1. The practice of massage therapy as defined in section 152C.1 is strictly prohibited by unlicensed individuals. It is a serious misdemeanor for a person to engage in or offer to engage in the practice of massage therapy, or use in connection with the person’s name, the initials “L. M. T.” or the words “licensed massage therapist”, “massage therapist”, “masseur”, “masseuse”, or any other word or title that implies or represents that the person practices massage therapy, unless the person possesses a license issued under the provisions of section 152C.3.

Attorney's Note

Under the Iowa Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Serious misdemeanorup to 1 yearbetween $430 and $2,560
For details, see Iowa Code§ 903.1

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Terms Used In Iowa Code 152C.5

  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • License: means a license issued by the state under this chapter to a hearing aid specialist. See Iowa Code 154A.1
  • Massage therapy: means performance for compensation of massage, myotherapy, massotherapy, bodywork, bodywork therapy, or therapeutic massage including hydrotherapy, superficial hot and cold applications, vibration and topical applications, or other therapy which involves manipulation of the muscle and connective tissue of the body, excluding osseous tissue, to treat the muscle tonus system for the purpose of enhancing health, muscle relaxation, increasing range of motion, reducing stress, relieving pain, or improving circulation. See Iowa Code 152C.1
  • Person: means a natural person. See Iowa Code 154A.1
 2. It shall be an affirmative defense to a prosecution for a violation of subsection 1, in addition to any other affirmative defenses for which the defendant might be eligible, that the defendant is a victim of a crime that is a violation of section 710A.2.