Do You Need a License for Reiki in New Mexico?

Yes. New Mexico's massage law covers treatment of the soft tissues for therapeutic purposes. It says it does not prevent practitioners of reiki, polarity, the Trager approach, the Feldenkrais method, craniosacral therapy, Rolfing structural integration, ortho-bionomy or ch'i gung from practicing those skills. It also exempts practitioners of any other healing modality who do not manipulate soft tissues for therapeutic purposes, and the Massage Therapy Board's own rule repeats the same list.

Reiki has been named in the statute since 2007. The massage act currently carries a sunset date of July 1, 2028. Lawmakers usually extend these dates, so it is worth watching.

Yes. Hands-off and distance work fall outside the massage act. They come under the Unlicensed Health Care Practice Act instead, which lists energetic healing, healing touch, polarity therapy, meditation and mind-body healing practices as complementary and alternative health care services.

That act protects you from licensing law violations only if you follow its duties and avoid its prohibited acts. New Mexico law does not mention distance sessions specifically.

For massage, yes. The massage license applies to anyone who provides or offers massage therapy for compensation, while the ban on the title massage therapist applies whether or not you are paid. The duties of the Unlicensed Health Care Practice Act apply to anyone providing services, paid or free, so give the disclosure for free sessions too.

Do not call yourself a massage therapist or use any title, abbreviation, letters or signs that suggest you are one. The Unlicensed Health Care Practice Act also bars you from calling yourself a doctor or physician or using another protected title, making a specific conventional medical diagnosis, advising a client to stop prescribed medical treatment, and advertising falsely.

The same act bars surgery, setting fractures, using x-rays, prescribing drugs, manipulating joints or the spine, entering the body, sexual contact with a client within a year, sharing confidential information without consent, splitting fees or taking kickbacks, and performing massage therapy. Describe your sessions in terms of relaxation, balance and well-being.

Yes. Before you provide services, give each client a plain-language written document, or read it aloud if they cannot read. It must include your name, title, business address and phone; a statement that you are not licensed by New Mexico; a statement that your service is complementary or alternative to licensed care; the nature and expected results of your services; your degrees, training, experience or other qualifications; and your fees per unit of service, how you bill, and the client's right to notice of fee changes.

It must also state the client's right to complete information, access to records and the expected duration of services; that records are confidential unless released in writing or by law; the client's right to a coordinated transfer if they change provider; and the Regulation and Licensing Department's name, address and phone number for complaints. Get a written acknowledgment, or a witnessed oral one, give the client a copy, and keep it for 3 years. People whose health licenses were revoked, people serving sentences for certain felonies and people found mentally incompetent may not provide services under the act.