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Fairfax County approved new massage business rules banning controlled entry and other practices to curb sex trafficking, drawing both praise and safety concerns.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — New regulations for massage therapy businesses are set to take effect on Wednesday as Fairfax County intensifies efforts to crack down on sex trafficking across Northern Virginia.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday night to approve rules that shift oversight of massage establishments to the county health department. The ordinance bans owners from having sleeping quarters and sexually suggestive advertising. It also prohibits “controlled entry”, including locked doors, covered windows, buzzing systems, and concealed access while businesses are open. The doors may be locked, per the ordinance, if there is an unobstructed view into the waiting area from the outside or if it is occupied by only a single employee or contractor.
“Controlled entry, locked doors, buzzing systems, cameras, and concealed access are a hallmark of illicit massage businesses, and shields illegal activity from public view and impromptu inspections,” said Esther Daniel, executive director of Reset180, an organization that works to end trafficking.
Daniel told supervisors that Northern Virginia has 555 illicit massage businesses, including 262 in Fairfax County and 169 in Fairfax City and the county combined. She called the vote “a big, huge win for Fairfax because it has closed several loopholes.”
But the changes drew concern from some legitimate massage therapists who said the rules could unintentionally compromise their safety and lead to biased enforcement.
“There’s also a large risk of racial, cultural, sexual bias in enforcement,” one business owner said during the meeting. “Who’s doing the enforcing? Who gets to decide what sexually suggestive means?”
Another therapist, Casey White, the owner of White H.A.R.T. Massage in Herndon, pointed out that most practitioners are women and often work alone. “Eighty-four percent of massage therapists are women and 71% own their own business,” White said. “Most of them work alone or in small batches, and this opens them up also to issues of safety and security and it is important that they have the right and their clients have the right to that safety.”
Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said the county will include exemptions for businesses that need to lock their doors for safety reasons. “Our instinct is the doors shouldn’t be locked while the business is open, um, but there are extenuating circumstances where locking those are in the public safety interest of the proprietor and in those cases, we want to allow that to happen,” he said.
McKay emphasized that the new rules were shaped through “months of conversation and compromise” and are intended to protect, not burden legitimate operators.
“This is a really important medical use that we need to make sure we protect in Fairfax County,” McKay said. “In my experience, the best way to protect legitimate businesses is to weed out illegitimate businesses that are giving an entire profession an unfairly bad rap.”
Asked what message the ordinance sends to those using massage fronts for illegal activity, McKay said, “We’re not gonna tolerate sex trafficking in Fairfax County.” He added that he also wants ethical establishments to know “we don’t want to overcomplicate their lives either; we want to make sure we put in place something that is fair.”
The regulations take effect Nov. 19. County officials say they will work with licensed massage businesses in the coming weeks and months to help them meet the new standards. Supervisors have also requested an update from the health department in 18 months.
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