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Therapist Corner
► Licensing in Las Vegas |
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We get many
inquiries regarding job opportunities in Las Vegas. We don't want to discourage
anyone, but, it's a tough market. There is an abundance of MTs in the area, many
looking for work, while the local schools are still pumping out grads. Therapists
will eventually find work of some kind, but it may not be in the desired position.
The
casino spas are sometimes looking for therapists, but the work is 'assembly-line' massage
on vacationers and convention attendees - there are no returning clients.
Many local chiropractors have therapists, but they often function more as office help than
therapists. We've heard many horror stories from disillusioned therapists in
chiropractor offices. And be extremely careful if you intend to rent space in one.
It just doesn't seem to work.
Most of the massage establishments in town are spa oriented. Usually, in-call therapists in these spas are independent contractors working to build a
personal client base. Many of these establishments also have out-call services where most newcomers get
started. One big problem with out-call is that cross-gender is no longer
legal and the police are actively enforcing the law through 'stings'. It seems that
most out-call requests are from male clients - and they generally don't want a male
therapist. It's a 'catch 22' and many of the new graduates enter the market doing
out-call until they burn-out and give up.
Then, there are a few clinics like ours. We carefully promote the fact that we do
treatment (or 'medical') massage - with healing as the objective - as compared to the
spas. Most of our clients return and many of them produce referrals. To
maintain our reputation we must be very selective in allowing therapists to work with
us. There are few positions available in this market and starting a new
establishment is very expensive and time consuming.
Most therapists know they'll
never become rich, and the Las Vegas environment is no different. Expect to spend a
lot of time getting started. Good luck. |
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We operate under licensing from Clark
County, Nevada, which is very similar to the Las Vegas City and
Henderson City licensing statutes which apply to other therapists in the area. In a
nutshell, these are the primary therapist related directives:
There are two
types of massage therapists: Employees of an establishment and Independent Massage
Therapists (i.e. self-employed independent contractors). Employees are not required to
obtain a business license while Independent Massage Therapists are. Both, however, are
required to prove worthiness to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) prior to
being issued a 'work card' to perform massage. The LVMPD verifies training
and business history, NCBTMB certification (required), character references, police record check,
financial situation, etc.
There is no cross-gender
out-call allowed in the cities or county. However, it is allowed during in-call
in a spa or clinical setting.
Licenses are
semi-annual and the process is relatively expensive. Nevada does not have income taxes, but they make up for it in other ways.
Here is the link to the Clark County, Nevada
Code.
(Click on 'Title 7 BUSINESS
REGULATIONS',
and then 'Chapter 7.08 MASSAGE ESTABLISHMENTS'.)
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