Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP)

ABMP, a national massage and bodywork association in the United States

Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) is a national membership association headquartered in Golden, Colorado, that brings together massage and bodywork professionals, as well as students, schools, and educators in the field. Founded in 1987, it presents itself as an organization that goes beyond liability insurance to facilitate the professional and educational activities of its members.

Membership profiles

The association structures its offering into four distinct profiles:

• Professionals: access to professional liability insurance, free continuing education courses, discounts with business partners, and other benefits. ABMP Certified members also have a $20 monthly payment option, more continuing education hours, and expanded discounts.
• New graduates: special rates for the first year of professional membership, with liability insurance, an online scheduling app, and continuing education.
• Students: exam preparation through ABMP Exam Coach, geared toward the MBLEx test, and student-specific membership options.
• Schools: classroom support resources, such as ABMP Exam Coach and insurance options for training centers.

Insurance coverage and service philosophy

The professional liability and business property insurance program is presented as the industry standard. The policy included in membership offers occurrence-form coverage, professional, general, and product liability with the highest limits available, with no additional charge for additional insured endorsements and no shared member aggregate, unlike what the association attributes to other organizations. Its business philosophy is summed up in the motto “expect more.”

Continuing education and practice resources

The ABMP Education Center brings together more than 750 hours of continuing education: members get free access and non-members can purchase course access. The association publishes the award-winning Massage & Bodywork magazine, which is delivered in print to members and available online to anyone. It also produces the ABMP podcast, with weekly episodes on the specific challenges of the massage and bodywork community, and offers ABMP Five-Minute Muscles, a tool with palpation and technique videos, actions, origins, and insertions for the 83 muscles most commonly addressed by bodywork professionals. The offering is rounded out by ABMP Pocket Pathology, member discounts, and a free online scheduling app.

Training, schools, and instructor development

For the educational field, ABMP offers ABMP Exam Coach and MBLEx test prep, with a school-specific version. It also offers Cornerstones, instructor development, the ABMP School Forum, student resource tours, and marketing materials to order. The association maintains a massage school directory.

Information, advocacy, and professional community

ABMP publishes MassageTherapy.com, runs the ABMP Career Center job board, and maintains RespectMassage.com. It carries out legislative advocacy work and publishes a blog and industry news, in addition to organizing ABMP Massage Week. Its reference resources include the ABMP Code of Ethics and COVID-19 materials. The association also offers a referral database to search for massage therapists by area or by type of specialized practice.

History and recognition

Founded in 1987, ABMP was recognized as a Top Workplace in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. The association handles press and researcher inquiries through its Senior Director of Communications, Darren Buford.

Location and contact

25188 Genesee Trail Road, Suite 200, Golden, CO 80401 · Phone: 800-458-2267 · Email: expectmore@abmp.com · Hours: Monday through Friday: EST 9:30am to 7:00pm; CST 8:30am to 6:00pm; MST 7:30am to 5:00pm; PST 6:30am to 4:00pm; Hawaii/Aleutian 3:30am to 1:00pm; Alaska 5:30am to 3:00pm