Massage Therapy business now regulated by city code

Following changes to state law, the city is now doing its part to help combat the issue of illicit activities in massage therapy businesses and legitimize law abiding establishments. City council approved a new ordinance giving the city the authority to regulate massage therapy businesses within Newton.

Previously, businesses providing massage therapy services were governed at the state level. Due to efforts by several groups, including Newton Says No to Human Trafficking, the state law was repealed and local governments are now allowed to set the regulations.

When policed by the state, Burdess said it could take months for the state to get a case or an enforcement mechanism in place. With regulations on the city’s level, the problem can be addressed almost instantly by local law enforcement.

“State agencies are pretty stressed with not having enough staff, specifically the regulatory agencies, so they don’t have enough staff to chase down every tip or complaint that comes down relating to a massage parlor, let alone all of the other complaints they get on restaurants and salons, all of the things they cover,” Burdess said.

The City of Johnston was one of the first communities to pass city codes into law and provided an excellent testing ground for area cities to observe due to two illicit massage parlors being located there.

“They had several cases involving prostitution, drug trafficking, slave labor,” Burdess said. “They tried to work through the state system and the local law they had, but it just didn’t have enough teeth to prevent the bad stuff from happening.”

Since instituting the city code, Johnston has since been able to remove one illicit business from the city and prevent another from setting up business in town.

Newton’s code is set up similarly to Johnston and Windsor Heights. It requires new and existing massage therapy businesses that operate within the City of Newton to apply for licensing with the city. The application will be reviewed by the police department and city staff to ensure compliance with the ordinance. The review includes verification of the business address/location, a criminal background check of all employees listed and verification of the State of Iowa massage therapy license.

Applicants that meet the requirements to operate a massage therapy business will be granted a business license from the city. There is no fee for existing businesses and there is no renewal fee as long as the business remains in operation throughout the licensing period. New businesses or therapist in town would be required to pay a $50 application fee at the time of application.

Licenses can be denied for a number of reasons including advertising services in violation of the ordinance or a history of violating the ordinance in another community. Those who apply and are not licensed to perform massage therapy service in Iowa or who do not complete the application as requested will also be denied.

During a council discussion, Newton Says No to Human Trafficking member Linda Pierce voiced her support for the ordinance and the positive effect it will have on the groups cause.

“These underage girls in the massage parlors, you are the only hope that they have that someone can take notice and do something about this,” Pierce said.

Legitimate massage therapy establishments in Newton were also a focus for the ordinance. By addressing those businesses conducting illegal activities, Burdess said he hopes to elevate the whole industry. While creating the language for the ordinance, Burdess said he was in contact with every state licensed massage therapist in Newton.

“We wanted to make sure they were aware this was coming, and it was going to affect their business. We asked for input from everybody when drafting this ordinance, and we got some input that helped us make it our own,” Burdess said. “This is really to protect our legitimate businesses in town, and if there are businesses in town that aren’t doing the right thing or one that wants to come in, this will help us alleviate that in the future.”

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com