Providence, RI Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Establishment license fee
- $100 per year
- Personnel license fee
- $60 per year
- Service hours ban
- 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
- Minimum age for personnel
- 18 years old
- License expires
- July 1 every year
Summary
Providence requires a body works establishment license for any massage, body-rub, or spa location plus a separate personnel license for every practitioner, both issued by the Board of Licenses under Chapter 14, Article XII.
(b) Body works establishment license. All persons, firms, corporations, or other entities who own, operate, conduct, or manage a location used to provide body works services or that holds themselves out as being engaged in the practice of body works services at any location in the City of Providence must obtain a body works establishment license for that location from the board of licenses before offering, engaging in, providing, or allowing body works services for hire, reward, or compensation at that location.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 7).
Full Breakdown
The establishment license costs $100 a year, the personnel license $60, and both expire every July 1. Personnel must be at least 18 and pass a Department of Justice background check; establishments must show zoning compliance and pass health, fire, and building sign-off before licensing. Services are barred between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., and a strict decency code governs draping, garments, and touching. RI-licensed massage therapists, physicians, nurses, and physical therapists are exempt from the personnel license.
Violations & Fines
Operating or working at an unlicensed body works business, or violating the decency/hours rules, is a misdemeanor: up to $100 for a first offense, $200 plus 30 days for a second within a year, and $500 plus a year in jail for a third, on top of license revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues Providence's massage/body-works licenses?
Is a licensed massage therapist exempt from the city license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Providence
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Massage Establishments in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle massage establishments.