RELATING TO MASSAGE THERAPY; PROVIDING EXEMPTIONS TO THE MASSAGE THERAPY PRACTICE ACT.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

Section 1. A new section of the Massage Therapy Practice Act is enacted to read:

"EXEMPTIONS.--Nothing in the Massage Therapy Practice Act shall be construed to prevent:

A. qualified members of other recognized professions that are licensed or regulated under New Mexico law from rendering services within the scope of their license or regulation; provided they do not represent themselves as massage therapists;

B. students from rendering massage therapy services within the course of study of an approved massage therapy school and under the supervision of a licensed massage therapy instructor;

C. visiting massage therapy instructors from another state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia or any foreign nation from teaching massage therapy; provided the instructor is duly licensed or registered, if required, and is qualified in his place of residence for the practice of massage therapy. The board shall establish by rule the duration of stay for a visiting massage therapy instructor; and

D. sobadores; Hispanic traditional healers; Native American healers; reflexologists whose practices are limited to hands, feet and ears; or other healers who do not manipulate the soft tissues for therapeutic purposes from practicing those skills. Healers who use these practices and who apply for a license or registration pursuant to the Massage Therapy Practice Act shall comply with all licensure requirements of that act."

HB 393

Page 2