The starting point
Minnesota has no state massage licence and that surprises almost everyone
Start with the part most spa websites in this state get wrong, usually by accident. Minnesota does not license massage therapists. There is no state board, no state exam, no state licence number for you to look up. If you moved here from Florida, Illinois, Texas or Washington — all of which do license — the absence is genuinely strange, and it is worth understanding before you hand your back to a stranger for an hour.
What Minnesota has instead is a patchwork. Cities regulate massage under their own ordinances, and the rules change at the city limits. A therapist can be entirely legal in one suburb and not permitted to work in the next one over — not because they got worse at their job on the drive, but because the second city runs an ordinance and the first one doesn't.
Chaska is one of the cities that regulates, and its ordinance is stricter than most people assume. That is what this page is about. We wrote it because some version of "are you licensed?" comes across the front desk most weeks, and the honest answer takes longer than thirty seconds — it is a real question with a real answer, and the answer is about the city, not the state. If you want the general, non-promotional background on the practice itself rather than the paperwork, the NCCIH's overview of massage therapy is the neutral place to start. More about who we are and how the studio runs is on the about page.
City Code Ch. 5, Art. 5.12
What the City of Chaska requires of everyone
Chaska City Code Chapter 5, Article 5.12 covers massage. It splits into two halves that people constantly conflate: the permit an individual therapist has to hold, and the licence the business itself has to hold. Both are required. Neither one covers the other, and a business can have one while an individual working inside it does not.
The individual therapist permit
Before anyone can put hands on a paying guest inside Chaska city limits, the city has to issue that person a massage therapist permit. Getting one is not a formality — the ordinance asks for documentation, not assertions.
- 400 or more hours of class credit from an accredited massage school. Documented — transcripts, not a claim on a résumé.
- $1,000,000 in personal liability insurance, held in the therapist's own name rather than only by the business.
- Membership of a national body such as ABMP (Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals) or AMTA — the American Massage Therapy Association, whose membership carries a published code of ethics.
- A $112 permit fee. The permit expires on December 31 each year no matter when it was issued, so everyone practising in town renews on the same calendar.
The establishment licence
The premises has its own separate licence, and this is the half doing the heavy lifting on public safety.
That last line is the one worth sitting with. A massage business in Chaska does not open because somebody paid a fee. It opens because elected officials voted, in public, after the police looked at the people applying. Whatever you make of municipal bureaucracy, it is a meaningfully higher bar than renting a suite and hanging a sign, which is what an unregulated city allows. The city publishes the massage therapy business licence packet and the individual therapist licence document in full — both are worth five minutes if you like reading the primary source.
- A $500 background-investigation fee, paid up front, which funds the investigation itself.
- A Chaska Police Department criminal background check on every applicant named on the application.
- A $300 annual licence fee once the licence has been granted.
- Approval by a vote of the Chaska City Council — a public agenda item at a public meeting, not a clerk stamping a form.
Side by side
Chaska today vs. Minnesota in 2028
Two different things get muddled in conversation: the city permit that exists and binds right now, and the state registration that the legislature created in 2026 but which does not open until the middle of 2028. They are not the same instrument and they do not do the same job.
Here is the comparison in full. The left column is in force today and is not optional. The right column is a future, voluntary scheme.
| City of Chaska (in force today) | Minnesota registration (from 1 July 2028) | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Mandatory. You cannot lawfully practise massage in Chaska without it. | Optional registration, not licensure. Nobody is required to hold it. |
| Issued by | City of Chaska — City Code Ch. 5, Art. 5.12 | State of Minnesota |
| In force | Now | Enacted 28 May 2026; effective 1 July 2028 |
| Training | 400+ hours of class credit from an accredited massage school, documented | Set out in the bill. Nobody can hold this credential yet. |
| Personal liability insurance | $1,000,000, in the therapist's own name | — |
| National association membership | Required — ABMP, AMTA or equivalent | — |
| Individual fee | $112, expiring December 31 each year | — |
| Business / establishment | $500 background-investigation fee, $300 per year, Chaska Police criminal background check on all applicants, approval by City Council vote | — |
| What it proves | Documented training, insurance, association membership, and that the premises was investigated and voted on | That a therapist chose to put their name on a state list |
City requirements and fees from the City of Chaska massage therapy licence documents linked above; the 2028 column from Minnesota HF 3825 as enacted 28 May 2026. A dash means the state law creates no equivalent of the city requirement. Fees are set by the city and change — confirm current figures with the city before relying on them.
