--- title: Massage Practice and Licensing url: https://thestudyguild.com/programmes/massage-practitioner type: programme published: 2026-08-13 last_reviewed: 2026-08-13 reviewed_by: amira-hassan publisher: The Study Guild --- # Massage Practice and Licensing A 10-week live massage programme with marked practicals and a local-licensing plan, taught by a practitioner who will not stamp a council licence. ## Programme facts - Price: £449 (payment plans available, never discounted) - Format: Live online + self-paced - Live contact hours: 20 - Expected self-study hours: 40 - Duration: 10 weeks - Level: All levels - Tutor: amira-hassan ## Learning outcomes - Take consent and a contraindication history that would survive a complaint - Deliver a treatment on camera that can fail - Write a licensing plan for the council where you will actually work - State that this pass is not a local-authority special-treatments licence - Refuse presentations you are not insured or licensed to treat - Set up hygiene and notes that a premises inspection could recognise ## Curriculum 1. **The licence we cannot print** — GOV.UK sends you to your council. We will too. The certificate is not the stamp. Topics: Special treatments premises licensing; London versus elsewhere; What this pass will say; Who should leave now 2. **Consent, history and when not to treat** — The intake that keeps you and the client out of harm. Topics: Contraindications; GP referral; Pregnancy and unexplained pain; Practice cases 3. **Hygiene and a premises an inspector could walk into** — Towels, skin, and the room that fails a visit. Topics: Infection control; Home studios; Employed therapists registering; Notes 4. **Observed practice** — A treatment on camera that can fail for safety or consent, not for theatre. Topics: Pressure and communication; Draping; Stopping; Marked practical 5. **Anatomy enough to be safe** — Landmarks and red flags, not a medical qualification. Topics: What you may claim; What you must not diagnose; When physiotherapy owns the work; Language 6. **Your council, your rules** — The assessed licensing plan for the postcode where you will work. Topics: Finding the licence page; Fees we will not invent; Exemptions you must not assume; Plan part one 7. **Working from home** — Some councils treat a home studio as a premises. Ask before you advertise. Topics: Planning and neighbours; Insurance; Advertising without a licence; Fines 8. **Insurance and scope** — The policy must match the website and the licence. Topics: Professional indemnity; Modalities you have not been marked on; Sports versus holistic titles; Marked copy 9. **Business without medical miracles** — Packages, boundaries and the client who wanted a diagnosis. Topics: Pricing; Cancellation; Claims; Referral 10. **Assessment clinic** — Live review of practicals and licensing plans against the rubric. Topics: Common fails; Wrong council; Resubmission; Monday morning ## Assessment A recorded treatment, a written contraindications case, and a licensing plan for the learner's own council, marked by Amira Hassan. Written feedback with one free resubmission. Work that claims this certificate is a special-treatments licence, or that skips the council plan, does not pass. ## Upcoming cohorts - 2027-01-20 to 2027-03-24 — Wednesdays 18:00–20:00 UK, 10 weeks (open, cap 16) - 2027-04-21 to 2027-06-23 — Wednesdays 18:00–20:00 UK, 10 weeks (open, cap 16) ## What is this massage programme? Live, assessed massage practice with a licensing plan for the council where you will work. It teaches consent, contraindications and a treatment that can fail on camera. It is not a local-authority special-treatments licence. Only that council can grant one, and rules vary by postcode. ## Do you need a licence to practise massage in the UK? Often yes, if you run a premises offering massage or other special treatments. GOV.UK tells you to contact your council. In Greater London, special-treatments rules are commonly made under local Acts. Requirements, fees and exemptions vary. A course certificate is not the licence, however professional it looks. Sources: - [Massage and special treatment premises licensing](https://www.gov.uk/find-licences/massage-and-special-treatment-premises-licensing) — GOV.UK ## Can this programme license you to take paying massage clients? No. We can mark practice and a plan for how you will apply. We cannot inspect your room or stamp a council licence. Trading without the licence your council requires can be an offence. Check that council before you advertise. If they say you need a licence, buy that process, not a substitute PDF. ## How is this different from an online massage diploma? Practicals are marked on camera, and the licensing plan is assessed against your own council, not a generic UK. The certificate names the licence we do not issue. A meridians PDF can still teach a sequence. It cannot tell an inspector whether you knew you needed them in the room. ## Common questions **Why not just call this a massage licence?** Because only your council can grant a special-treatments licence. We teach practice and how to apply. **I work from home — do I still need a licence?** Ask your council. Some treat a home studio as a premises. Assuming an exemption is how people get fined. **Is massage a protected title?** No. Premises licensing is still a real local-authority process in much of England. **Can I pay in instalments?** Yes. Interest-free plans total exactly £449. --- Source: https://thestudyguild.com/programmes/massage-practitioner · The Study Guild