Massage Therapist Insurance: Liability Coverage & Quotes

General liability insurance and professional liability insurance are the best insurance for massage therapists and students. Just like aromatherapists, physical therapists, cosmetologists, and reflexologists, get insured and you’ll have a trusty countermeasure against lawsuits and income loss. Read this discussion to learn:

• How general liability and professional liability insurance for massage therapists works

• What other insurance policies to consider getting

• The cost of premiums

• Where to get the best coverage

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Massage Therapy Liability Insurance

Limits Of General Liability Insurance for Massage Therapists

As a massage therapist, you need to get a $1 million general liability insurance policy. Also referred to as massage therapy liability insurance, this will protect you against claims for bodily injuries and property damage. General liability insurance is useful when:

• A client files a claim and accuses your massage session of being invasive, resulting in bruises and body pains

• The massage therapy you provided aggravated the client’s existing bodily conditions, such as joint pains, stroke, high blood pressure , and other illnesses

• The client sustained injuries due to defective massage equipment

• A client was allergic to the massage oil and sustained rashes and burns

General liability insurance provides money each time a claim for bodily injury or property damage is filed. Include this to a massage therapist insurance plan to cover the following costs:

• Medical treatment of clients who got injured because of your service

• Reimbursement to the properties of clients that got damaged because of your fault

• Defense costs such as attorney fees, court filing fees, investigation fees, etc. 

• Court judgments

Aside from clients, general liability insurance will also protect you against claims for bodily injuries or property damage filed by independent contractors, visitors, interns, volunteers, and other third parties. 

Note that general liability insurance doesn’t cover assault and battery, abuse, molestation, and sexual misconduct. 

Additional Coverages Included In General Liability Insurance for Massage Therapists 

Your general liability insurance will have additional coverages included. Other exposures commonly covered by this massage therapy insurance coverage are:

• Advertising Injuries-General liability insurance for massage therapists comes with advertising injury coverage, and it will take care of claims for slander, copyright infringement, invasion of privacy, and libel

• Liability Over Damage To A Rented Space-General liability insurance comes with rented premises liability coverage. It’s useful if you’re a massage therapist renting a commercial spa or a massage room. If the landlord’s property gets damaged by fire, rented premises liability coverage will take care of indemnification on your behalf

• Equipment Coverage-The general liability insurance for massage therapists might also come with a basic equipment coverage. Equipment coverage will reimburse losses if massage chairs, tables, and other equipment get damaged or lost

Professional Liability Insurance for Massage Therapists

Limits Of Professional Liability Insurance for Massage Therapists 

Professional liability insurance for massage therapists takes care of costs if you’re accused of committing acts constituting negligence or malpractice. This massage business insurance is also called malpractice insurance. 

You need to purchase $2 million-$5 million worth of professional liability insurance. Here are some situations where you’ll find this policy useful:

• A client files a claim and accuses you of using improper techniques during the massage session

• The client files a claim and accuses you of falsifying professional certifications and portfolios

• You failed to assess a client’s condition. As a result, the massage therapy resulted in bruises, swollen muscles, or broken ribs

• You used chiropractic manipulation, which falls out of the scope of a massage therapist’s expertise 

• You are accused of violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996

Professional liability insurance will cover these costs each time a claim for negligence or malpractice is filed by clients against you:

• Settlements

• Defense costs

• Court judgments

If you need to join the trial or take part in an investigation, professional liability insurance might cover lost income and reimburse extra expenses. It might also cover the costs of proceedings for the cancellation of your license. 

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Commercial Property Insurance for Massage Therapists 

Limits Of Commercial Property Insurance for Massage Therapists 

Renting a massage room costs $200-$800. Having a massage salon built will cost about $50,000-$300,000. Investments needed for a massage business are hefty. It’s smart to get commercial property insurance. 

Commercial property insurance reimburses your financial losses if the massage room or salon you own, rent, or lease gets damaged or destroyed by:

• Fire

• Theft

• Vandalism

• Civil commotion

• Riot

• Sinkhole collapse

• Volcanic action

• Lightning

• Winds

• Hail

• Rain

• Snow

• Impact

• Aircraft

• Vehicle

The contents of your massage room or salon are automatically covered by commercial property insurance. It also recovers lost investments if massage chairs and tables, oils and scents, fabric washers, computers, sound systems, furniture, and other valuables get damaged or lost. 

By the way, remember that you can’t use commercial property insurance to recover losses if your massage room or salon and the contents inside become lost or damaged due to war, earthquakes, mudslides, landslides, and floods. 

Equipment Breakdown Insurance for Massage Therapists

The equipment you use for massage therapy will get broken sooner or later. Take care of repair or replacement expenses without using your own reserves by getting equipment breakdown insurance.  

Equipment breakdown insurance provides the money you can use to repair or replace broken business equipment. Coverage applies when covered valuables got damaged or lost due to:

• Theft

• Operator error

• Vandalism

• Electrical surge

• Electrical shorts

• Impact

Workers Compensation Insurance for Massage Therapists 

Workers’ compensation insurance is a requirement if you’re a massage therapist with one or more employees. 

