Licensing, Certification and Accreditation in the Spa, Massage Therapy and Beauty (Cosmetology

Industry) by Eunice yunesa@yahoo.com

LICENSING, CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION

IN THE
SPA, MASSAGE THERAPY AND BEAUTY INDUSTRY
by
Eunice Estipona
www.yunesa.blogspot.com

Let us look at the differences between licensing, certification and accreditation:

There are two forms of licensing: licensing for a business and licensing for a profession.
Licensing in a business is a legal agreement between the individual and the government for the
purpose of establishing a business. Licensing in business is a governmental regulation covering
primarily covering the physical office, sanitation and training requirements. Examples are
licenses issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, by the Department of Trade and
Industry and similar government agencies allowing you to engage in that specific form of
business.
Licensing in a profession, on the other hand, is a legal permission granted by a state or
government to perform the profession legally and indicates effectiveness or proficiency in the
practice of that profession. This is generally mandatory, granting permission to engage in an
occupation after the degree of competency has been established and acquired to ensure public
protection and consumer safety. This generally involves the police power of the government. It
presumes that working in a particular field of activity is a privilege which can be given and
withdrawn by the issuing agency depending on their requirements. Once a licensing law has
been passed it becomes illegal for anyone to engage in that occupation unless that individual
has a license or otherwise mandated by law.

What does this mean? To make it simple in our everyday life, when we say you are a licensed
driver, it means to say you are permitted by the government to drive or even make driving your
profession. If you are Licensed Medical Technologist or Registered Nurse, it means you have
been granted permission to practice your profession by the Professional Regulations
Commission (PRC). Different government agencies handle different licensure requirements. If
there is a licensure in a certain field or profession, it means, if you want to make money out of it
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or you want to make a career out of it, you are obligated by law to be licensed. It is not
voluntary, mandatory ang magpa-license. So if you want to make spa, massage, beauty or
wellness as a career at merong ng licensure rules and regulations or law governing those fields
mentioned dapat merong kang lisensiya. In the Philippines, among the four mentioned only
massage therapy has licensure. So according to PD 856, The Implementing Rules and
Regulations of Chapter XXIII for Massage Clinics and Sauna Bath Establishments of the Code
of Sanitation of the Philippines, Section 9.1.1, No person is authorized to practice massage
therapy in the Philippines without holding a valid certificate of registration for masseur issued by
the Committee of Examiners for Masseurs and approved by the Secretary of Health. Exception
to the rule: Not unless you are under the supervision of a Licensed Massage Therapist. So, in
short, illegal mag practice ng massage therapy sa Philippines without a license. Kahit pa nag
aral ka sa ibang bansa. Let us take for example, yung mga nurse who wants to work in the US
as nurses, they have to be licensed by PRC and at the same time, they have to pass CGFNS,
IELTS, etc. So, after passing all these exams dun ka pa lang magiging qualified mag practice sa
Amerika. Huwag matatampo. This is the law and I am just stating this, not unless ma re-repeal
ito then its still enforcible. Wala pang licensure ang spa, beauty, wellness or cosmetology (well,
not that I know of only certification meron but I think law makers are slowly getting it into the
system of licensing these professions). Tingnan naman natin ang ibang bansa (let us look at
other countries), in the US, different states have different laws. The United States have no
national standard for massage therapy, or spa therapy or beauty/aesthetics therapy training.
Different States have different licensing requirements and twelve States do not even have
statewide requirements. Canada naman has one of the most rigorous training programs and
British Columbia requires 3,000 hours. Canada has different training requirements for their
therapists; only three provinces: British Columbia, Ontario and Newfoundland have standards
for massage therapists; the remaining provinces do not. However efforts to create national
regulation for massage therapists in Canada are underway. A massage therapist must have
completed 3,000 hours of training to practice in British Columbia. Alberta, on the other hand,
does not require training at all. So you see, depending on the country/location you are at, you
may only require Licensure to be able to practice. So depending on the circumstances, but
generally, even if you are a Licensed Massage Practitioner/Therapist in the United States and
you want to practice in the Philippines, you still have to comply with the requirements of
Licensure laws of the country that you wish to practice in. For more information on laws, rules
and regulations of other countries and all the US States, my book, The Spa, Massage Therapy
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and Wellness Resource Book and Career Guide is already available on www.Amazon.com and
very soon for Philippine readers in all National Bookstores and PowerBooks nationwide. Here is
the link to the summary of the book, its free to view, read, download and print:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/6425282/About-the-Book-Spa-Massage-and-Wellness-Resource-
Guide-and-Career-Book

