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SALT LAKE CITY -- They call themselves massage parlors, but they are really skirting the law to do something illegal. Utah lawmakers are expected to pass a bill which aims to stop businesses peddling prostitution under the guise of massage.
HB 114 amends the massage therapy act. Right now, city officials around Salt Lake County say people are coming in claiming to offer non-touch, spiritual massage or energy transfer to get through licensing loopholes.
"It is, unfortunately, a huge issue in several communities along the Wasatch front," said Lincoln Shurtz with the Utah League of Cities and Towns. He testified before a house committee about the bill, saying it was about "making sure that we can indeed come after these folks in violation of the chapter, that they would now be covered under these no-touch massages."
The bill deals with professional licenses and business licenses for massage. The concern is people who set up shop and say they are doing spiritual massage or energy transfers to get around restrictions in the Massage Therapy Act. Murray officials say it has become a real problem in their city, taking up officers' time to go undercover. Zach Fountain with the Murray mayor's office says the groups will advertise on Craig's List or backdoor.com.
"And what they'll do is they'll say, we are offering a non-touch or therapeutic or spiritual massage. But at the bottom it will say, 'not a massage as outlined,' and then they will list the code section," Fountain said.
Ron Findlay with the Utah chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association supports the bill.
"We feel like it will be helpful in allowing us to remain professional massage therapists," Findlay told the house committee.
HB114 passed the house and is expected to pass the senate.
Email: mrichards@ksl.com
