Woman claims she was groped during massage in Tinley Park - Chicago Tribune

[massage]

A Tinley Park Massage Envy is being sued after a Chicago woman claimed she was groped during her massage.

The woman is among more than 180 Massage Envy clients across the nation who have made similar claims, which include other Massage Envy businesses in the Chicago area. An investigation by the website BuzzFeed News this week reported that many of those who complained believed their claims were mishandled or ignored by employees and owners of individual Massage Envy spas and by the national company.

In her lawsuit, the woman claims her massage therapist touched her "breasts and vaginal area under the guise of providing her with massage therapy," according to court documents filed in Will County.

An attorney for LCG Massage, owner of the Tinley Park Massage Envy franchise, denies the allegations of any sexual touch, according to court documents. The attorney also noted that law enforcement was notified of the woman's complaint, but no charges were filed against the massage therapist, according to court documents. Gary Moore, an attorney representing LCG Massage, declined comment.


The lawsuit, which was originally filed in Cook County but transferred to Will County in early 2017, is scheduled for a case management hearing before a judge on Jan. 16.

In the lawsuit, the woman claims she went to the Tinley Park Massage Envy in July 2016. During that massage, her massage therapist suggested she make her next appointment for a two-hour massage so he could spend an hour focusing his treatment on the injured part of her body, according to the lawsuit. The therapist also recommended that the woman "remove all clothing from the waist up" on her next visit to prevent the straps of her bra or her clothing from interfering with the massage.


When she arrived for her scheduled appointment for a two-hour massage that August, she took off her clothing from the waist up as recommended. Near the end of the massage, the therapist inappropriately touched the woman, according to the lawsuit.

"The contact with her breasts and vagina was unwelcomed and confusing and shocked the Plaintiff, who did not induce, invite or otherwise consent to the contact with her breasts and vaginal area," the lawsuit states.


The therapist met the woman outside her massage room with water and asked if she was OK, the suit said. He also "made several admissions to suggest that he knew his behavior was not welcome," according to the lawsuit.

The suit, which names LCG Massage Inc., the franchise owner of the Tinley Park Massage Envy, notes that the national chain has an employee manual that outlines an "inappropriate touch procedure" to deal with complaints from customers. In the manual, Massage Envy claims that "only 4 percent of upset customers will tell you when there is a problem."

The procedure outlines steps employees should take to deal with a concern when it arises. Steps include meeting with the customer in a private room to discuss concerns and filing an incident report with corporate and regional Massage Envy offices. But the procedure does not specifically outline what "inappropriate touches" may be, nor does it include any instructions to contact law enforcement authorities when such a complaint arises, according to the lawsuit.

"The massage therapists can touch a client's breasts, buttocks, and genital regions, even if the client does not welcome such contact, without the risk that law enforcement will be notified by their employer," the lawsuit argues. "Indeed, they are actually emboldened by their employer with the wisdom that most clients will never report their incidents of unwanted sexual contact."

In court documents, LCG Massage denies that employees are discouraged from contacting police when such complaints arise. The company also noted that police were called in this specific incident and "law enforcement declined to prosecute," according to a court filing on behalf of LCG Massage.

More than 180 people across the country have reported that massage therapists at Massage Envy spas groped their genitals or breasts or committed other explicit violations. Adam Horowitz, a lawyer who has handled more than two dozen sexual misconduct lawsuits involving Massage Envy, said Monday he received 25 calls from alleged new victims following BuzzFeed's publication.

"I think there are a lot more people out there who have had things happen to them who, hopefully, now are emboldened to come forward," said Jessica Arbour, an attorney representing the Chicago woman in her lawsuit against the Tinley Park Massage Envy.

Lawyers for spa clients told BuzzFeed News there are cases of women reporting massage therapist abuse to police in which no charges have been filed and that Massage Envy has offered settlements before lawsuits have been filed, leaving no public record.

Melanie Hansen, general counsel for Massage Envy Franchising, told BuzzFeed News the company has worked hard to create the industry's "most stringent, rigorous policies" for hiring, screening and training therapists.

"We hold franchise owners accountable to our polices, and when we say nothing is more important to us than treating clients with respect and giving them a safe, professional experience, we mean it," Hansen said in an email to BuzzFeed News.

The Associated Press contributed to the story.

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