Let us now go to Certification. Certification on the other hand, is a statement of completion,

diploma or meeting a set of standards. Unlike Licensing, this is voluntary and does not involve
the police power of the state. It also means that an individual has completed a course, training,
seminar or workshop. Affiliation with an organization may or may not require a proficiency
examination for admittance before they issue a certificate. Certification maybe withdrawn
anytime by the issuing agency but this does not stop one from working or practicing the
profession. Certification courses are offered by a variety of organizations, institutions,
individuals, agencies and establishments. It is essentially the process of publicly attesting that a
specified quality or standard has been achieved or exceeded. Professional certification on the
other hand, uses a voluntary formal process to identify and acknowledge the individual who
have met a recognized standard. Usually, this standard includes education, examination on the
knowledge and skills, experience and the overall abilities of the person performing the job. So
when an individual meets the standard, a certification is received from a private non-government
professional organization or certifying agency. The credibility and integrity of the certifying
agency determines whether the agency’s certification means anything to the public and
therefore its validity and value to the public’s eye. A certification (ito yung mga ini-issue sa atin
na mga certificates) attests that the individual has demonstrated a certain level of mastery of a
specific knowledge or skills within its scope of practice. Pardon me if I will use massage therapy
again because this is the only field that has both Licensure and Certification requirements, thus
the most developed (should I say) in terms of current curriculum and policies in the country to-
date, in the field of spa and wellness. In the massage therapy field of the Philippines, the
Department of Health Committee of Examiners for Masseurs (DOH-COE) is the Licensing body
for Massage Therapy while The Technical Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) is the
certifying agency for Massage Therapy. Wag nating pag awayin ang dalawang ahensiya
because each has their own roles to play. You cannot say to your left leg that I do not need you
because I have an arm. You cannot say that your eyes is more important than your ears kasi
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nga BOTH ay important in their own respective ways. Dapat kumuha ka ng Lisensiya at kung
talagang gagawin mong hanap-buhay ang pagmamasahe then kailangan mo pa rin ng TEDSA
certification. Ang certification ng TESDA ay voluntary at hindi mandatory. One government
agency is not better than the other it’s just that each document from each of these agencies
have different purpose. Kaya huwag malito kung ano ba talaga dapat ang kunin yung sa TESDA
or yung sa DOH. This is my personal unsolicited advice, if and only if, in the deepest recesses of
your heart eh gusto mong mag-practice ng massage therapy go for BOTH. Kung hindi naman,
find your niche and follow your rainbow. I will mention it again, that there are a lot of positions
available to choose from in this wonderful and varied world of spa, massage therapy and
wellness, hindi lang maging practitioner (not only in being a practitioner). Hindi kailangan
magtalo or pumasok sa isang field na hindi ka gifted dun. I will also not fail to mention that in my
book a whole specific chapter is dedicated to finding your specific position/area in this field
because I believe that each of us has our own unique talents and abilities. We will be more
fruitful (not only in career but also emotionally and financially) plus happier if we know where we
are headed and that is what my book also tackles (deep apologies for the plugging). But I think
what I am trying to say here is, it’s about time na dapat maintindihan natin (that we should
understand) that this industry offers a lot of opportunities for everyone that values health, well-
being, wellness, beauty (both inside and outside and more) and only if you know where to seek
information and help then and only then, will you get your answers.

Then there is an additional credential called an assessment. An Educational assessment is the

process of documenting, usually in measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs.
Assessment can focus on the individual learner, the learning community (class, workshop, or
other organized group of learners), the institution, or the educational system as a whole. It is
generally used to refer to all activities teachers use to help students learn and to gauge student
progress. Therefore assessment is related to certification. At sino sa Pilipinas ang nag ce-
certify? As I have mentioned, it’s the TESDA. In TESDA, it is conducted FREE for job-ready, but
poor and deserving students. One can apply in regional and provincial offices and TESDA
Assessment centers. All you need is a duly accomplished application form, 2 passport size
pictures with your name written at the back. For more information on PGMA’s FAST (President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s FREE Assessment Service of TESDA) program just email me so I
can send you more information.

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Okay punta naman tayo sa accreditation (let us go now to accreditation). It has several forms
like educational accreditation where accreditation is a process of review and approval intended
for schools, institutions, programs and trainers conducted by an accreditation body and certifies
that programs conducted by credentialing bodies and that these programs have met certain
standards. It is a voluntary process whereby an agency or association grants public recognition
to a school, institute, program, college, university, etc. for being able to meet certain established
qualifications, standards or periodic evaluations from the accrediting body. In the field of spa,
massage, wellness and related fields, accreditation is offered by the Department of Tourism
(DOT). For the DOT Philippines, accreditation is a certification issued by the Department of
Tourism that the holder is recognized by the Department as having complied with its minimum
standards in the operation of the establishment concerned. In our specific industry this includes:
spas (all kinds of spas), trainers, training programs, training centers, etc.

