Monterey's massage businesses in the hot seat - Monterey County Herald

[massage]

• Home →
• Business →
• Business and professional services

Monterey's massage business policy will be discussed by the City Council on Tuesday night. In New Monterey, there are several massage shops open until 10 p.m., including Win Spa & Massage, Asian Day Spa and ComFoot Massage. (Phillip Molnar - Monterey Herald)

Monterey's massage business policy will be discussed by the City Council on Tuesday night. In New Monterey, there are several massage shops open until 10 p.m., including Win Spa & Massage, Asian Day Spa and ComFoot Massage. (Phillip Molnar - Monterey Herald)

Monterey >> There are more than a dozen massage businesses in Monterey, many that stay open as late as 10 p.m.

In the eyes of the law and many patrons, they are legitimate businesses. But they are also rarely talked about.

Monterey City Council will review its rules for massage businesses at its Tuesday meeting after some officials and community members raised concerns about the establishments.

Councilman Alan Haffa said the city gets complaints from citizens from the mundane, such as questioning why there are so many, to the more extreme, suggesting they are engaged in prostitution or even sex trafficking.

“There are some insinuations that untold things happen there,” Haffa said Monday. “Whether that is true or not, I don’t know.”

He noted the police department does routine checks on the establishments and haven’t found anything.

“The allegation is prostitution. … There’s no evidence. It’s all allegations,” Haffa said.

City staff put the item on the council’s agenda in response to Planning Commission concerns raised about the issue, namely the increasing number of shops.

It is not clear yet what Tuesday’s discussion will entail, but Councilwoman Libby Downey said Monday she would like to slow down the growth of massage establishments, particularly on Lighthouse Avenue.

“Personally, I think we’ve got as many as we need. I would love to be able to see us limit further,” she said.

Despite a lack of restrictions on the number of establishments, Monterey’s city code is rather strict toward parlors.

They must have a valid certification from the state Massage Therapy Organization, wait a minimum of 45 days to get a permit from the city and are subject to inspections.

The businesses can stay open until 10 p.m. and practitioners must be fully covered from at least the mid-thigh to two inches below the collarbone. Clothes cannot be transparent.

The code says massage or body work means “the application of touch to the human body using a variety of techniques which may include any method of pressure or friction, stroking, kneading, rubbing, tapping, stretching, pounding, vibrating, or stimulating the external surfaces of the body with hands or with any object or appliance.”

If Monterey decides to crack down on massage businesses it has a new law, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in September, to use.

The Massage Therapy Act, which took effect Jan. 1, allows cities and counties to regulate businesses that employ certified massage practitioners.

Advertisement

A 2009 law had taken that right away from cities, leading to a proliferation of massage parlors in Southern California.

Lighthouse Avenue developer Carl Outzen, in the middle of a new mixed-use building project, said he refuses to rent to massage businesses.

Like many local officials, he stops short of accusing them of anything. He said he doesn’t rent to them because of their “hours of operation.”

At Win Spa & Massage, employee Lisa Meggitt — who said the owner was unavailable — said the business is open until 10 p.m. because tourists often have a full day, involving golf and dinner, and cannot get to a massage until late.

“They say, ‘I cannot sleep,’” she said.

Employees at Asian Day Spa and ComFoot Massage Spa on Lighthouse Avenue — both open until 10 p.m. — told The Herald they did not know enough English to answer questions.

Phillip Molnar can be reached at 726-4361.