Comparing The Best Insurance for Massage Therapists

There are many different options to consider for just about every purchase we make, and massage insurance is no different. There are quite a few massage insurance companies out there, but policy limits can be complicated to understand, rates can vary depending on what you get, and let’s face it—the back-and-forth clicking is not a whole lot of fun. 

That’s why we’ve done the legwork for you and put together all of the top programs in one spot so you can see how they stack up side-by-side. We’ll cover who the massage insurance companies are, what they offer, and how they compare.

best insurance for massage therapists

Massage Magazine Insurance Plus (MMIP)

Pros:

  • Affordable pricing.
  • Includes a wide range of modalities, covering over 500.
  • Occurrence form coverage.
  • Offers instant coverage upon checkout.
  • Provides free massage continuing education courses.
  • Offers $1,800+ in industry-exclusive discounts.
  • The only provider that offers a part-time policy option.
  • No hourly qualification or required annual CE hours.
  • Health, Dental, and Vision coverage access included.

Cons:

  • Does not offer coverage outside of the United States.
  • Does not provide a free subscription to the magazine.

Summary:

This all-inclusive massage insurance plan covers the greatest amount of modalities simultaneously (over 500), with more being added all the time. There’s also free massage continuing education courses, discounts from top names in massage products and business services, and hosts of additional benefits and resources.

On top of all these benefits is, of course, the policy itself. That’s why we include $2 million per occurrence and a $3 million annual aggregate for general and professional liability, and then take it further than anyone with a $25,000 identity protection plan and a $2 million personal injury & advertising limit. MMIP policies also have occurrence form coverage—which means you are protected against claims that occurred during your policy period, even if the policy has expired.

All of this is available at both part-time and full-time rates, students-only rates, flexible monthly payments, and money-saving upfront premium options. We do all of this to give ultimate flexibility in a plan that’s easy to access from start to finish.

Buy Policy
Instance 1
part-time policy

Do you practice fewer than 10 hours/week? Then this option is for you.
Cost to you: $0.43/day

$

159

/1yr

  • Costs you only $0.43/day 
  • Instant proof of insurance certificate
  • Over $1,800 in industry discounts
BUY POLICY
1 year policy

Save more money by paying this total first year introductory rate.
Cost to you: $0.46/day

$

169

/1yr

  • 1 year of unlimited online CE access
  • Instant proof of insurance certificate
  • Over $1,800 in industry discounts
BUY POLICY
2 year policy

Purchase our two-year policy option and lock-in an annual rate of only $149.
Cost to you: $0.41/day

$

299

/yr

  • Save $39 with this option
  • Over $1,800 in industry discounts
  • Instant proof of insurance certificate
BUY POLICY

American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA)

Pros:

  • Provides networking opportunities and advocacy at various levels of government.
  • Free membership for students in a massage therapy program.
  • Offers discounts on continuing education and other services.
  • Health, Dental, and Vision coverage access included.

Cons:

  • Expensive pricing, around $235/year.
  • Requires certain CE hours per year to maintain coverage.
  • Shared aggregate coverage.
  • ID Theft Protection is not offered.
  • No part-time or two-year policy.

Summary:

AMTA provides various member benefits, including massage therapy insurance. It is also heavily involved in advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels of government. AMTA also states it provides networking opportunities, continuing education classes, and training. 

While their policy has limits of $2 million per occurrence and a shared annual maximum of $6 million, everyone who is insured with AMTA shares this coverage. This means if people use up these funds and you need to file a claim, there may not be enough coverage if you file a claim, leaving you financially responsible.

If you're a massage therapist needing instant coverage, AMTA does not offer this as an option. Massage therapists are required to wait for their policy to go into effect which can put LMTs at risk if their policy has lapsed.

One major benefit that AMTA offers is free membership for students in a massage therapy program. This means that qualifying students can receive liability coverage, and networking benefits, and other student-specific programs at no cost. However, once the massage therapist student has graduated, their policy is no longer active.

Although the benefits that AMTA offers may seem excellent for massage professionals, they come at a very high cost. A membership with AMTA will run you around $235 pear year. So if cost matters, be sure you know what you are getting into.

Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP)

Pros:

  • Provides free CE hours, magazine subscriptions, and additional discounts.
  • Offers coverage for various modalities.
  • Occurrence form coverage.

Cons:

  • Expensive pricing, ranging from $199 to $229 per year.
  • Does not automatically cover policyholders in various wellness disciplines.
  • Does not offer rates for part-time massage therapists or 2-year policy options.
  • Requires certain CE hours per year to maintain coverage.
  • No instant coverage option.
  • Health, Dental, and Vision coverage access are not included.