The 2026 law
What HF 3825 actually does and what it doesn't
In 2026 the Minnesota legislature finally moved. HF 3825 was enacted on 28 May 2026 and creates a registration system for massage and Asian bodywork therapists. Three things about it matter, and the third is the one that keeps getting lost.
- It is registration, not licensure. Those are different legal animals. A licence is permission to practise; a registration is a list you can choose to be on.
- It is optional. Nobody is compelled to register, and choosing not to register will not make a therapist unlawful.
- It takes effect on 1 July 2028. Today it is a law on the books with a future start date. Nobody in Minnesota is state-registered, because the register does not open until then.
So what about a website claiming a state licence?
Ask a follow-up question. If a Minnesota studio's site in 2026 tells you its therapists hold a licence from the state, one of three things is true: they hold a licence from a different state and are describing it loosely, they are using licensing language as a generic synonym for trained, or they are describing something that will not exist for another two years. None of those is necessarily dishonest. All of them mean the phrase is telling you less than it looks like it is.
The precise, checkable question in this town is different: does every therapist here hold a City of Chaska massage therapist permit? That has a yes-or-no answer and a paper trail behind it. You can read the text and status of HF 3825 on the Minnesota Revisor's site yourself — it is short, and it is the only authoritative version of what changes in 2028.
The other pledge
What Respect Massage means
Alongside the city permit there is a voluntary industry pledge you will see in some windows around Minnesota: Respect Massage, run by ABMP. It has nothing to do with any government and it confers no legal status. It is a public statement, and what it states is blunt — this practice does not tolerate sexual misconduct, does not solicit, and does not mix sex and massage in any form.
It exists because of a specific and ugly problem. Massage as a trade sits next door to human trafficking in the public imagination and, in a small number of places, in reality — which is precisely why Chaska runs police background checks and puts establishment licences to a council vote, and why plenty of first-time guests arrive with a question they are too polite to ask out loud.
A studio displaying the Respect Massage pledge is answering that question before it gets asked. It is a pledge, not an audit: nobody inspects, and a sticker guarantees nothing on its own. But a business that puts it on the door has said something in public that it can be held to, and in a trade with this particular reputation problem, saying the quiet part out loud is worth something. What we do here, and what we don't, is set out plainly in our studio policy.
Practical
What to ask any studio before you book anywhere, not just here
This is the useful part of the page, and it applies whether you book with us or somebody two counties away. None of these questions are rude. Every front desk worth trusting has answered them all before, and the ones that get uncomfortable are telling you something.
- “Does every therapist here hold a City of Chaska massage therapist permit?” Inside Chaska the answer should be an immediate yes. If the studio is in a city with no ordinance, fall back to the next question.
- “What school did the therapist train at, and how many hours?” 400+ is the Chaska floor. A studio that is comfortable with its own answer gives you it without flinching.
- “Are they a member of ABMP or AMTA?” Membership carries a code of ethics and — the practical part — liability insurance.
- “Are your prices published?” Published prices, no membership requirement, no package you have to buy: that tells you a lot about how the rest of the visit will go. Ours are on the full price list, gratuity not included.
- “What is your draping policy?” You should be under a sheet for the whole session, with only the area being worked uncovered. If that is not the answer you get, leave.
- “What happens if I say the pressure is wrong?” The right answer is that you say so and it changes, immediately, with no hesitation and no sense that you have complained.
- “Who will be in the room?” For a solo session it should be one therapist and you. For couples or four hands it is two of each, by design — but you should never be surprised by the answer.
