Lawmakers in Olympia are hoping to crack down on illicit massage and reflexology parlors that act as a cover for prostitution.
“It’s going on quietly in a lot of communities,” said state Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver, a chief sponsor of House Bill 1252.
The measure passed unanimously out of the House General Government and Information Technology Committee on Tuesday.
There have been several high-profile cases in Vancouver. One business in particular operated under several names — including Rainbow Massage, Oriental Foot Massage and Regal Foot Spa — and advertised “new beautiful girls” on sexually oriented websites. When questions were raised, the business appeared to shutter its doors only to re-emerge at the same location with a new name.
“To neighbors next door to one of these things … it’s not hard to prove, because it becomes fairly obvious what’s going on,” Wylie said.
The legislation targets business owners rather than the women who are giving the massages.
“We took a licensing approach for the people that run the business, because there is an overlap with sex trafficking, so some people doing the massaging may be victims,” Wylie said. “We wanted to get at the people who are organizing and moving them around from neighborhood to neighborhood.”
If passed, the bill would make it a misdemeanor for allowing unlicensed activities, such as prostitution, in a massage parlor. The owner of the business would be the one charged. If caught a second time, the owner could face a felony charge. A misdemeanor is punishable by up to 364 days in jail, a maximum fine of $5,000 or both. The maximum sentence for the felony is up to one year behind bars.
Vancouver lobbyist Mark Brown said the measure gives law enforcement another tool when trying to shut down these type of businesses and does it in a way that doesn’t hurt the victims.
Melanie Stewart, a lobbyist with American Massage Therapy recently told lawmakers in Olympia that the prevalence of such brothel-like massage parlors are giving the legitimate businesses a bad name.
“Illegitimate massage is not massage therapy,” she said.
Oregon recently strengthened its laws regarding massage parlors. Wylie said the stricter regulations in Oregon increased activity in Washington.
The measure now moves to the House Committee on Rules. If passed out of the Rules committee, the next major step would be a vote by the entire House.