Summary:

ABMP's massage insurance starts at $199 per year and goes as high as $229. ABMP policies are occurrence form coverage — which means you are protected against claims that occurred during your policy period, even if the policy has expired.

ABMP offers up to $2 million per occurrence and an individual annual maximum of $6 million. An individual aggregate means that the policyholder is the only party considered for the total amount of coverage and that the coverage amount is not split among other policyholders. Having the total annual limit all to yourself means you have a more complete coverage than if that maximum was a shared

ABMP’s policy does not automatically cover the policyholder in various wellness disciplines. This means if you're a massage therapist that also offers esthetic services, teaches yoga or group dance, does nails professionally and so on, a policy with ABMP does not automatically cover you. So if you're a practitioner that practices in multiple modalities, this is very important to know.

ABMP also does not offer rates for part-time massage therapists or 2-year policy options.

Beauty & Bodywork Insurance (BBI)

Pros:

  • Simple and easy-to-navigate website.
  • Provides an option for additional coverage for various modalities.
  • Offers coverage for ID theft.

Cons:

  • Additional charges for standard coverages.
  • Claims-made policy, meaning not protected against claims that arise after the policy has expired.
  • Enrollment into auto-renewal program, making canceling the policy tedious.
  • Limited career resources and member benefits.
  • No free continuing education courses.
  • Health, Dental, and Vision coverage access are not included.
  • Does not offer coverage for many common modalities.

Summary:

Beauty and Bodywork Insurance (BBI), aka InsureBodywork.com provides insurance to a wide range of modalities. It also has a long list of areas that aren’t automatically covered, including yoga, cupping, dance instruction, aqua therapy, cool sculpting, electrolysis, ear candling/coning, pole fitness, microblading, herbal therapy, gua sha, and many more. Some of these excluded modalities are listed as “optional endorsements,” which basically means you can pay more for this coverage.

One of the biggest advantages of BBI is that they list pricing and coverage information up front and center (something you have to dig for with AMTA and ABMP). The current pricing information they list states $96 for a professional liability policy and $67 for a student liability policy. However, while BBI markets their policy at a $96 rate, you’ll see at checkout that they tack on additional costs for standard coverages. By the time you check out, the BBI policy is $243!

Apart from the sneaky pricing that BBI markets, one of the most important factors is that a BBI policy is claims-made, which means you are not protected against claims that arise after your policy has expired.

Everyone who purchases with BBI is enrolled into their auto-renewal program, whether you’d like to be or not. In order to cancel your coverage, you have to submit a request in writing to their team far out from your renewal date, otherwise, you will be automatically charged. This makes canceling your policy extremely tedious and time-consuming.

Lastly, BBI’s career resources and member benefits are far less extensive than the other competitors on this list.

Comparing Pricing of Massage Liability Insurance

“Cheap” sometimes makes you think less quality and with some things in life that’s true. Cheap may not mean less quality with insurance but there are some big differences to note such as some of these plans are truly “bare bones”. Some of these policies may also seem “cheap” upfront, but there are a lot of additional charges for coverages that you need which tends to make the policy a lot more expensive than others.

Student Plans:

  • AMTA: Free (expires upon graduation)
  • MMIP: $49 (lasts a full year, regardless of graduation)
  • BBI: $67
  • ABMP: $89

Professional Plans:

  • BBI: $96
  • MMIP: $169
  • ABMP: $199
  • AMTA: $235

ABMP Massage Insurance

Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP) is a national membership association for massage professionals which was founded in 1987. ABMP's massage insurance starts at $199 per year and goes as high as $229, which is $30 - $60 more than a policy from Massage Magazine Insurance Plus.

Both ABMP and MMIP policies are occurrence form coverage — which means you are protected against claims that occurred during your policy period, even if the policy has expired — is by far the industry's preferred form compared to the other form which is called claims made coverage.


ABMP offers up to $2 million per occurrence and an individual annual maximum of $6 million. An individual aggregate means that the policyholder is the only party considered for the total amount of coverage and that coverage amount is not split among other policyholders. Having the total annual limit all to yourself means you have a more complete coverage than if that maximum was a shared aggregate. AMTA is one of the only options on the market that has shared aggregates, meaning the policyholder shares that coverage amount with everyone else insured with AMTA.


