I-TEAM

(WCCO) In Minnesota, you need a license from the state to cut hair and trim nails professionally. But when it comes to practicing the art of massage in Minnesota, no license is required, no training at all.

So what do you need to know to make sure you're not "rubbed the wrong way"?

"As soon as it started and he told me I had a beautiful smile and I felt uncomfortable. I should have got up right then and left," said a woman, who'd prefer to remain anonymous.

She'd won a massage at a health and wellness event and she was expecting a relaxing experience. What she got was one where she felt violated and afraid. It was in the way he touched her.

"He was sitting in a chair and then took his other hand and he put it on top of my pelvis, as low as he could go. He just sat there looking at me," she said.

It was also in the things he said.

"That I was a beautiful girl, that must have developed early, and that's why my shoulders were rounded or hunched forward," she said. "And I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, get me out of here. I'm being molested.'"

When it was over, she wanted to report him to whomever licensed him to practice. But, she couldn't because no one had.

Minnesota doesn't require a license, proof of training, proof of insurance or a criminal background check for massage therapists.

"Anybody could say they're a massage therapist and come to your house," she said.

Some cities do license through ordinances; St. Paul does but Minneapolis doesn't. Of all the cities in the seven-county metro, the I-TEAM found 34 percent issuing licenses to therapists.

For those cities that do license, the process varies from just paying a fee for a background check to proof of training by an accredited school.

"Our council looked at the health and potential criminal aspects of unlicensed massage establishments and thought it was necessary that we have some regulation in place," said Doug Junkert, with Bloomington's licensing division.

The I-TEAM found Bloomington has one of the toughest ordinances around, requiring 400 hours of training, a million dollars in liability insurance for massage therapy, a list of references and a background check.

Junkert said it gives the city piece of mind and patrons a place to call if a massage seems questionable.

"If it's something to do with inappropriate touching or technique like that, maybe one of the investigators and I would go out and talk with the therapist," he said.

But just what is criminal when it comes to massage? In the case of the woman we interviewed, maybe nothing.

"She didn't say anything to stop it," said Lt. Nancy Dunlap, who runs the Sex Crimes Unit for the Minneapolis Police.

She said it would be hard to prove what happened to her was a crime. However, it might still be worth reporting to authorities.

"Maybe make a report just as far as indecent conduct, just to get this person's name into the system," she said.

With more and more people trying massage for the first time, many people may not know what is and isn't appropriate.

"It's all about comfort level for the guest," said Pam Margolis, owner of the Ivy Spa in Minneapolis.

She said it's normal to be told to undress to your level of comfort, and that your body should be covered, or draped, in such a way that only the body part being worked on is exposed.

"We have a lot of protocols that we have established and our draping policy is very important," she said.

In the absence of licensing, Margolis extensively screens the educational and criminal backgrounds of prospective therapists for the Ivy.

"It would make life easier for everyone and make sure that things are consistent throughout the state," she said.

Massage therapy schools like Aveda and Centerpoint favor state license requirements as well and are lobbying the legislature to take action soon.

Centerpoint's director, Cari Johnson Pelava, said the current lack of regulation is harmful to the public.

"The public is not protected. They don't know who to go to. They don't know what the credentials are. They don't know what somebody's education is," she said.

Right now, state law only requires therapists to provide clients with at bill of rights. It's required, but not uniformly used. It must truthfully describe a therapist's qualifications, but makes it clear that the state has not adopted any educational and training standards for the industry.

If you don't get one, you should ask for it and take a copy home for your records. If a therapist can't provide one, he or she could be fined or ordered not to practice by the health commissioner.

However, with no oversight in most cities, those penalties seem pointless.

While licensing might bring more uniformity to the industry, it still can't prevent bad things from happening.

"You kind of have to go with your instinct. If you're feeling uncomfortable, you perhaps should decide to end that treatment," said Margolis.

But the young woman the I-TEAM interviewed said that's harder than you might think, so be prepared.

"That's not really my personality to just lay there and take it. But I think I was just stunned, because I thought, this is really weird and how weird does it have to be for me to get up and walk out?" she said.

For more resources on massage therapists in Minnesota and how to protect yourself or file a complaint, click on the links below or contact the Minnesota Department of Health at the information below.
Cities Who License Massage Therapists
Minnesota Client Bill of Rights Statute
Office of Unlicensed Complementary and Alternative Health Care Practice
To file a complaint:
Phone:  651-201-3728
Fax:  651-201-3839
E-mail:  Richard.hnasko@state.mn.us
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 64882
St. Paul, Minn.  55164-0882

 

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