The York City Council unanimously passed an ordinance on Tuesday which clearly defines legitimate massage parlor practices as well as adult retail businesses, adult movie theatres, escort services and other types of sexually related entertainment.
The ordinance was pushed forward, initially, to cut back on illegal adult-oriented businesses operating under the guise of massage therapists. Under existing legislation, the city and surrounding areas do not license massage therapists, leaving local governments scrambling to define a legal massage practice, according to a recent report.
The new ordinance allows officials to inspect any massage parlor they feel is operating suspiciously. According to the York Daily Record, police have raided at least five massage parlors since June 2004.
Nina Kottcamp, president of Healing Happens, a local therapeutic massage practice, told the York Daily Record that she fears the new ordinance would "disenfranchise legitimate massage practices."
Kottcamp proposed that all massage therapists be certified by an accredited institution. "An adult entertainment place won't send their people to school," she said.