A significant difference between ABMP’s massage insurance policy and MMIP's is that an ABMP policy does not automatically cover the policyholder in various wellness disciplines automatically. This means if you're a massage therapist that also offers esthetic services, teaches yoga or group dance, does nails professionally and so on, a policy with ABMP does not automatically cover you. So if you're a dual-practitioner, this is very important to know.


ABMP also does not offer rates for part-time massage therapists or 2-year policy options. This is a core offering with Massage Magazine Insurance Plus.


AMTA Massage Therapy Insurance

The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) lists itself as the “largest nonprofit community of massage therapists.” AMTA provides various member benefits, including massage therapy insurance. It is also heavily involved in advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels of government. As well, AMTA states it works on fair licensing in massage, and provides networking opportunities, continuing education classes and training. 

As mentioned previously, AMTA is one of the only massage insurance products on the market that offers shared annual aggregates. While their policy has limits of $2 million per occurrence and a shared annual maximum of $6 million, everyone who is insured with AMTA shares this coverage. This means if people use up these funds and you need to file a claim, there may not be enough coverage left for you.


If you're a massage therapist needing instant coverage, AMTA does not offer this as an option. Massage therapists are required to wait for their policy to go into affect which can put LMTs in a bind if they're policy has lapsed. With MMIP, you're instantly insured upon checkout.


One benefit that AMTA offers is free membership for students in a massage therapy program. This means that qualifying students can receive liability coverage, and networking benefits, and other student-specific programs at no cost. However, once the massage therapist student has graduated, their policy is no longer active. With MMIP, we offer a student rate of only $49 that provides massage therapist students with professional-level coverage that lasts an entire year, regardless of when the student graduates.


Although the benefits that AMTA offers may seem excellent for massage professionals, they come at a very high cost. A membership with AMTA will run you around $235 pear year, which is $66 more a year for nearly identical coverage with MMIP. So if cost matters, be sure you know what you are getting into.

Beauty and Bodywork Massage Therapist Insurance Coverage

Beauty and Bodywork Insurance (BBI), aka InsureBodywork.com, is managed by Veracity Insurance Solutions LLC and provides insurance to a wide range of modalities. Massage, cosmetology, esthetics, acupuncture, hair stylists, energy work, and more are all listed on the BBI site. It also has a long list of areas that aren’t automatically covered, including yoga, cupping, dance instruction, aqua therapy, and many more. Some of these excluded modalities are listed as “optional endorsements,” which basically means you can pay more for this coverage.

We give props to BBI for listing pricing and coverage information up front and center (something you have to dig for with AMTA and ABMP). The current pricing information they list states $96 for a professional liability policy and $67 for a student liability policy. However, while BBI markets their policy at a $96 rate, you’ll see at checkout that they tack on additional costs for standard coverages that are included in a MMIP policy. By the time you check out, the BBI policy is $243! That’s $74 more than a MMIP policy.

Limits include $2 million per occurrence and $3 million for general and professional liability which is the same as MMIP.

Apart from the sneaky pricing that BBI markets, one of the most important factors is that a BBI policy is claims-made, which means you are not protected against claims that arise after your policy has expired. MMIP’s policy is occurrence-form which means you are protected no matter when your policy has expired, as long as the claim occurred during your policy period.

Everyone who purchases with BBI is enrolled into their auto-renewal program, whether you’d like to be or not. In order to cancel your coverage, you have to submit a request in writing to their team far out from your renewal date, otherwise you will be automatically charged. This makes canceling your policy extremely tedious and time-consuming.

Lastly, BBI does not offer anywhere near the amount of career resources and member benefits that MMIP does, and BBI does not offer free continuing education.

Massage Magazine Insurance Plus Liability Insurance

MASSAGE Magazine started back in 1985 as the go-to resource for massage professionals. After being the leader in massage publications for decades, our team saw the need for professional-caliber insurance at an affordable rate. With the same mission of supporting professionals, we created massage liability insurance. This all-inclusive massage insurance plan covers the greatest amount of modalities simultaneously—over 450 at present, with more being added all the time. There’s also free massage continuing education courses, discounts from top names in massage products and business services, and hosts of additional benefits and resources. 

On top of all these benefits is, of course, the policy itself. When we went to set limits, we wanted to place them in the sweet spot for today’s types of risks. Too low and your members may not have adequate coverage, and too high means they’re paying for something they’ll likely never use. That’s why we include $2 million per occurrence and a $3 million annual aggregate for general and professional liability, a $2 million product liability limit, and then take it further than anyone with a $25,000 identity protection plan and a $2 million personal injury & advertising limit. 

