The Barber Lounge – Theraputic Massage Ban Off In SF
SoMa massage is back!
A South of Market spa owner recently learned how it important it can be to have friends in City Hall.
Back in November, the city shut down Greg Griffin’s therapeutic massage treatments at The Barber Lounge on Folsom Street. It turned out that in the 1980s the city had banned massages in what it defines as SoMa due in part to concerns about sex in massage parlors and bath houses.
Fancy malls and large luxury hotels nearby have opened spas and they are allowed to offer massages because they aren’t technically located in SoMa. Griffin, who runs a chic salon with grooming services — including haircuts, facials and hot-towel shaves — felt like he was at an unfair disadvantage.
After eight e-mails and 10 phone calls to his area Supervisor Chris Daly with no luck, Griffin was at his wits end. Good thing one of his customers was City Treasurer Jose Cisneros. Cisneros went to his friend Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who then crafted some legislation that, in effect, lifts the ban.
“It was really lucky that I had connections at City Hall,” Griffin said. “As a regular Joe, forget about it. This city is really hard on small businesses.”
CA Spas, Massage, Massage Therapists, Spa Business, Spa Legal Issues, men spa
