Two massage businesses close

Hayward City Council unanimously passed a new ordinance to regulate massage therapy businesses on Jan. 16 to further bar sex activities at massage parlors.

Assembly Bill 1147, authorized the “city, county, or city and county to adopt or enforce local ordinances that govern zoning, business licensing or health and safety requirements for establishments or business of licensed or certified healing arts professional, including certified massage therapists.”

The city will levy a $2,500 fine on every unauthorized therapist, and for each separate violation committed, according to the ordinance. There are 16 massage therapy establishments registered in Hayward, two of the businesses have been shut down due to unsanitary conditions.

“This is a great opportunity to conduct the massage business in Hayward correctly,” Police Chief Diane Urban told the council.

Under the new ordinance, every therapist in Hayward will be required to receive the California Massage Therapy Council Certification. Therapists need to be trained more than 500 hours in an authorized massage therapy school and to display the CMTCC in their practices.

“I came out of school with over 1000 hours. When I was in school it was a requirement of 750, so hiring someone with 500 hours isn’t that big of a deal,” said Tiffany Drummer a massage therapist at Hands of Healing Massage and Spa.

This new ordinance also applies to acupuncturists; it does not apply to doctors, nurses, or physical therapists because their medical licenses already meet the most of the requirements.

The ordinance also stated that massage therapists may not perform massage therapy on a patron with the intent or purpose of arousing, appealing to, or grayling the sexual desire of the patron, being serviced.

The Hayward chief of police will formulate new application forms and application review processes by Feb. 5 at the Council’s request.

The council meeting on Jan. 13 followed the enactment of Assembly Bill 1147, proposed by the Hayward Police Chief Urban, the City Attorney Lawson, and Development Service Director David Rizk. They proposed this new ordinance last December.