All of this is available at both part-time and full-time rates, students-only rates, flexible monthly payments, and money-saving upfront premium options. We do all of this to give ultimate flexibility in a plan that’s easy to access from start to finish.

Get Massage Insurance for Only $169/year


Ranking Ease of Application Process and Website Navigation

Each provider we’ve discussed has several positives and negatives to consider. Let’s talk about the application process for each. Each provider has varying levels of difficulty, and not all can say they have a simple application process. With different qualifying factors, website navigation, and access to information, some massage therapy insurance providers make it a complicated process to get coverage. 

When signing up for massage insurance, it is natural to have some questions. However, accessing information and the application process should not be difficult. Here’s how we ranked the competition for ease of access and application. 

  1. Beauty and Bodywork Insurance

As transparency and openness go, BBI ranked first among our competitors. BBI’s website is simple to navigate and has multiple access points to purchase their plan. They display the cost and coverage and provide a straightforward understanding of what is excluded. The application is a simple step-by-step process that guides you until the end. 

At several points in the process, a help box will appear to answer questions. This provides ample opportunity to check if you are missing information or need to make any adjustments. There are some gaps in BBI’s coverage (like cupping) and additional fees for extra coverage to consider. Ranking solely on ease of access to information and the application process, however, BBI does well at ensuring that your questions are answered and that you understand the application process. 

  1. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals

Ranking second on our list is ABMP. We have previously mentioned some of the positives and negatives of ABMP’s massage insurance policies. Still, the following observations are specifically related to how simple the application process is and how readily they provide information. 

As far as insurance providers go, ABMP has a good deal of information on its website about massage methods, resources, and networking opportunities. However, some more thorough investigation may be necessary when it comes to finding policy prices and a direct answer to insurance questions. It is not until you go through several pages of content that you will find the pricing for a massage therapist insurance policy.

On the other hand, ABMP does offer a significant amount of content on what is covered by its policy. However, with minimal frequently asked questions and no chat box in which to ask questions, you may have to do some research to get the answers you need. Additionally, the application process requires you to make an account as a first step. This could deter would-be potential clients.

  1. The American Massage Therapy Association

Ranking last on our list is AMTA. Though it may seem easy to click on the multiple “Join Now” links throughout the AMTA website, minimal information is readily available to potential policyholders. AMTA’s site has multiple links to various snippets of information and very few complete answers to questions. With few to no frequently asked questions and no option for an instant chat feature, you will need to root around the website or resort to calling the customer service line. 

The application process has several qualifying factors that may hinder applicants from gaining coverage. The layout of the AMTA’s website forces users to start the process of applying before providing pricing information. Overall, the site requires users to navigate several pages of information before getting to the bottom of potential concerns. Without providing much help to potential clients, users are left to fend for themselves. AMTA’s difficult-to-access information and the application process could prevent a massage professional from selecting AMTA for massage insurance. 

Massage Therapist Insurance Reviews

Let’s look at what a third party has to say about each of these massage therapist insurance providers. These reviews are from Trustpilot.com, which offers user reviews from real customers. As we have said, each of the massage therapy insurance providers we’ve discussed has benefits and downsides. Remember that the reviews are from clients who have used or interacted with these companies. They offer the following insights: 

  • Massage Magazine Insurance Plus: Trustpilot users give MMIP an “Excellent” rating with 4.6 out of 5 stars and over one thousand reviews. 

  • AMTA: Trustpilot gives AMTA a 4.4 out of 5 stars with mostly positive reviews. With over 200 reviews, it’s safe to say that most of their clients are satisfied. 

  • ABMP: Trustpilot users give ABMP an “Excellent” rating with 4.9 stars out of 5 stars and more than 1,200 customer reviews. 

  • BBI: BBI did not have any reviews on Trustpilot.

Comparing Options with Massage Liability Insurance

Cheapest Massage Insurance

“Cheap” sometimes makes you think less quality and with some things in life that’s true. Cheap may not mean less quality with insurance but there are some big differences to note such as some of these plans are truly “bare bones”. 

