Wilmington, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

A of Chapter 4 sets the modern licensing track for massage in Wilmington, separate from the older Article IV masseur/masseuse scheme it does not overlap with. Section 4-152(a) makes it unlawful to operate a massage and bodywork therapy establishment or perform massage and bodywork therapy anywhere in the city without first applying for and receiving a privilege license from the city manager or a designee. Subsection (b) spells out what the application needs beyond the general privilege-license information required under Article II: the applicant's name and business address, a current license from the North Carolina Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy, and a certificate of insurance showing professional liability coverage for massage therapy or bodywork.

Subsection (c) lets the city demand any additional information it deems necessary, requires payment of the standard chapter 4, Article II privilege license fee before the license issues, and makes every license nontransferable, so a change of owner or address means reapplying from scratch. Section 4-153 then binds every business, not just the license holder, by making it unlawful for any person or business to let anyone perform massage and bodywork therapy on the premises without that individual holding the required license, and requires every licensed therapist to post the license in his or her work area at all times.

S. Ch. 90, Art. 36, the state's Massage and Bodywork Therapy Practice Act, a therapist who loses state licensure also loses standing to hold the city privilege license.