(a) The State of Ohio, through the State Medical Board of Ohio, regulates the practice of massage therapy as a limited branch of medicine by requiring practitioners to satisfy education, character, and examination requirements to obtain a license to practice massage therapy. Although licensed massage therapists are subject to a national code of ethics and standards of practice, the City Council finds that for some massage establishments, the business in fact is sexual conduct or the intimation of sexual conduct, including human trafficking, rather than lawful massage therapy. Such illegal uses are contrary to the public health, safety, and welfare.
(b) It is a purpose and intent of this chapter to impose licensing requirements to help prevent illegal massage, prostitution, and related sex crimes, yet without hindering legitimate massage establishments operating under a business structure with external oversight that serves that purpose. It is a purpose of this chapter to regulate the operation of massage establishments and spa establishments, and to regulate employees of such establishments who are not licensed as massage therapists by the state, as an exercise of the city's police power in order to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of the City.
(Ord. 6868. Passed 9-15-20.)