Does OHIP Cover Massage Therapy?
No. The Ontario Health Insurance Plan does not cover massage therapy, and it hasn’t at any point in the program’s history. This applies regardless of your condition, whether a doctor referred you, or how medically necessary the treatment might be. OHIP covers physician services, hospital care, and a limited number of other regulated health services. Massage therapy is not one of them.
It’s one of the most common questions people ask before booking their first appointment with an RMT, so let’s get into the details of why OHIP doesn’t cover it, what actually does, and how to minimize what you pay out of pocket.
Why OHIP Doesn’t Cover Massage
OHIP was designed to cover what the provincial government considers essential medical services. In practice, that means visits to your family doctor, specialist consultations, emergency care, surgical procedures, and diagnostic testing. Over the years, the government has actually reduced OHIP coverage for paramedical services rather than expanding it. Chiropractic and physiotherapy both lost their partial OHIP coverage in past budget rounds.
Massage therapy was never included to begin with. Despite being a regulated health profession in Ontario since 1991, governed by the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO), it has always sat outside the scope of public health insurance. Successive provincial governments have shown no serious interest in adding it, largely because the cost of covering massage therapy for all Ontarians would be substantial.
This puts Ontario in the same position as every other Canadian province. No provincial health plan anywhere in Canada covers massage therapy. It’s a private-pay or private-insurance service across the board.
What Does Cover Massage Therapy
The fact that OHIP doesn’t cover massage doesn’t mean you’re stuck paying full price. The majority of Ontarians who get regular massage therapy have at least partial coverage through other means.
Extended health insurance through your employer. This is how most people access massage therapy coverage. If your workplace offers a group benefits package, it very likely includes a paramedical services component that covers massage therapy by a Registered Massage Therapist. Annual limits vary, but $300 to $1,000 per year is typical. The plan is administered by a private insurer like Sun Life, Manulife, Canada Life, or Green Shield Canada. For a full breakdown, see our guide to massage therapy insurance coverage in Ontario.
Student health plans. If you’re enrolled at an Ontario college or university, you almost certainly have an extended health plan included in your student fees. Most of these plans cover massage therapy, usually with annual limits between $200 and $500. It’s an underused benefit among students, and many don’t even realize they have it. Check with your student union or student services office.
Government employee benefits. Federal public servants have massage therapy coverage through the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP). Provincial and municipal employees typically have their own plans with similar benefits. If you work in any level of government, review your plan documents. The coverage is often better than people assume.
Individual extended health plans. If you’re self-employed, a gig worker, or your employer doesn’t offer benefits, you can buy your own extended health plan from most major Canadian insurers. Monthly premiums range from about $80 to $200 depending on your age, health status, and the level of coverage you choose. Most individual plans include massage therapy. Whether it makes financial sense depends on how often you’d use it and what other benefits the plan provides.
Other Ways to Offset the Cost
Even without any insurance coverage at all, there are ways to reduce what massage therapy actually costs you.
Tax credits. Massage therapy by a Registered Massage Therapist qualifies as an eligible medical expense on your Canadian income tax return. You won’t get the full amount back, since the medical expense tax credit only applies above a threshold based on your income, but combined with other medical expenses (dental, prescriptions, vision), it can provide meaningful tax savings. Our guide to claiming massage therapy on your taxes walks through the details.
Health Spending Accounts. Some employers offer Health Spending Accounts (HSAs) as part of their compensation package, even if they don’t offer a traditional benefits plan. HSAs provide a set dollar amount you can spend on eligible health expenses, and massage therapy from an RMT qualifies. If you have access to an HSA, this is essentially tax-free money you can put toward treatment.
Motor vehicle accident benefits. If you’ve been injured in a car accident in Ontario, your auto insurance policy includes statutory accident benefits that may cover massage therapy as part of your rehabilitation program. This coverage is separate from any extended health plan and is available regardless of who was at fault in the accident.
WSIB. If your need for massage therapy stems from a workplace injury, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board may cover treatment as part of your approved care plan. Your employer, treating practitioner, or WSIB case manager can advise on what’s covered under your specific claim.
Will OHIP Ever Cover Massage Therapy?
It’s unlikely in the near future. The trend in Ontario (and across Canada) has been to shift paramedical services to private insurance rather than expand public coverage. When the provincial government eliminated OHIP coverage for chiropractic in 2004 and reduced physiotherapy coverage in subsequent years, it sent a clear signal about where things were heading.
Advocacy groups and professional associations, including the Registered Massage Therapists’ Association of Ontario (RMTAO), continue to push for broader public recognition and coverage of massage therapy. But changing OHIP coverage requires political will and significant budget allocation, neither of which has materialized.
For the foreseeable future, coverage for massage therapy in Ontario will continue to come from extended health plans, employer benefits, and the options outlined above.
Paying Out of Pocket: What to Expect
If you’re paying entirely on your own, massage therapy in Ontario typically costs between $80 and $160 per hour, depending on where you live and the therapist’s experience level. Smaller cities and towns tend to be on the lower end, while downtown Toronto and other GTA locations run higher. For a detailed city-by-city breakdown, see our guide to massage therapy costs in Ontario.
A few tips for managing the cost: ask about shorter sessions (30 or 45 minutes can be very effective for focused treatment), ask about package pricing if you plan to go regularly, and look for newer RMTs who may offer introductory rates while building their practice. The quality of care from a recent graduate is not inherently lower. They’ve passed the same exams and met the same standards as any experienced therapist.
Find a Registered Massage Therapist
Regardless of how you’re paying, the treatment needs to come from a CMTO-registered RMT if you want it to qualify for insurance reimbursement, tax credits, or any form of coverage. Every therapist in our Ontario directory holds active registration. Search by city or language to find an RMT near you.
Last updated February 2026.