Two Warren County communities crack down on massage parlors - MyDaytonDailyNews

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Two communities in Warren County have opened up another line of defense against illegal massage parlors opening in suburbs.

On Thursday, Springboro City Council approved a new chapter of its zoning code, setting guidelines for “massage service businesses,” using as one of its models a set of regulations approved in June in Mason.

State and federal criminal law prohibits prostitution and human trafficking, two criminal enterprises sometimes linked with businesses, best known as massage parlors.

The change to the Springboro chapter requires all new and existing “massage service establishments” to obtain annual licenses and submit to unannounced inspections to ensure the businesses are in compliance. Workers, along with the owner or manager, must be licensed massage therapists in Ohio.

The service providers are prohibited from specific conduct. For example, they are not allowed to “place his or her hand upon, touch with any part of his or her body, fondle in any manner, or massage the sexual or genital area of any other person.”

The code also sets clothing standards.

“Unclean clothing, no clothing, transparent clothing, or clothing that otherwise reveals the sexual or genital areas of the masseur or masseuse” are prohibited.

In addition to regulations passed in Mason, as well as North Olmsted, on Cleveland’s West Side, Springboro officials referred to model legislation provided by the American Massage Therapy Association.

“We melded those into something that was appropriate for our community,” City Manager Christine Thompson said.

Mason has already conducted criminal investigation of people allegedly offering such services in the city, including one case involving a councilman who eventually resigned.

In addition to storefronts, the new regulations prohibit unlicensed massage parlors from operating from hotels or private homes.

So far, Springboro has not made arrests or received complaints about either of the two new massage businesses setting up in the city, Police Chief Jeff Kruithoff said.

“We have received information from citizens and other police agencies that both locations currently operating in Springboro have put solicitations on backpage.com,” Kruithoff said before the meeting.

Kruithoff said massage parlors were showing up in suburbs around the state, in part due to spread of information via the Internet.

“There’s a market for it,” he said, while suggesting those frequenting the local establishments came from outside the city. “It finds its way out to the suburbs through social media.”

The zoning regulations are a more feasible way for a small city to respond the problem, Kruithoff said.

Prostitution investigations are difficult and time consuming, while human trafficking cases require international pursuits, he said.

The regulations were passed following a moratorium on massage businesses declared in Springboro.

In both cities, the regulations are formed to minimize the added requirements for licensed massage therapists, hospitals, barber shops and other businesses that employ massage therapy.

“We want to make it very easy for legitimate massage businesses,” Kruithoff said.

Rather than declare a moratorium, Mason worked several months before the council approved the new zoning code section, City Manager Eric Hansen said.

“It has been effective in protecting legitimate massage establishments and curtailing illegal activity,” Hansen said in an email.

On Thursday, Springboro Councilwoman Janie Ridd urged staff to consider amending the new regulations to include technicians at nail salons.

“Nail salons are notorious for human trafficking,” she said.

Staff will research adding this category to the new regulations, Thompson said.


Conduct Prohited by Springboro Regulations

No person that is providing massage services in the City of Springboro shall knowingly do any of the following at, upon or within a massage services establishment or elsewhere:

1. Place his or her hand upon, touch with any part of his or her body, fondle in any manner, or massage the sexual or genital area of any other person;
2. Perform, offer, or agree to perform any act which would require the touching of the sexual or genital area of any other person;
3. Touch, offer or agree to touch the sexual or genital area of any other person with any mechanical or electrical apparatus or appliance;
4. Wear unclean clothing, no clothing, transparent clothing, or clothing that otherwise reveals the sexual or genital areas of the masseur or masseuse;
5. Uncover or allow the sexual or genital area of any other person to be uncovered while providing a massage;
6. Perform, offer or agree to perform a massage with or without compensation to any individual less than eighteen years of age.

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