Original manuscript & recording released:

January 13, 2026

The Massage Therapy Championship and the Interstate Compact: ABMP’s Contradictions

Andrew DeGroat, N.D.

Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) has long presented itself as a champion of massage therapists and bodywork professionals (ABMP 2024). Yet its recent initiatives highlight a curious tension between public spectacle and serious professional advocacy. On one hand, ABMP sponsored the Massage Therapy Championship, a highly publicized competition that emphasizes performance, flair, and entertainment (ABMP 2023). On the other, it has been a leading force behind the Interstate Massage Compact, a legislative initiative aimed at streamlining licensure and enhancing professional mobility (Interstate Massage Compact Commission 2024).

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Spectacle vs. Professionalism

The Massage Therapy Championship is flashy and engaging, with contestants judged on timed sessions, technique, and creativity (Pennsylvania Massage Championship 2023). While entertaining, critics argue it risks trivializing a profession grounded in clinical knowledge and patient care (Calvert 2019). By framing massage as a competitive spectacle, the event may reinforce public perceptions of massage as indulgent or recreational rather than medically or therapeutically grounded (Moyer et al. 2014).

In contrast, the Interstate Massage Compact represents serious policy work. Its goal is to allow licensed massage therapists to practice across state lines without obtaining multiple licenses—a reform that strengthens the profession’s regulatory infrastructure and recognizes massage therapy as a legitimate healthcare service (Interstate Massage Compact Commission 2024). Unlike the championship, the compact demands legislative negotiation, regulatory compliance, and strategic advocacy (Council of State Governments 2023).

Membership Philosophy and Professional Priorities

ABMP’s approach to membership further complicates the picture. Unlike the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), which restricts membership to massage therapy students and licensed massage therapists (AMTA 2024), ABMP accepts bodyworkers, fitness professionals, and massage therapists, reflecting its broader organizational scope—hence the inclusive name (ABMP 2024). However, this inclusivity coexists with a policy focus heavily weighted toward licensed massage therapists, leaving other professional members—particularly bodyworkers largely underserved in advocacy efforts (Benjamin 2018). This raises questions about whose professional needs ABMP prioritizes.

It is also important to acknowledge that massage therapy as a professionalized practice is, in large part, the medicalization of Indigenous and traditional healing practices. While these modalities have deep cultural and spiritual significance, their adaptation into regulated healthcare often occurs without recognition or respect for their origins, raising serious issues of cultural appropriation (Smith 1999; Kirmayer 2012). ABMP’s broad membership model does not directly address these tensions, further highlighting a disconnect between the organization’s stated inclusivity and the realities of professional and cultural representation.

The Contradiction

Taken together, ABMP’s sponsorship of a performance-based championship and leadership in a serious legislative initiative illustrates a dual strategy that may send mixed messages. One initiative entertains and engages the public; the other elevates the profession’s regulatory status. Simultaneously, the organization’s expansive membership model contrasts with its narrow policy focus, leaving some members—particularly non-therapist bodyworkers—wondering where their professional interests fit and how cultural considerations factor into the development of the field.

Conclusion

ABMP’s actions reflect an organization trying to balance entertainment, broad inclusivity, and professional advocacy. Yet the tension between spectacle and policy, alongside uneven attention to its diverse membership and lack of acknowledgment regarding cultural appropriation, raises important questions about priorities and values. For massage therapists, bodyworkers, and policymakers, these contradictions suggest that professional identity in massage remains contested, with public image, membership strategy, cultural sensitivity, and legislative action often pulling in different directions.

References

ABMP (Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals). 2023. Massage Therapy Championship Sponsorship Materials. 2024. Membership Categories and Advocacy Overview. https://www.abmp.com.

American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). 2024. Membership Eligibility and Professional Standards. https://www.amtamassage.org.

Benjamin, Patricia J. 2018. The Emergence of the Massage Therapy Profession in the United States. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.

Calvert, Monte. 2019. “Professional Identity and Public Perception in Massage Therapy.” Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 23 (2): 312–318.

Council of State Governments. 2023. Occupational Licensing Compacts and Workforce Mobility. Lexington, KY.

Interstate Massage Compact Commission. 2024. Overview of the Interstate Massage Compact. https://www.massagecompact.org.

Kirmayer, Laurence J. 2012. “Rethinking Cultural Competence.” Transcultural Psychiatry 49 (2): 149–164.

Moyer, Christopher A., et al. 2014. “Massage Therapy: Evidence, Indications, and Public Perception.” Medical Clinics of North America 98 (3): 583–597.

Pennsylvania Massage Championship. 2023. Competition Rules and Judging Criteria.

Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. 1999. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. London: Zed Books.