Council may OK couples massages

Old ordinance was created to inhibit prostitution, but local resorts shouldn’t have problems, officer says.

The Newport Beach City Council is poised to rub out city restrictions that bar men and women from getting massages in the same room.

An ordinance the council will consider at its next meeting Wednesday would pave the way for local resorts to offer the latest trend in the spa industry — couples massages.

“Couples massage is one of those increasingly popular trend in terms of spa treatments,” said Gary Sherwin, president and chief executive of the Newport Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau. “You see more married couples going on weekend getaways at spas where they can recharge and reconnect. That’s why the spa technicians have come up with this service. This will allow us to compete with other places that are currently offering this type of treatment.”

Spas across the country have begun offering massage treatments aimed at couples with special suites, fireplaces and romantic music.

Most of Newport’s luxury hotels offer spa treatments of some type, Sherwin said, including the Balboa Bay Club & Resort and the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa.

The Newport Beach Planning Commission approved plans earlier this week for the Hyatt Regency to build a new 10,000-square-foot spa, Sherwin said.

Newport Beach municipal code prohibits men and women from getting massages in the same room. As written, the code requires spas to provide separate rooms for men and women. The new ordinance would allow Newport’s many resort hotels to obtain city licenses for couples massage.

The restrictions date back to a time when massage parlors in Newport Beach offered more than just rub downs, Newport Beach Police Sgt. Evan Sailor said.

“There was quite a number of independent massage parlors that were the scene of acts of prostitution. They started being strict in the city codes and thought that if they kept men and women out of the same room, it would cut down on that,” Sailor said. “I think the city realizes they don’t have to worry about that with the legitimacy of its resort hotels.”

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Arcadia temporarily bans new massage therapy businesses

ARCADIA – Overwhelmed by a surge in license applications averaging as high as four per day – and concerned about the possibility of prostitution – Arcadia is saying no to new massage therapy businesses.

City Council members this week placed a 45-day moratorium on all new license applications for businesses that supply massages as a secondary service – such as spas, acupuncturists and chiropractors. Arcadia also will stop issuing new licenses to massage therapists.

The ban could be extended for Read more…

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Temecula considers stricter standards for massage therapists

Massage therapists in Temecula would need hundreds of hours more in training, and their businesses would have an earlier closing time under an ordinance being prepared by city officials and police.
The ordinance could be presented to the Temecula City Council on Sept. 23, according to police Lt. Terry Meadows.

The rules are intended to promote public health and safety and crack down on prostitution and other illicit activities, officials say.

“We want to make sure that all the businesses are legitimate and that the public safety is enhanced,” Meadows said.

Temecula has seen an increase in the number of businesses seeking massage permits. The number has jumped from eight to 10 a few years ago to 35 today.
While there have been no prostitution arrests connected to massage businesses in the past 12 months, such arrests have occurred in prior years, Meadows said.

Under the new ordinance, police would take a more active role in overseeing the local massage trade, Meadows said.

The ordinance would require therapists to have at least 720 hours of instruction from certified instructors, a requirement similar to Murrieta’s. Currently, therapists need 100 hours of training.
Businesses would have to close by 9 p.m. instead of midnight, and the ordinance would contain more specific language barring the massaging of certain body areas, such as the genitals.

The ordinance contains new health requirements such as the changing of linens between clients. Recordkeeping rules would be tightened and suggestive advertising banned.
In addition, a manager and a massage technician must be on duty at all times and businesses cannot be run where someone lives.

Massage therapists had mixed reactions to the proposed rules.
Kari Hunter, a therapist at Golden Touch Massage in Old Town, said while she likes the requirements for fresh linens and more training, clients do come in after 9 p.m., the proposed closing time.
“A lot of people come from San Diego after work, and that’s when they can come,” she said.
Carol Rosales, a therapist who runs Fusion Therapeutic Massage in Old Town, generally supports training requirements. She said that while more training might not stop everyone from engaging in crime, even those who received licenses with the minimum 100 hours of training might be deterred from illegal activity.

“The higher the standards they hold us to, (it) can only help our reputation in our community,” she said.

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Jason Alan Fetcher, dba Nu-U Day Spa And Salon, dba Nu-U Sunbath, dba Nu-U Dayspa, dba Fetcher Development, 210 S. Napier, Greenland; Chapter 7; $618,782 debt filed Aug. 6; $9,613 assets

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Virginia’s spas bypass laws by serving alcohol

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It’s been 40 years since Virginia allowed liquor to be sold by the drink. Since then, the state’s ABC laws have gotten complicated.

For example, day spas can now purchase a license to serve alcohol. Customers at the spa for a massage, manicure or other service may be served two glasses of wine or one glass of beer, bypassing Virginia’s standard requirement to serve food.

But at restaurants where liquor is served, 45% of the establishment’s sales still have to come from food.

“The primary public policy issue of all of our ABC laws since 1934 has been the prevention of the return of the saloon days,” says ABC Chief Operating Officer Curtis Coleburn.

Coleburn says requiring food keeps rowdy “watering holes” from popping up. He was speaking to a newly-formed joint committee studying Virginia’s ABC laws. The goal is to clarify the standard that businesses must meet to sell alcohol.

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