About the CAMEL

The original camel (Camelus dromedarius) is known both for its tenacity and endurance and for its cantankerous forthrightness. It's in that twin spirit of going the distance and being difficult to dissuade that CAMEL, the California Massage Education League, was formed to provide straightforward information and resources to help regulatory agencies and massage practitioners better understand and make better decisions about governance of the massage profession.

As a historical aside, the US Army had more than two dozen camels housed at Fort Tejon during the winter of 1859-60. Fossil remains of at least two genera of pre-historic camels have been found at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

“The Camel” believes in FATE — Forthrightness, Activism/Advocacy, Tenacity, and Endurance.

• Forthrightness — As with our animal namesake, what you see and hear from us is congruent and consistent with our values and goals.

• Activism/Advocacy — A positive business environment for the practice and teaching of massage doesn’t just happen, it requires having the right information handy and providing it to the right people in the right places at the right times.

• Tenacity — Just because the message about obtaining an appropriate business environment wasn’t understood the first time is not a reason to quit. Education is not just about raw data but about organizing data and changing perspectives.

  It's not about attitude. It's about demanding change. And governments don't change their policies because they see the light. It's because they feel the heat. — Asia Russell

  Creating desired results also requires working with those on the political level of creating policy rather than those delegated to implementing and enforcing ordinances once they are passed. Enforcement is inherently oriented around dealing with problems rather than with creating solutions.

• Endurance — Creating a positive business environment for massage takes time. Real people, including those in charge of local agencies, adjust slowly to paradigm shifts.

CAMEL is neither a professional networking organization nor a subscriber based service organization. CAMEL is a focused business league, formed with the intent of providing information and advocacy to assist in creating a positive business and regulatory climate for massage. CAMEL also works with other organizations in a manner consistent with the continued business success of the over 200 state-approved massage schools and estimated 25,000 individual practitioners.