Olympia proposes new rules for massage businesses to combat illicit activity
The Olympia City Council is considering adopting an ordinance aimed at keeping illicit and dangerous activities from happening in professional massage and reflexology businesses.
The council received a briefing on the ordinance and amendments by interim Police Chief Shelby Parker on Aug. 12. The council will potentially adopt them Sept. 9 and they would go into effect Oct. 1.
Parker said if adopted, the ordinance and its amendments will strengthen the city’s ability to promote public safety, enhance community well-being and support accountability. She said they also would help ensure local laws reflect shared values and the evolving needs of the city.
“Community members have raised repeated concerns about suspected illicit massage and reflexology businesses advertising and presenting as legitimate massage and reflexology providers,” Parker said. “However, some of these businesses offer services outside of the scope of legitimate massage therapy, including practitioners appearing in lingerie and online reviews suggesting sexually explicit services.”
Parker said there have also been serious allegations of human trafficking. She said OPD works closely with Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative, a Lacey-based nonprofit that provides resources and housing for survivors of human trafficking. They also offer training and technical assistance to first responders and service providers.
She said due to limitations in the city’s current code, OPD has historically relied on joint investigations with the state Department of Health. While the Department of Health has imposed civil penalties, she said, these measures have proven insufficient in deterring ongoing illicit activity.
Parker said this is largely because the DOH is set up to regulate licensed massage therapists, not unlicensed persons posing as massage therapists.
“This makes it difficult for the Department of Health to proceed without municipal participation to shut down illicit businesses posing as massage therapy or reflexology businesses,” Parker said. “The owners, operators and managers of these illicit massage and reflexology businesses are suspected of engaging in human trafficking, promoting prostitution, committing fraud and money laundering and undermining legitimate massage and reflexology businesses, posing direct risks to public health and safety.”
She said the proposed code changes will close the regulatory gaps OPD currently faces. They include modernizing Olympia’s lewd conduct ordinances to align with state law, creating a dedicated chapter that establishes expectations and oversight for massage and reflexology businesses, and provides the city the authority to deny or revoke business licenses based on criminal activity.
The amendments also include updating zoning definitions to better reflect the regulated nature of massage therapy.
“Together, these changes form a coherent, enforceable framework that prioritizes public safety, supports legitimate practitioners and disrupts the business model of those engaged in illicit or criminal activity,” Parker said.
Details and enforcement
Parker said the ordinance defines who is responsible for operating massage and reflexology businesses, including owners, directors and managers — even in cases where that information isn’t fully disclosed.
It also prohibits anyone under 18 years of age from practicing massage or reflexology, and requires that all practitioners be properly licensed or certified. Licenses must be clearly posted, and no one without a valid license can offer or advertise services.
Parker said the ordinance gives the city the authority to inspect public areas of these businesses during business hours, and sets hygiene, sanitation and record keeping standards that align with state rules. It also clarifies the scope of physical contact that’s allowed under a massage license, helping ensure practitioners stay within their legal boundaries.
When it comes to enforcement, Parker said the ordinance establishes escalating consequences for violations, starting with misdemeanors and moving to gross misdemeanors for repeat offenses.
“The city will also have the authority to deny or revoke business licenses if there’s a qualifying conviction, such as prostitution, fraud or related criminal activity,” Parker said.
In those cases, there’s a mandatory two-year waiting period before someone can reapply. For business license applicants who don’t hold a valid massage or reflexology license, the city will require their date of birth and home address. These applicants will undergo a background check by the Olympia Police Department focused on convictions related to sexual offenses, narcotics and crimes tied to the operation of massage and reflexology businesses.
Anyone denied a license will have the right to appeal.
Parker said the code amendments include removing massage therapy from the personal services category. She said this reflects the fact that massage therapy is a licensed health care profession in the state, and it deserves to be treated as such in local code.
She said enforcement will be addressed by OPD’s community policing unit, including the neighborhood police officers and downtown walking patrol officers. As complaints are received, OPD will investigate suspicious activity using a victim centered, trauma informed approach. If cases become complex, additional investigative resources will be deployed as needed.
“The negative impacts of this illicit activity are far reaching,” Parker said. “They exploit vulnerable individuals who may be trafficked. They damage the reputation and viability of legitimate massage and reflexology practitioners, and they violate the trust of community members seeking safe and professional massage and reflexology services.”
She said the OPD’s ongoing partnership with Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative is central to ensuring victims are treated with care and dignity, and supported on a path to becoming survivors.
Parker said the ordinance was drafted in collaboration with the Washington State Massage Therapy Association. Marybeth Berney, president of WSMTA, spoke during public comment about the ordinance.
Berney, who’s a long-time resident of Olympia, said she’s had a massage therapy business in the city for 40 years. She said the WSMTA appreciates any effort to reduce or eliminate illicit and illegal organizations that pose as massage and reflexology businesses, as it helps not only public safety, but also the safety of legitimate, licensed massage therapists and reflexologists.
“These illicit businesses that are posing as massage therapy and reflexology businesses, we have them across the city here,” she said. “They’re all up and down the I-5 corridor. They’re across the country. They have co-opted the massage profession to commit their crimes.”
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