Generally speaking, you do not need an accreditation kung hindi ka isang foundation,
establishments, institutions, associations, individuals, school, institute, program, college,
university, who would conduct your own training programs. The most comprehensive list of
massage therapy, spa and wellness is listed in alphabetical order in my book. The list contains
Philippine schools/training centers, US, Australia, etc. and as much as possible we tried to
include all available information about their: names, addresses, phone/fax/mobile numbers,
websites, email/s, a bit of who they are or what they offer, (when available) etc. So you can get
in touch with each person or institution directly about the programs that interest you. I decided
not to include, the big question on “how much” because it will depend on the duration and type
of your program and they can change their rates, give discounts and specials. I suggest you
contact them directly regarding tuition fees or registration fees.

For those of you who would like a copy of the following documents (related to Licensure,
Certification, Accreditation and Assessment in the field of Spa, Massage Therapy, Beauty,
Wellness and Related Industry) please do not hesitate to email me at yunesa@yahoo.com)

Legend (where applicable) of Acronyms:

DOH means Depatment of Health
IRR means Implementing Rules and Regulations
DOT means Department of Tourism
TESDA means Technical Education Skills and Development Authority

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DOH documents:
Implementing Rules and Regulations of PD 856 for Massage Clinics and Sauna Bath
Establishments
Chapter XIII of the IRR PD 856
Licensed Massage Therapist Application Form
Chapter II IRR for Water Supply
Chapter XII IRR Tonsorial and Beauty Establishments

DOT documents:
DOT Inspection Request
Application for Accreditation of Spa
Processing Guide for Accreditation of Spa
Accreditation for Rules and Regulations of Spa
Revised Rules and Regulations for the Accreditation of Spas
Rules and Regulations Regarding Accreditation of Tourism Related Establishments
DOT Investment Primer

TESDA Documents:
Training Regulations on Hilot Wellness
Training Regulations on NCII Massage Therapy
FAST (Free Assessment Service of TESDA)
Beauty Care NCII
Training Regulations for Institutional Health Care
NC II Tourism Promotions Services

If you want a copy, just click on my blog account and follow/subscribe to the blog and then email
me at yunesa@yahoo.com.

Finally, there is no single examining body in the Philippines, so it is very important that your
course will lead to an examination approved by one or all of the following organizations: TESDA,
DOH and/or DOT (this information is subject to change by the organizations without notice).

Thank you for reading this blog and check back in for more updates!

===============================================================================

The first informational blog regarding spa, massage therapy, beauty and wellness with a focus on the
Philippines. Eunice’s blog and updates are found in this link www.yunesa.blogspot.com

Some articles written by Eunice, which you can view, read, download and print for FREE. Just click on
the links:

What term should really be used?

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Industry) by Eunice yunesa@yahoo.com
Client, Patient, Customer, At Iba Pa
Masseur, Massagist, Massage Therapist, At Iba Pa
http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/03/client-patient-customer-at-iba-pa.html

Is the spa, massage therapy and wellness industry included in the Top Businesses to start in these times
of global financial challenges? Find out in this article so you can adopt and perhaps change your
business into profitable ones:
Top Businesses to Start in Uncertain Times/Sluggish Economy
http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/02/top-businesses-to-start-in-uncertain.html

If you are an employer these are the things you should ask, or if you are a prospective applicant, job
seeker or someone who interviews people, this article can help you answer and ask/probe questions:
http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/02/suggested-interview-questions-and.html

Are you a smart boss, staff or employee? This article will give secrets on how to become a Smartest Spa,
Massage Therapist/Practitioner.
http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/02/smartest-spa-massage-therapist-ang.html

Do you want to know the right type of massage for you? Do you you want to know the common types of
massage and how it is practiced? This article will give you the glimpse of massage therapies locally and
abroad:
The Basics of Massage Therapy (Massage 101)
http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/02/basics-of-massage-therapy-massage.html

Do you want to know how much capital you need to start your own spa, massage clinic or wellness
center? Do you want to know what it is like being a spa owner? Do you want to be (really) prepared
before you shell out money into putting up your own spa, massage clinic or wellness center? Do you
want to know what steps you have to take before putting up your own business in this field?
How to Start, Begin or Open a Spa, Massage Clinic or Wellness Center
http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/02/organizing-opening-starting-putting-up.html

Are you tired of putting up with sexually charged clients? Do you know how to handle sexual harassment
in the spa and massage therapy setting? Then this article will definitely help you:
Preventing/ Avoiding Sexual Advances during a Spa or Massage
session50 ways of Handling Client Advances
http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/02/preventing-or-avoiding-sexual-advances.html

