The Mission of this company is to create a nationwide Massage Awareness Program to educate the Nation on the Power of Massage Therapy in Health and Wellness. This will be done through educatating the public, massage therapists, media, legislators, massage schools, massage boards, massage associations on the issues of brothels disguised as massage businesses and to Reclaim our name of Massage/Massage Therapy. It is a process though as I learn more and connect with more people like attorney generals, legislators and others.
- Clarify the problem. Brothels Disguised as massage businesses (BDAMB’s) and Sexually Oriented Businesses (SOBs) disguised as massage businesses are all over in our communities. Massage Parlor and Illicit Massage Business are terms that have been created that are inaccurate in describing the issues. The words insinuate that massage is involved in the business leading people to believe that these are just bad massage therapists. Most every state has laws that say that only a licensed massage therapist can call themselves a massage business, yet many are doing just that without being investigated or prosecuted. Many states have added establishment licensing requirements to their massage laws which makes legitimate licensed massage therapists be responsible for solving this horrendous problem. The massage therapy profession has long been entangled with these illicit businesses and have tried many ways to stop them such as creating state licensing laws and creating massage associations, yet the problem is growing worse. (See history of massage page.)
- My goal for this website is to create a page for every state on this website that talks about the specifics for each state regarding the practice of massage therapy to educate the public so they can start learning the difference and so that legislators and media can be informed. Create a page on this website for each state for massage therapists to help them understand the problems and the steps needed to start untangling massage from prostitution in each state and to start building local networks of massage therapists to find and share resources and iniate change. Completed Jan 15, 2023. Updating pages in progress.
- Tool Kits: Create a toolkit for massage therapists, the media, legislators, realtors/property management companies and law enforcement officials to help them understand the language problem and take steps to help reduce the use of the terms: Massage Parlor, Illicit Massage Business, Masseuse/Masseur in the media and legislation. In progress. Feb-April 2023.
Send the Toolkits to AMTA State Chapter Leaders. - Local Massage Networks. It is at the local level where things really matter. Create and support local city, county and state massage networks to help keep the public, massage therapists, massage schools, media, and legislators aware of the local issues. Local networks of massage therapists can form their own small networks/organizations and support each other in every form of practice and work. There are already Chapters set up through AMTA who also used to have smaller city/county/local units that are still in place and also starting to be developed once again. If AMTA does not have a strong local chapter you can join, you can also start your own local massage network and have it be a source of income for yourself and others by providing space for CE classes, networking events and think tanks to help work on local issues. Some other activities could be: attend massage board meetings and give input to massage boards and share info with the profession, connect with local city/county councils, mayors, state legislators to create better laws to separate massage therapy from brothels doing business as massage, create media awareness programs. Started contacting Facebook Groups.
Local groups can start with this simple plan:
1 . Contact Your Attorney General’s office to see if they have a task force on human trafficking and find out if anyone from the office went to the Convening in January 2023 put on by the Network Team.
2. Work with the AG office to create and send letters to landlords who lease office space to the illicit businesses that say they are aiding in prostitution and human trafficking and suggest that they evict the business and if they don’t tell them what penalties will be given.
3. Work with your local city business licensing division to follow up after landlord letters have been sent and locate businesses that are still in business and see if they have complied with local business licensing laws and state massage licensing laws. Most states have laws saying that only a licensed massage therapist can say they are giving massage and LMT’s must have their license number on advertisements and also on the wall of the office. Verify Licenses through the state license verification system.
4.)Connect with your local city and county law enforcement agencies to find out what training they have in this area. They need to have awareness AND Skills training on how to separate the owners and employees as many are actually victims of human trafficking and need support.
5)Make sure local support systems are set up for the victims of human trafficking to get the care they need: housing, jobs, immigration support etc.
6) Create local programs for the men who frequent these businesses.
These local groups could also work on any or all of the following:
- Contact the Federation of Massage State Boards to have them create a task force to investigate the use of the word massage by brothels and the impact on the massage profession and research solutions to provide to their member state boards. They did one that was focused on human trafficking but that is not enough. We want to stop businesses from using massage as a front for other dealings. Start with researching NV where prostitution is legal in some counties. Has it created more cases of assaults’ or sexual solicitation in licensed areas?
- Work with the Federation to update their Model Massage Therapy Act and include specific laws and rules that will help end this. Study other states laws and study whether or not the laws are effective or not. Research laws and rules in progress during Feb. 2023.
- Provide Massage Boards with the information that would be required to be taught in massage schools and request that changes be made to the massage licensing rules/laws to clarify language.
- Research massage establishment licensing laws and see if they are working and look for alternative solutions if needed.
- Get massage schools involved with creating curriculum material for teaching massage therapists ethics and how to safely and effectively deal with solicitation requests.
- Create an national awareness campaign that can include local events that are held to inform the public through videos that are distributed through social media and eventually a TV commercial.
- Create a national awareness movement in your local community: Massage is Therapy, Look before You Book a Massage, Not in Our Good Name.
- Do Facebook Live and Reels and use other social media platforms to carry our message.
- Create a TV Ad that can be put on National TV and local TV.
- Create State and National Political Action Committees.