And two things worth doing before you go
Tell them about your health honestly, at the point of booking rather than at the table — pregnancy, recent surgery, blood-clotting disorders, skin infections, anything a clinician has told you to be careful with. The NCCIH's list of things to know before booking massage therapy is a neutral, non-commercial version of the same advice, and it is worth two minutes if this is your first time.
Then read the studio's own answers to the boring questions before you arrive. Ours are collected on the FAQ page — hours, walk-ins, what to wear, what happens if you are late. A studio that will not put that in writing is asking you to find out the hard way.
The honest caveat
A permit is a floor, not a promise
Here is the part a page like this normally leaves out, so we will say it plainly. A city permit is a minimum. It shows that someone documented their training, carries insurance and belongs to a national association. It does not show that they are good at this — whether they will read your shoulders correctly, whether the room will be warm enough, or whether you will walk out feeling the hour was worth what you paid.
Those are different questions, and the only way to answer them is to go. What the ordinance gives you is a floor to stand on while you find out: everyone practising in this town has cleared the same documented bar, the business itself was investigated by the police, and a licence was granted by a public vote. Take that for exactly what it is worth — a real, verifiable minimum, and nothing more than that.
We would rather be judged on the rest. Open daily · Mon–Sat 9 AM–9 PM · Sun 9:30 AM–9 PM, walk-ins welcome when a therapist is free, every price published. If you want to see for yourself, book a session or call (612) 600-9298 — you can text that number too.
Common questions
Does Minnesota license massage therapists?
No. Minnesota has no state licence for massage therapy — no state board, no state exam, no state licence number. Regulation happens at city level, so the requirements change at the city limits. Chaska is one of the cities that does regulate, under City Code Chapter 5, Article 5.12.
What about the licence initials therapists use after their names?
There is no Minnesota state credential behind them, because the state does not license massage. You may see initials used by someone who holds a licence in another state, or used loosely as shorthand for trained. In Minnesota the question with a checkable answer is whether the therapist holds the permit required by the city they work in.
What does the City of Chaska massage therapist permit require?
Documented class credit of 400 or more hours from an accredited massage school, $1,000,000 in personal liability insurance in the therapist's own name, and membership of a national association such as ABMP or AMTA. The permit fee is $112 and the permit expires on December 31 each year.
What does the business itself have to do?
The establishment licence is separate. It carries a $500 background-investigation fee, a Chaska Police Department criminal background check on every applicant, a $300 annual licence fee, and approval by a vote of the Chaska City Council at a public meeting.
What changes on 1 July 2028?
Minnesota HF 3825, enacted on 28 May 2026, creates an optional registration for massage and Asian bodywork therapists that takes effect on 1 July 2028. It is registration rather than licensure, and it is voluntary. It does not exist today — nobody in Minnesota is state-registered, because the register has not opened.
What is Respect Massage?
A voluntary anti-solicitation and anti-trafficking pledge run by ABMP. Displaying it is a public statement that the practice does not tolerate sexual misconduct and does not mix sex and massage in any form. It is an industry pledge, not a government credential, and nobody inspects — but it is a position a business can be held to.
How can I check that a studio actually holds a Chaska licence?
Ask at the front desk first — a studio that holds one will not be shy about it. Beyond that, establishment licences in Chaska are granted by a vote of the City Council at a public meeting, so the approval is a matter of public record, and the city clerk's office is the right place to direct a question about a specific business.
Do I need an appointment, or can I walk in?
Both work. Day Massage takes walk-ins whenever a therapist is free, which is a large part of why people come to us instead of an appointment-only chain. That said, evenings and weekends do fill up — if you want a specific time, a specific length, or the couples room, book ahead online or call (612) 600-9298.
Sources & further reading
Massage is one of the oldest forms of self-care, and what we do is squarely on the relaxation side of it. We make no medical claims — for neutral, non-promotional background, read the NCCIH on massage therapy , what the science actually says , relaxation techniques and the AMTA on massage and wellness .
Those are general educational references about the practice, not statements about any particular session here.
Day Massage is a relaxation and wellness studio, not a medical provider. This article is general information, not medical advice.