Do you want to know about Hilot, Dagdagay and other indigenous therapies of the Philippines? If yes,
then read on!
A Wee-bit of Philippine Indigenous Therapies with a Focus on Hilot
http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/02/wee-bit-of-philippine-indigenous.html

Rules and Regulations on How to Become a Licensed Massage Therapist in the Philippines through the
help of the Department of Health, here is the new update:
How to Be a Licensed Massage Therapist in the Philippines
http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-be-licensed-massage-therapist.html

Licensure, Accreditation, Certification and Assessment

http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/02/licensure-certification-accreditation.html

On anti-aging and Physical Appearances

http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/02/on-anti-aging-and-physical-appearances.html
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How to renew a Massage Therapy License in the Philippines:

http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/05/license-renewal-for-massage-therapy-in.html

If you want to be updated of spa, massage and wellness activities and events or be a part of a support
group
What is Meetup all about?
http://yunesa.blogspot.com/2009/06/everybodys-meetup-dito-po-sa-atin.html

The most comprehensive resource and information guide on the list of training centers, magazines,
publications, books and literatures both local and international are all available in the book, “The Spa,
Massage and Wellness Resource Guide and Career Book”. The First Book on Spa, Massage and
Wellness Resource Book and Career Guide
http://www.scribd.com/doc/6425282/About-the-Book-Spa-Massage-and-Wellness-Resource-Guide-and-
Career-Book (this has the most comprehensive list of training centers in the Philippines and abroad with
tips from professionals and employment opportunities, legal laws and regulations, list of employment
agencies, how to choose a trainer, and information that you need in order to succeed in this industry and
before you shell out money for your tuition or training, there are a lot of ways you can grab a copy of this
valuable information para hindi ka mag sayang ng time and money enrolling in trainings you do not even
need. This book will give you the information to start right in the industry with secrets you should know
and being able to find your rainbow in the wonderful world of massage, spa and wellness.
1. You can order it online via www.Amazon.com at 34.95$
2. You can order it via a Kindle device at $7.99
3. You can order an e-book copy through my blog at www.yunesa.blogspot.com at $19.95
4. You can also get a copy from National Bookstores nationwide at P799Pesos
5. For locals only, you can order it from me at local discounted rates with free delivery at 900Pesos (via
LBC or FEDEX Air 21. Anywhere in the Philippines. Please allow 1-5 working days
If you are looking for a career opportunity, not just a job in the spa, massage therapy and wellness
industry, this book is a must read.

Also, CD's included in the kit for spa management, practice and operations available:

The Spa and Wellness Business- Understanding the Basics (PowerPoint format)
Seven Deadly Mistakes to Avoid as a Spa Owner and Practitioner in the Spa Wellness Business
(PowerPoint format)
Spa, Massage and Facial Therapies 101 (The Basics) (PowerPoint format)
Business Worksheets for Spa and Massage Business in the Philippines (Excel and Word format/program
includes all the financial worksheets you need in computing for your operational cost, etc.)

This article is written by: Eunice Estipona a spa consultant, mentor, advisor, speaker and lecturer. One of
her advocacies is to make healing and information regarding the field of spa, massage and wellness
accessible and affordable to everyone. If you are serious about turning your business or practice around,
making the right decisions, getting an unbiased opinion and knowing where to get help, for lectures and
other concerns she can be contacted at yunesa@yahoo.com or +639184745685. To find out how she
can help you take your business to the next level, visit her site at
http://www.meetup.com/philippinemassagetherapy
These along with hundreds of resources found locally and abroad are contained in “The Spa, Massage
and Wellness Resource and Career Book”, the first book of resource information to know more about the
Spa, Massage and Wellness Industry in the Philippines and other countries including the United States,
Australia and other Asian countries. You can view, read, download and print for FREE the book’s
summary at this link http://www.scribd.com/doc/6425282/About-the-Book-Spa-Massage-and-Wellness-
Resource-Guide-and-Career-Book
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If you are a spa, massage therapy and wellness information seeker the resources contained in the book
for you. This book is a collection of data and valuable information regarding the spa and massage
industry in a global perspective with a focus on the Philippines. Her advocacy in writing the book is to
make “unbiased” information regarding the field of spa, massage and wellness resources and career,
accessible and affordable for everyone. If you are considering a career in the massage, spa and wellness
industry, this book will prepare you and give you a glimpse of what it is like, the preparation you need to
take: emotionally, intellectually and financially. In this book, you will learn more details in the spa and
massage field and the possible paths you can take. You will also learn about local and international
training programs offered and numerous employment possibilities. Giving you much needed information
at your fingertips. You can order it from www.Amazon.com or for local Philippine residents, you can email
and get in touch with Eunice at yunesa@yahoo.com.

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