Wausau, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Wis. Stat. ch. 460 (state-issued)
- Local ordinance
- Wausau Municipal Code ch. 5.50
- Adopted
- Dec. 8, 2020 (Ord. 61-5865)
- Max forfeiture
- $1,000 per offense
- Continuing violation
- Each day is separate offense
- Covers
- Practitioners, employers and advertisers
Summary
Wausau requires anyone practicing massage or bodywork therapy in the city to hold a current Wisconsin state license under Wis. Stat. ch. 460, and its own ordinance, Wausau Municipal Code § 5.50.020, makes it a separate municipal offense to work, advertise or employ someone without that license.
(a)No person may provide massage therapy or bodywork therapy, designate himself or herself as a massage therapist or bodywork therapist or masseur or masseuse, or use or assume the title "massage therapist and bodywork therapist" or "massage therapist" or "bodywork therapist" or "masseur" or "masseuse" ... unless the person holds a valid, unexpired licensed issued by the State of Wisconsin pursuant to Wis. Stats. ch. 460.(b)No person may employ or contract for the services of an individual to provide massage therapy or bodywork therapy who is required to be licensed by the State of Wisconsin pursuant to Wis. Stats. ch. 460 unless the individual holds such a valid, unexpired licensed. ... Any person found to have violated any provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be subject to a forfeiture of not more than $1,000.00 for each separate offense. Each day of a continued violation constitutes a separate offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
50 folds the state's massage and bodywork therapy license, issued under Wisconsin Statutes chapter 460, directly into city law. ," unless the State of Wisconsin has issued that person a valid, unexpired chapter 460 license. Subsection (b) extends the ban to the business side: no Wausau business may employ or contract with a massage or bodywork provider who lacks the required state license, and subsection (c) bars advertising massage or bodywork services unless the advertised provider actually holds the license. 010 pulls its underlying definitions from Wis.
030 exempts anyone who meets the requirements of Wis. 03, the state's own carve-out from the licensing mandate. Because the requirement is written into the Wausau Municipal Code, the City can cite a spa, salon or independent practitioner for the licensing failure as a municipal ordinance violation, separate from and in addition to any action the State of Wisconsin's own licensing authority might take against the practitioner directly.
Violations & Fines
Any violation of chapter 5.50, including practicing, employing, or advertising massage or bodywork therapy without the required State of Wisconsin chapter 460 license, is punishable by a forfeiture of up to $1,000 for each separate offense, and every day the violation continues counts as its own separate offense (§ 5.50.040).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Wausau issue its own massage therapist license?
Can a Wausau spa employ an unlicensed massage therapist?
What's the penalty for violating Wausau's massage therapy ordinance?
Are there exemptions to Wausau's massage licensing requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wausau
Compare Wausau to another location·View the Wisconsin business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.