Late at night a group of legislative experts and association leaders rub tired eyes and rifle through piles of paper...the task before them is daunting: Create a document that could guide the future regulation of the unwieldy field of touch therapy.

Kelle Walsh reports on the effect of regulation on the touch therapy field in the article "The Regulatory Net, Part Two: Untangling the Net of Massage Regulation." Walsh reports on the "coming together" of two factions--organizations representing the massage field and organizations representing other somatic therapies. Walsh describes the awakening that has occurred for those who practice other somatic therapies and the effect that massage laws have on them. According to Walsh, an attitude of cooperation and communication among massage and non-massage practitioners is helpful in passing fairer laws. The article details the disagreement that continues to exist over the issue of regulation, and offers some speculation on what the future of regulation might look like. Walsh reports that several somatic therapy organizations are taking the initiative to protect their own best interests and the type of action they are taking to try to ensure that they do not fall under the regulatory scope of massage laws.