There are many occupational injuries in massage therapy. You and employees can sustain rotator cuff injuries, tendonitis, and bursa injuries. Not to mention, certain lotions, creams, or oils can irritate the skin. 

Workers’ compensation insurance is useful because it will take care of these costs when you or an employee sustains a work-related injury or disease:

• Medical treatment and private EMT service

• Hospitalization 

• Medication

• Rehabilitation 

• Lost wages

• Death benefits

Employer’s Liability Insurance for Massage Therapists 

Limits Of Employer’s Liability Insurance for Massage Therapists

It’s important to get employer’s liability insurance when you have employees. By having this insurance, you can cover costs if an employee sues you for negligence after sustaining a work-related injury or disease. While available as a stand-alone policy, you usually get employer’s liability insurance as part of workers’ compensation insurance. 

Mobile Massage Insurance

Some independent massage therapists are mobile massage therapists-meaning massage professionals who don’t have their own commercial space but instead visit clients to perform a service.

There’s a tailored mobile massage insurance for such types of massage therapists, which bundles general liability, professional liability, and commercial auto insurance.

The third policy, commercial auto insurance, covers a mobile massage therapist’s vehicle. The policy provides protection against liability for vehicular accidents, the cost of repairing damages, and the cost of emergency services if an issue happens while traveling. Coverages included in commercial auto insurance are:

• Auto liability insurance

• Physical damage coverage

• Emergency roadside assistance

Auto liability insurance covers the cost if you get involved in an accident while on the way to meet a client. The purpose of this policy is to give you money to pay for legal fees and settlements to injured third parties. In case someone’s property got damaged, auto liability will cover the claim of that person too.

Physical damage coverage can be categorized into two; collision insurance and comprehensive insurance. Collision physical damage coverage helps you repair your vehicle if it got damaged in a collision with a vehicle or object. On the other hand, comprehensive physical damage coverage covers costs if your vehicle got damaged because of extreme weather, vandalism, theft, fire, or arson.

Emergency roadside assistance takes care of gas delivery, tire repair or replacement, towing expenses, and other extra expenses if your vehicle breaks down during a trip. 

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Massage Insurance Cost

The massage insurance cost varies depending on which insurance policy you decide to get. Here’s a table showing the premiums for each massage insurance policy.

A $1 million general liability insurance for massage therapists costs $18 per month or $216 per year. This estimate assumes that you’re a massage therapist with 5 employees and make $500,000-$750,000 revenue annually. Get cheap massage insurance by:

• Ensuring your certificates and training portfolio are up to date

• Have risk management programs in place

• Only working with associates with certifications and membership at massage organizations

• Bundling two or more insurance policies

• Getting higher deductibles

• Renovating your massage room or salon with non-combustible materials 

To get a further idea of your premiums, here’s a table showing the carriers that offer rates lower than massage liability insurance $99:

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Best Massage Insurance Companies

These are the best massage insurance companies. Read to know their pros, cons, and rate for a $1 million general liability insurance. 

NEXT Massage Therapist Insurance

Pros

• Best overall

• Get an online proof of insurance and send as a text message, email, or social media post

• Fastest general liability insurance for massage therapists

• Great customer service and reputation

• Issues an online proof of insurance instantly

• Outstanding value for money

• Bundle two or more massage insurance policies and get a 10% discount

Cons

• Couldn’t find any

NEXT offers a business owner’s policy with optional workers compensation insurance coverage. Work with NEXT because it allows you to get instant proof of insurance upon getting covered. Furthermore, a 10% discount is granted if you decide to get two or more massage and bodywork insurance policies. 

Best for: Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for massage therapists 

Average cost: $13 per month for a $1 million general liability coverage

Our rating: 10/10

CoverWallet Massage Therapist Insurance

Pros

• Get insured online

• Compare massage insurance quotes

• Cancel your policy quickly and without additional fees

Cons

• Not a carrier but a broker offering the quotes of its partners

CoverWallet is an insurance broker with an online quote comparison platform where you can compare the offers of different carriers offering the best insurance for massage therapists. The company also customizes the quotes of its partners and comes up with its own insurance product for customers who want to get insured instantly.

You have four insurance options with CoverWallet. You can decide to get general liability only, general liability with commercial property, bundle general liability and commercial property in a business owner’s policy and get professional liability insurance, or get a customized cover where you can freely add or remove insurance policies.

So what are the perks of getting insured with CoverWallet? Aside from having the ability to manage and pay for insurance online, you can also get an online certificate of insurance and 24/7 online claims filing.

Best for: Massage therapist insurance online quotes comparison

Average cost: $15 per month for $1 million general liability coverage

Our rating: 10/10

Tivly Massage Therapist Insurance

Pros

• Responsive customer service

• Will take you to partners if it can’t provide coverage

• A partner of reputable insurance companies such as Progressive and Geico

Cons

• You need to call to get a quote

Tivly (formerly CommercialInsurance.NET) provides coverage for microblading professionals and other related fields in the personal care industry such as massage therapists, nail technicians, and more. You can get general liability, workers’ compensation, professional liability, commercial property, and other business insurance products from this company. 

