Morton Grove adopts rules, application process for massage parlors - Chicago Tribune

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Morton Grove is beefing up the way it regulates massage therapy establishments including fingerprinting and photographing applicants, and collecting an annual application fee — among other changes.

Village board members voted unanimously at their Dec. 12 meeting to adopt the new regulations which officials said are intended to give the village better oversight of massage therapy establishments.

"The regulation of massage establishments is a matter of growing importance to public health safety and the welfare of residents," said Trustee Bill Grear. "And is intended to prevent the spread of diseases through unsanitary practices and...abate nuisances and unlawful activity."

The new ordinance states how anyone interested in opening a massage therapy establishments applies for an application, what happens in the application process, the level of licensure they have to have, business hours of operation. It also requires that a masseuse licensed by the state be on site, said Village Administrator Ralph Czerwinski.


"It delineates those things because the State of Illinois currently licenses the massage therapists but doesn't say how that massage therapist application is applied inside the business so there is a gap," said Czerwinski. "This is somewhat of a specialized business and we wanted to make sure that the state licensed massage therapist was applying that properly inside the facility."

The ordinance says applicants must pay a $1,000 application fee and must also pay $500 to cover the cost of processing applicants' fingerprinting and photographs.

Czerwinski said there are currently four massage therapy establishments in the village and that another application is pending. He explained that none of the current ones are suspected of anything inappropriate, but the village just wants to proactively have measures in place.

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There should be rules because it protects the community and provides a healthy and appropriate environment," he said.

He said Morton Grove started partnering with Glenview earlier this year to have Glenview health inspectors inspect Morton Grove food and restaurant facilities and said the same practice will be extended to massage therapy establishments.

"We're using Glenview on a per inspection basis to do our sanitation inspections for restaurants and health facilities so why not have a same or similar process [with massage therapy establishments] so the inspectors are doing it all the same way," the village administrator said.

He also said Morton Grove reviewed similar ordinances in Skokie, Lincolnwood, Wilmette and other nearby communities before drafting the Morton Grove ordinance.

The village, in its new ordinance, also outlines how licenses can be revoked.

Brian L. Cox is a freelancer


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