Utah's massage industry hopes new law helps battle damaging stereotypes

Utah

Utah has enacted House Bill 278 to address the growing number of illicit massage businesses in the state, which now outnumber McDonald's restaurants. The law, supported by industry professionals, introduces mandatory registration, criminal background checks for key stakeholders, and allows for unannounced inspections by authorities.

Previously, administrative loopholes allowed business owners to avoid accountability, leaving only individual workers at risk of penalties. The new legislation aims to shift responsibility to business owners, improve consumer safety, and help legitimate massage therapists overcome persistent negative stereotypes associated with the profession.

Utah's massage industry hopes new law helps battle stereotypes

Now, on FOX 13 News at 530, a stunning comparison. There are now more illicit massage businesses in Utah than there are McDonald's restaurants. While there are thousands of upstanding massage therapists here in the state, the Department of Commerce is cracking down on the bad apples. FOX 13 News Anchor and Consumer Investigative Reporter, Robin Oginie, shows us the whys and the hows. Roger Albrott has been a sports orthopedic massage specialist for 27 years. Since the inception of his business, he's been no stranger to the stereotypes correlated with the massage industry. Right out of the starting gate, we get elicited for sexual favors. And that's something that we all fight with, that we struggle continuously with that stigma that massage is sexual. But Roger is hopeful about House Bill 278, which passed during last legislative session, a bill he helped author. The Department of Commerce describes the law surrounding the profession as traditionally being a patchwork mess. Bad actors use local business permits as a front to hide. And if one county is lax on cracking down on illicit behavior, it's easy for them to move from one county or area to the other. It'll give the state a lot of teeth to be able to go after people who are making us look bad. For years, our Division of Professional Licensing has heard complaints from licensed massage therapists trying to do a good job, who are being actively and actually sometimes aggressively solicited for illicit services. Law enforcement and the Department of Commerce, via their Division of Professional Licensing, have teamed up to crack down on illicit massage businesses, also called IMBs, many which are hotspots for human trafficking. There are a recorded 195 in the state. Before the bill's passage, IMBs could operate under an administrative loophole, meaning the Division of Professional Licensing could only penalize individual workers, leaving owners of these businesses untouched. This law eliminates that loophole, shifting accountability from the exploited to the exploiters. Less than a third of establishments even show a registered key individual, and less than a fourth an owner on any of the business documents. So it's been very difficult in Utah and nationally even to figure out who these individuals are. Of all the Division of Professional Licensing's regulated professions, massage has the highest volume of sexual misconduct complaints. Here's what's now required of all massage establishments. Mandatory registration. All massage establishments must register with Doppel starting spring 2026. Criminal background checks are required for officers, directors, managers, and owners with at least 10% stake in the business. Doppel registration signage must be prominently displayed. And Doppel has the authority to inspect the premises at any time. Often in the past, probably even more in the future, we'll be undertaking those inspections with the partnership of law enforcement because of the shared responsibility we have to address illicit massage businesses. Addressing the bad so that consumers can feel good. I think that consumers will be able to have a much better sense of safety, if nothing else. That, hey, this person is a good person. Trying to do a real job.

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