American Massage Championships
Championship rules and information
Everything you need to compete or judge: who can enter, the eleven massage categories, how rounds run, how judges score, and how the champion is decided.
Before you enter
Participation rules
- Each massage therapist can compete in one or two categories.
- Wear sports shoes, sports pants or yoga pants, and a T-shirt. Shoes are not allowed in Thai Yoga Massage.
- Bring your own equipment, including your table or chair, sheets, towels, tools, and lotions.
- The massage recipient must wear underwear at all times, and women must have their chest covered. Any area not being worked on must be draped.
- No cameras are allowed during the rounds or the final. Unauthorized photos or recordings can result in expulsion.
- Zero tolerance for inappropriate behavior. Any massage of a sensual or sexual nature results in immediate disqualification and expulsion from the Championships.
- Every participant both gives and receives massage. When needed, the World Massage Festival will arrange suitable massage recipients.
- No chiropractic or osteopathic manipulations are allowed during the competition.
Liability insurance is required. Your own insurance covers both you and the person you treat during the competition, and proof of insurance must accompany your application. You will not be permitted to compete without providing a copy of your certificate of liability insurance.
Masking and vaccination policy. Unless required by Planet Hollywood, face masks and COVID vaccinations are not required to compete. If you prefer to wear a mask, please do. This is a personal decision. The World Massage Festival will not tolerate harassment of anyone over their mask or vaccination choice, and anyone who causes trouble over it will be immediately and permanently removed from the American Massage Championships. By registering, you agree to abide by this policy and any outcome decided solely at the discretion of the promoters and owners of the World Massage Festival and the American Massage Championships.
Eleven ways to compete
Massage categories
- Classic European Swedish Massage
- No tools, stools, stretching, forearms, or kneeling. Techniques should be complete, clean, and flow seamlessly from one to the next.
- Asian massage
- Thai massage, Shiatsu, Tui Na, Ayurveda, and similar.
- Wellness massage
- Hot stone, aromatherapy, spa massage, lymph drainage, holistic massage, and similar.
- Free style massage, Western inspired
- A combination of Western methods: self-treatment, mobilization, cupping, massage with tools, bodywork, and more.
- Free style massage, Eastern inspired
- A combination of Asian methods: Shiatsu, acupressure, Thai massage, cupping, massage with tools, and more.
- Sports massage
- Deep tissue, MFR, MET, neuromuscular techniques, stretching, and similar.
- Chair massage
- Both Western and Eastern inspired.
- Facial massage
- Japanese facelifting, Gua Sha, classic facial spa treatment, and similar.
- Clinical massage
- 30 minutes hands-on plus a client and therapist debrief. Show that you can assess and treat a problem area, explain why your treatment choice fits, and demonstrate results.
- Ashiatsu
- Compressive foot pressure using an overhead parallel bar system and/or the Sarga Bodywork Attachment and Silk System.
- Body shaping and contouring massage
- Techniques aimed at reshaping and toning the body, such as anti-cellulite massage, lymphatic drainage, and firming techniques.
Judges are qualified to evaluate each individual treatment, and a single treatment may fit more than one category.
How a round runs
Competition area
Every round lasts 65 minutes.
The competition area is divided into sections, and your table or mat location will be assigned. Stay in your section to avoid being assessed a default. Bring your own equipment, including tables, mats, and chairs. Place your participant identification in your section where judges can see it.
Scoring
How you are judged
Preliminary round judges come from all over the world. Each is a specialist with deep experience in the category they score, and they evaluate every competitor on a point system.
- TechniquesThe techniques used in each category, alone and in combination
- ErgonomicsHow you use your own body and your equipment
- FlowContinuous, non-stop movement and progression through the treatment
- InnovationCreative variations of effective techniques, and new methods
- Client contactExamination and connection with your recipient
- Recipient feedbackClinical massage only
Judges score within their field of expertise in close cooperation with each other. All competition decisions are made collectively by the judging panel to keep the competition as fair as possible, so competitors should not expect feedback or score results during or after the competition.
Crowning the champion
The final
The final is also 65 minutes. In the final, the massage recipients become the head judges.
6
Points from your recipient
Massage recipients, acting as head judges, give up to 6 points based on their experience of the massage.
3
Points per roaming judge
Each roaming judge can award up to 3 points at their discretion.
The therapist with the most points is named American Massage Champion. The overall gold medal winner receives free registration to the World Massage Festival immediately following that year's Championships. The prize applies only to that festival and cannot be carried over to a later one.
Filming notice. Lectures, preliminary rounds, the final, and the awards will be recorded and used for future marketing on social media. For updates, follow the World Massage Festival Massage Association at worldchampionship-massage.com or on Facebook.
July 23 to 25, 2027
Compete or judge in 2027
Ready to put your work in front of the best in the profession? Register to compete, or apply to join the judging panel.
Refer two, compete free. Refer two new therapists who have never attended the AMC. Once they have registered, paid, and checked in for the competition, your registration fee will be refunded.