CARLSBAD — The city of Carlsbad has adopted new regulations to strengthen oversight of massage therapy businesses, a move city officials say is intended to protect residents from illicit parlors that serve as havens for unlicensed workers, illegal drugs, prostitution and other criminal activities.
On Friday, Mayor Keith Blackburn told The Coast News that the ordinance was a precautionary measure designed to improve public safety and enhance massage licensing requirements.
“We did have an incident happen once a year ago where a massage person took advantage of a female client,” Blackburn said. “It came out of an abundance of caution to protect all residents from unlicensed massage providers.”
In 2022, an employee at The Grotto Spa (also known as King Spa) in Bressi Ranch was arrested after a woman reported that she’d been sexually assaulted during a massage. Carlsbad police arrested Yalong Liu, who had a felony sexual assault warrant for his arrest out of Texas.
After news of his arrest, two more individuals came forward to report sexual assault at the business.
In 2023, Peter Griffin, a former San Diego vice police detective, and several of his associates pleaded guilty in federal court to exploiting women by offering commercial sexual services under the guise of providing therapeutic massage at five illicit massage parlors in the greater San Diego area and Arizona.
The ordinance, which amends Carlsbad Municipal Code Chapter 5.16, introduces several changes, including stricter licensing requirements, in-person verification for massage therapists and expanded oversight by the Carlsbad Police Department.
Under the new regulations, all massage businesses and therapists must obtain a city-issued certificate and certification from the California Massage Therapy Council.
Carlsbad Police Capt. Jeff Smith presented the ordinance to the City Council earlier this month and said the amendment aims to streamline the licensing process, improve accountability and deter unauthorized businesses and individuals.
“This ordinance supplements existing state regulations for massage therapists, establishes local standards for massage businesses and massage therapists, and is intended to ensure public health, safety and welfare,” Smith said during the meeting, explaining that the department regularly verifies that licensed therapists operate legally.
The ordinance also establishes more precise criteria for license denials and revocations. Applicants with certain violations or criminal histories may be barred from obtaining a license for one to five years, and businesses must notify the city of any operational changes. Also, massage establishments must adhere to new operating hours, which are now standardized from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Councilmember Priya Bhat-Patel supported the ordinance, emphasizing its role in preventing potential misuse of massage businesses.
“We want to make sure that [lawful businesses] are incentivized, and then those individuals that are unfortunately using these types of establishments for other unlawful reasons … we’re doing what we can to stop that in its tracks,” Bhat-Patel said.
The City Council approved the ordinance unanimously, having gone into effect after a second reading and final approval on Tuesday,
“They’re just trying to make sure that if somebody’s been convicted of sex crimes, they’re not out giving massages in Carlsbad,” Blackburn said. “So it wasn’t necessarily anything specific, it was just the protection of our residents.”
