Timeline: History of ABMP
1943 — American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) founded, advocating for a unified massage therapy profession — 44 years before ABMP.
1986 — Associated Professional Massage Therapists (APMT) founded by Sherri Williamson and business partner Richard Smith, positioned as a “big tent” alternative welcoming all bodywork modalities. Operated as a for-profit member services organization offering liability insurance, discounts, a newsletter, wall certificates, directory listings, and the “RPMT” designation. Promotional materials soon added “& Bodyworkers.”
But not all bodyworkers were happy to join the AMTA. Some viewed it as
“the Swedish massage organization” and refused to be linked to it. They
saw themselves and their disciplines as quite distinct from what they
considered old-school massage. Others were libertarians, heirs of the
hippie counterculture and human potential movement who distrusted “the
establishment” and could not bear the hierarchy and internal politics inherent
in professional associations. AMTA, which had been advocating for a unified
massage therapy profession since 1943, became a symbol of everything they
rejected. This set of circumstances left an opening for the formation of a new
general membership organization for massage and bodywork practitioners.
The Associated Professional Massage Therapists (APMT) was founded in 1986
by Sherri Williamson and her business partner, Richard Smith. ~Patricia Benjamin
1987 — ABMP’s own account dates its founding to this year, started out of Williamson’s home. Outgrew three offices in six years.
1989 — Williamson tells Massage magazine the organization rejects state chapters and meetings to avoid a “petty bureaucracy,” favoring centralized, fast decision-making.
1990 — Name changed to Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP).
1990s — ABMP actively opposes AMTA-backed national certification and state licensing efforts; frames massage as an “industry” rather than a profession, deepening the rivalry over the field’s future direction.
1994 — Les Sweeney joins ABMP.
April 1996 — ABMP sold to a group of four people forming the core management team. Bob Benson becomes president; membership stands at 15,600.
1996: Bob Benson becomes Chairman and CEO of PAC and ABMP, overseeing a period of major growth from 15,000 to over 80,000 members. [1]
1999 — Sweeney becomes executive vice president.
June 2001 — Massage Today poll: 57% of respondents name ABMP as the association best serving members and the profession; second place gets 15%.
2005: ABMP convenes a pivotal meeting of educators and state regulators. This initiative eventually leads to the formation of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB). [1]
January 2006 — C. Leslie “Les” Sweeney appointed president, succeeding Bob Benson, who becomes chairman. Membership has grown to over 57,000 under Benson — surpassing AMTA’s 55,000 and making ABMP the largest massage membership organization in the U.S. At this point ABMP is owned by 24 employee-shareholders and based in Evergreen, Colorado.
2012 – Bob Benson of ABMP proposes the Entry Level Massage Project at the National Coalition of Massage Associations meeting.
November 16, 2017 — ABMP and AMTA issue a rare joint statement rejecting the FSMTB’s human trafficking report, objecting that it implies the profession is responsible for ending trafficking and that the two associations endorsed its recommendations.
2018: Les Sweeney, who previously served as ABMP president, succeeds Bob Benson as CEO. [1]
Present Day: ABMP celebrates nearly four decades in operation, continuing to provide comprehensive member benefits and publishing the industry-recognized Massage & Bodywork magazine. [1, 2]