Lawrence, KS Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Sec. 6-1903(a) makes it unlawful for anyone to work as a bodywork practitioner in the City of Lawrence, a term covering massage therapy, structural integration, reflexology, and other manual or energy work, without first obtaining a bodywork practitioner license from the city clerk. Sec. 6-1903(b) reaches the establishment side directly: no person, corporation, association, or other entity may employ a bodywork practitioner within the city unless that employee has already obtained the license, and Sec. 6-1905 requires every bodywork business to keep a current, legible register at its place of business listing every practitioner working there along with each one's name, home address, and license number.

Individual licensure is not simple registration. Sec. 6-1908 requires massage therapists to complete at least 500 hours of training covering anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, pathology, first aid and hygiene, and to pass the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam or hold NCBTMB board certification. Applicants under Sec. 6-1907 must submit fingerprints for a criminal records check and a copy of a current professional liability insurance policy, and the city clerk has 30 days to approve or deny under Sec. 6-1910, denying anyone with a sexually-related conviction or specified person felony or misdemeanor within the past three years.

The license runs two years and the fee is nonrefundable even if the license is later revoked or lost (Sec. 6-1906). Out-of-state practitioners may qualify through reciprocity under Sec. 6-1909 if licensed and actively practicing elsewhere for at least two of the previous three years.