Lowest to highest of all student plans offered:

  • ABMP: $15 for students
  • InsureLMT: $35 for students
  • MASSAGE Magazine: $40 for students
  • Beauty and Bodywork Insurance: $67 for students
  • AMTA: $89 for students

Lowest to highest of all professional plans offered:

  • Beauty and Bodywork Insurance: $96/yr for professionals
  • InsureLMT Insurance: $94/yr for professionals
  • MASSAGE Magazine: $169 per year for professionals
  • ABMP: $199 per year for professionals
  • AMTA: $235 per year for professionals
Best Massage Therapy Liability Insurance

Most Coverage in Massage Therapy Insurance

Coverage is obviously very important with massage insurance—but remember that limits need to be set with a lot of forethought, and you don’t want to have more than you need or conversely less than you might need. ABMP’s limits and pricing are structured on two different tiers based on your experience level; here, we provided their “professional” level to keep this comparison as close as possible.

  • Professional liability: MASSAGE Magazine, ABMP, AMTA, and Beauty and Bodywork Insurance all have $2 million per occurrence. AMTA and ABMP have $6 million aggregates but AMTA has a shared limit of $10,000,000.
  • General liability: MASSAGE Magazine, ABMP, AMTA, and Insure Bodywork/BBI all have $2 million per occurrence. Here too, AMTA and ABMP have $6 million aggregates and AMTA has that shared limit of $10 million.
  • Product liability: BBI has a $3 million strictly product liability limit. Next in line is MASSAGE Magazine with a $2 million total limit. ABMP and AMTA include product liability but they fall under other coverage areas and are subject to those limits.
  • Identity Protection Plan: MASSAGE Magazine - $25,000. No other massage insurance company appeared to include this vital coverage for today’s therapists.

Best Benefits With Massage Therapist Insurance Coverage

  • MASSAGE Magazine: free massage continuing education courses, 450+ modalities covered, instant coverage, free professional website, and over $1,800 in discounts and deals from top names in massage products and business services.
  • AMTA: discount on continuing education and other services, networking opportunities, publication access, therapist and school databases.
  • ABMP: free CE hours, magazine subscription, and additional discounts available. Note here the level of benefits received is based on professional vs. certified plans.
  • Beauty and Bodywork Insurance: 25% off massage therapy CE hours with a BBI policy.

So, Who Has the Best Massage Therapy Liability Insurance?

With one of the only massage insurance companies to not have an hour qualification or required annual CE hours, Massage Magazine Insurance Plus's liability insurance takes the cake for minimal hassle. 

Add that to one of the most affordable, straightforward price options, the highest diversity of coverage, instant coverage from the moment you sign up, and the best benefits package around, and it’s clear to see why thousands of massage therapists continue to rate their experience with the program so highly. In the end, the best massage therapy insurance is going to be the one that provides you with the support you need to practice what you love with confidence.

Three Massage Insurance Options to Choose From

Instance 1
part-time policy

Do you practice fewer than 10 hours/week? Then this option is for you.
Cost to you: $0.43/day

$

159

/1yr

  • Costs you only $0.43/day 
  • Instant proof of insurance certificate
  • Over $1,800 in industry discounts
BUY POLICY
1 year policy

Save more money by paying this total first year introductory rate.
Cost to you: $0.46/day

$

169

/1yr

  • 1 year of unlimited online CE access
  • Instant proof of insurance certificate
  • Over $1,800 in industry discounts
BUY POLICY
2 year policy

Purchase our two-year policy option and lock-in an annual rate of only $149.
Cost to you: $0.41/day

$

299

/yr

  • Save $39 with this option
  • Over $1,800 in industry discounts
  • Instant proof of insurance certificate
BUY POLICY

The Liability master policy is issued to the Healthcare Professionals Purchasing Group, LLC. The Identity Protection Plan is powered by Identity Fraud, Inc., Walnut Creek, CA, whose members include members of Healthcare Professionals Purchasing Group, LLC. Gallagher Affinity Insurance Services, Inc. is the insurance partner for Healthcare Professionals Purchasing Group, LLC. Gallagher Affinity Insurance Services, Inc., a 50-state licensed broker, is the broker for all coverage under Healthcare Professionals Purchasing Group, LLC. Gallagher Affinity Insurance Services, Inc. also serves as excess and surplus lines broker for Healthcare Professionals Purchasing Group, LLC. Professional Liability and Commercial General Liability coverage under Healthcare Professionals Purchasing Group, LLC is underwritten in the surplus lines market by an A+ rated (Superior) insurance company, per A.M. Best Company. Persons insured by surplus lines companies are not eligible for recourse through any state guarantee fund for the obligations of an insolvent insurer. Healthcare Professionals Purchasing Group, LLC is for health, wellness and beauty professionals and students created for the purpose of providing valuable and important benefits and services to its members. Healthcare Professionals Purchasing Group, LLC is not an insurer. 8430 Enterprise Circle Suite 200, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202