representative Roberts is sponsoring House Bill 18 . The bill simply removes bowenwork practitioners from Utah’s massage therapy licensing laws. Bowenwork is not the same as traditional massage therapy and should not be treated with such a wrongful classification. If passed, HB 18 will correct this mistake.