Massage therapy is declared by the Legislature to be a professional therapeutic health service. The Legislature finds that in the practice of massage therapy, there is a necessity to preserve and protect individual life and health, to promote the public interest and welfare by establishing licensure requirements and assuring public safety. It is the intent of this chapter to establish a regulatory agency and procedures that will ensure that the public is protected from the unprofessional, improper, unauthorized, and unqualified practice of massage therapy. All persons engaged in the practice of massage therapy in this state shall meet the requirements set forth in this chapter.