Do You Need a License for Reiki in Idaho?

Yes. Idaho exempts anyone who uses touch to affect the energy systems, acupoints, qi meridians or channels of energy of the body while working within the scope of practice of a profession. Reiki is named as an example, along with polarity, acupressure, jin shin do, qi gong and shiatsu.

The exemption has one condition. Your services must not be called massage or massage therapy, or implied to be.

Yes. The massage law requires touch to soft tissue, so sessions without touch and remote sessions fall outside it. Idaho's medical practice act covers diagnosing, treating, preventing or prescribing for any disease or condition by means of medical science, or holding yourself out as able to do so. Keep your descriptions to relaxation, balance and well-being.

Yes, for massage. A license is needed to practice massage therapy for compensation, and Idaho defines compensation broadly: payments, loans, advances, donations, contributions, deposits and gifts of money or anything of value all count. The Reiki exemption applies either way.

Without a massage license you may not use titles such as massage therapist, massagist, massotherapist, myotherapist, body therapist, massage technician or massage practitioner, or any word implying massage. Body therapist is on that list, so leave it off your materials.

Never use M.D., D.O., medical doctor, physician or similar titles. Practicing medicine without a license is a felony in Idaho.

Idaho's health freedom law gives a safe harbor to unlicensed people who give treatment or advice about the body. To use it you must use no legend or prescription drugs and perform no surgery. You may use only natural elements such as air, heat, water and light, class I or class II nonprescription FDA-approved devices, and vitamins, minerals, herbs, natural food products and supplements.

Each client must sign a declaration of informed consent. It gives an overview of your education and states that you are not an M.D. or D.O. and are not licensed under the medical practice act. The law states no record keeping rule beyond the signed declaration, so keeping the forms on file is a sensible habit.