Corina Curry Staff writer @corinacurry
ROCKFORD โ While city leaders talk about better ways to regulate massage parlors, city employees have condemned a second business for operating without a state license to provide massage services.
After closing Sanford Therapeutic Massage earlier this month for operating without a license, city legal and building officials headed to Wellness Spa, 258 N. Phelps Ave., and shut it down for the same reason.
At Wellness, city officials, said they also found two bedrooms in a commercial building, a violation of building code.
Thaddeus Mack, a manager in the city's building code office, said both businesses had been brought the city's attention by residents who questioned the businesses' legitimacy. Both massage parlors opened in recent months, and both advertised on Backpage.com, a website associated with sex trafficking.
Jeffrey Cui, owner of Sanford Therapeutic, 728 N. Prospect St., said he believes his business and Wellness Spa are being targeted because they are owned by Asians, and people are jumping to conclusions. Cui said his massage therapist does not have a state license but does have a license in "Asian bodywork."
"The racism is what we cannot tolerate," Cui said. Calls to Wellness Spa went unanswered. Messages were not returned.
Mack said he has since inspected several businesses advertising massage services. Some had state licenses. The doors were locked at some businesses, and no one answered doors, Mack said. The city plans to check for state licenses at all businesses advertising massage services.
"We received tips about places that were holding themselves out as massage therapy or massage parlors. We started there," Mack said. "We just want to make sure they're on the up-and-up as far as having a state license and are in compliance with city ordinances. As time and resources allow, we want to check all them to determine if we have anything unseemly going on in the city and that we're addressing it."
Alderman Frank Beach said he's happy the city took action against Wellness Spa. He said he had received complaints and made some of his own several months ago when the business opened. Neighbors suspected the business was doing something illegal, Beach said.
"Human trafficking is a big deal," Beach said. "We just learned that we're No. 2 in the state for that. ... I think the right thing to do is to look at all of the areas where this can start and spread and stop it."
Alderman Jonathan Logemann, who represents a large residential area east of the Sanford Therapeutic site, said he supports a proposed ordinance that would further regulate massage parlors throughout the city. A business license would require owners to register their businesses with the city and show proof of state licensure before opening.
Corina Curry: 815-987-1371; [email protected]; @corinacurry
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