Call Tivly now to compare massage therapist insurance quotes over the phone and get covered. 

Best for: Comparing massage therapist insurance quotes over the phone

Average cost: $16 per month for a $1 million general liability insurance

Our rating: 10/10

 Thimble Massage Therapist Insurance

Pros

• Short-term massage insurance

• Get insured online

• Get instant proof of insurance

Cons

• Online policy management is not very intuitive

Thimble’s massage insurance is exclusive to spas. Just like CoverWallet, Thimble can insure you instantly online. The best part is you don’t need to talk with an agent. All you have to do is choose which policies to get and then proceed with the purchase.

So what are the policies included in Thimble’s massage insurance? Inclusions are general liability, commercial property, and workers’ compensation. If you want more protection from claims, Thimble also offers stand-alone professional liability insurance.

Choose to work with Thimble because its massage insurance can be availed as a short-term policy. This means that you can choose to get insured for only hours, days, weeks, or months. Also, you can cancel your policy anytime without getting charged.

Best for: Short-term massage liability insurance 

Average cost: $17.50  per month for $1 million general liability coverage

Our rating: 9/10

Hiscox Massage Therapist Insurance

Pros

• Worldwide coverage

• Efficient claims handling

• 14-day money-back guarantee

• Choose limits and deductibles 

Cons

• General liability insurance doesn’t come with equipment coverage 

Hiscox offers professional liability and general liability insurance for massage therapists. Choose this company and enjoy worldwide coverage, efficient claims handling, and 14-day money back guarantee. 

Your general liability insurance from Hiscox has a $1 million-$2 million per occurrence and aggregate limit. 

The professional liability insurance of this company, on the other hand, has a $1 million per occurrence and aggregate limit. You can upgrade the policy to enjoy additional coverage for contributory damages. 

Best for: Massage therapist liability insurance with worldwide coverage

Average cost: $18 per month 

Our rating: 9/10

 

ABMP Massage Insurance

Pros

• Annual limits per member, not aggregated across all of the association’s members

• Legal defense coverage included

• Additional insured endorsement (AIE) available for employers/landlords

• Protection from late-filed claims

• Additional non-insurance benefits as part of association membership, such as professional development, marketing opportunities, and networking events

Cons

• Doesn’t offer commercial auto insurance for mobile massage therapists

 

The Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals Organization offers ABMP Liability Insurance coverage as part of its member benefits. The liability coverage includes the highest-possible industry rates of $2M per incident ($6M aggregate per year). ABMP insurance cost $229 annually. If paid per month, then ABMP massage insurance cost $19.08.

Best for: Massage therapists’ insurance with benefits

Average cost: $19.08 per month for $1 million general liability coverage

Our rating: 7/10

 

AMTA Massage Insurance

Pros

• Per occurrence coverage of $2M ($6M aggregate)

• Master Policy annual aggregate of $10M

• Legal defense coverage

• Covers personal injury, slander, and libel

• License protection in the event of legal and settlement costs pertaining to a client filing a claim to a licensing board

Cons

• Only covers massage professionals

The American Massage Therapy Association offers its form of liability insurance coverage as well. AMTA is a professional organization specifically for massage therapy graduates and does not cover other professionals. AMTA insurance cost will be $234.96 annually.

Best for: Massage insurance with comprehensive limits

Average cost: $19.58 per month for $1 million general liability coverage

Our rating: 6/10

 

Beauty And Bodywork Massage Insurance

Pros

• Get insured online

• Insurance is especially underwritten for the needs of massage and bodywork professionals

Cons

• Previous customers reported that claims take long to be approved

Beauty And Bodywork massage insurance is an insurance program from the company InsureMyBodywork. Massage and bodywork liability insurance is $25.16 per month. Your massage and bodyworker insurance from this company will also come with optional equipment and inland marine insurance coverage. 

Best for: Specialty insurance for massage and bodywork professionals

Average cost: $25.16 per month for $1 million general liability coverage

Our rating: 6/10

 

LMT Insurance

Pros

• LMT liability insurance is available as a 2-year policy

• $3 million professional and general liability coverage

• Includes stolen equipment coverage and identity protection coverage in its tailored insurance for massage therapists 

Cons

• You can’t add additional insureds for free

Licensed Massage Therapist Insurance policies are available for those who feel memberships in industry organizing bodies do not adequately cover them. LMT insurance policies can be found online. 

You are encouraged to find a reputable insurance broker who can help you determine which policy provides appropriate and affordable coverage for your practice. 

Remember that obtaining cheap massage insurance is possible but not always preferable, so be certain that you understand your business’s coverage through industry associations and whether you need additional insurance products.

Best for: 2-year massage therapist liability insurance

Average cost: $30.94 per month for a $1 million general liability coverage 

Our rating: 5/10