Is Massage Therapy Covered By Insurance in Canada?

What is massage insurance?

Massage insurance refers to health insurance coverage that includes registered massage therapy (RMT) under its extended healthcare benefits. It’s not a standalone “massage-only” product, and there are some exclusions (such as non-RMT massages at spas).

Coverage is usually offered in one of three ways:

1. Employer benefit plans: Massage therapy is often included under paramedical services alongside other types of care, such as physiotherapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic care.
2. Individual health insurance plans: These are private plans Canadians can buy directly from insurance providers.
3. Health spending accounts (HSAs): Some workplaces offer HSAs that allow employees to use pre-tax dollars toward eligible medical expenses, including massage therapy.

To qualify for reimbursement, treatments must generally be:

• Performed by a Registered Massage Therapist
• Supported by a receipt that includes the therapist’s registration number
• Within your policy limits

Massage insurance provides significant relief and wellness for both therapeutic and preventive care. It's comforting to know it can help reduce the financial burden and give you peace of mind that you have access to any care that you need. This is particularly important because 24% of Canadians delay physiotherapy, massage therapy, or chiropractic treatment due to cost, according to our recent survey data.

Does health insurance cover massage therapy in Canada?

Most private health insurance plans in Canada cover registered massage therapy, but coverage varies widely by plan tier and insurer. Your coverage amount will vary based on the tier of your health insurance plan, as well as annual limits and reimbursement rates.

Remember: While you can buy private health insurance with massage coverage, that option doesn’t really exist in public programs. Provincial health care (e.g., OHIP, MSP, RAMQ) does not cover massage therapy, even when it’s medically necessary.

The only exception is in rare cases where massage therapy is provided inside a publicly funded hospital program. For the vast majority of Canadians, private insurance is the only way to get massage therapy reimbursed.

Plan options that include paramedical coverage

When you’re looking at health insurance plans that include coverage for services like massage therapy, it's important to consider your personal needs. There are three tiers of insurance products to consider, and choosing the right one depends on how often you’ll need massage services and whether you’ll need to use any pooled coverage for services like physio or chiropractic. Sometimes, chronic conditions are also covered.

1. Basic plans: Typically cost the least but offer the least coverage. This is decent for people who don’t really need all too many paramedical services and just want to get a massage two or three times a year. Per-vist limits may apply.
2. Mid-tier plans: Middle-of-the-pack coverage with costs to match. You’ll get more out of these plans than you will from a basic plan. These plans are best suited to people who may need to use any pooled coverage for multiple paramedical services.
3. Advanced plans: The highest costs with the highest, most comprehensive coverage packages an insurance company can give. Sometimes they have a separate pool for massage services, too. Reimbursement rates are high. These plans are best for people with chronic conditions who need coverage for different paramedical care, or who view massage as part of ongoing therapy and recovery.

Choosing the right coverage depends on how often you use massage therapy and whether your insurer groups it with other services under one insurance program.

If you need additional coverage that your plan does not provide, you may be able to work something out with your insurance company for an increased monthly premium.

How much does massage insurance cost?

The cost of massage insurance in Canada depends on the type of plan you choose and how your professional services benefits are structured. Because massage therapy is bundled under extended health care, prices will often vary by plan tier, annual limits, and whether your benefits are pooled with other services.

In general, higher-tier plans offer larger coverage limits, higher reimbursement rates, and fewer restrictions. They also tend to come with higher monthly premiums.

PolicyMe offers massage therapy insurance in its health benefits plans. Here are the average costs for PolicyMe’s plans for 21–44 year-old adults across Canada. Keep in mind, your price may differ.

Read more: How much does health insurance cost in Canada?

How massage insurance works

Insurers typically reimburse eligible treatments performed by qualified practitioners if you haven’t hit your annual limit on coverage for paramedical/professional care. Here’s how the coverage typically works across most Canadian health plans:

• Eligibility factors: Services must be performed by a Registered Massage Therapist. The treatment must be therapeutic and medically driven (so, not just relaxation-only or spa-style massages).
• Annual limits and plans: Your insurance company will have specific limits on how much you can claim per year for reimbursement. These can be structured separately from other services, pooled, or subject to per-visit caps. Some plans have waiting periods before you can use coverage for paramedical services, too.
• Claims process: Most insurers now make reimbursement simple. You’ll either have to submit a receipt digitally through your insurance company’s online portal, or your RMT may offer direct billing (though the availability for this is also variable by clinic and insurer).

Make sure you keep all receipts. Even when direct billing is available, an insurance company may request documentation for audits down the line.

When is massage insurance worth it?

Massage insurance is worthwhile when your treatment frequency or cost burden is high enough that out-of-pocket expenses or delayed care become real issues. Given that nearly a quarter of Canadians postpone this type of care due to cost, coverage can make a meaningful difference—especially for those for whom massage is medically necessary.

Here are some scenarios in which massage insurance is worth it:

• You use massage therapy several times per year rather than just occasionally as a treat
• You’re managing a chronic condition or recovering from bodily injury, or you have musculoskeletal issues
• You don’t have employer-provided benefits or your current plan has low limits
• Your RMT offers direct billing, or your plan offers easy reimbursement to help reduce the burden of paying upfront

Here are some situations in which it may not be worth it:
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• You only get one or two massages a year
• You are primarily purchasing spa-style massages

FAQs

Prices listed on this page are based on information available as of October 2025. The prices shown are for general reference only and may vary based on factors like your age, location, and product selection.