(a) “Approved massage therapy school” means a facility that is licensed by this board and meets the curriculum and instruction requirements as stated in this chapter.

(b) “Board” means the State Board of Massage Therapy as created in this chapter.

(c) “Board-accepted hours” means hours of education accepted by the board to meet requirements of exemption and/or continuing education for pre-act practitioners and is different from “board-approved programs” and/or “board-approved school hours.”

(d) “Classroom hour” means no less than fifty (50) minutes of any one (1) clock hour during which the student participates in a learning activity under the supervision of a board licensed instructor.

(e) “Examination” means the State Board of Massage Therapy approved examination for licensure.

(f) “License” means a State Board of Massage Therapy approved form of credential indicating that the license holder has met the requirements of this chapter for the practice of massage therapy.

(g) “Massage” means touch, stroking, kneading, stretching, friction, percussion and vibration, and includes holding, positioning, causing movement of the soft tissues and applying manual touch and pressure to the body (excluding an osseous tissue manipulation or adjustment). “Therapy” means action aimed at achieving or increasing health and wellness. “Massage therapy” means the profession in which the practitioner applies massage techniques with the intent of positively affecting the health and well-being of the client, and may adjunctively (i) apply allied modalities, heat, cold, water and topical preparations not classified as prescription drugs, (ii) use hand held tools such as electric hand massagers used adjunctively to the application of hand massage or devices designed as t-bars or knobbies, and (iii) instruct self-care and stress management. “Manual” means by use of hand or body.

(h) “Massage establishment” means a place of business where massage is being conducted.

(i) “Massage therapist” means a person who practices massage therapy.

(j) “MPMTA” means the “Mississippi Professional Massage Therapy Act.”

(k) “Mississippi State Law Examination” means the comprehensive examination on the Mississippi Professional Massage Therapy Act and the associated relevant Board Rules and Regulations that is given by the board or its representative.

(l) “Pre-act practitioner” means an individual who has practiced professional massage therapy before January 1, 2001.

(m) “Professional” means requiring minimum standards of conduct, ethics and education.

(n) “Provisional permit” means a temporary permit approved by the board when all requirements, other than board-approved national or state examinations, have been met, not to exceed ninety (90) days.