By Christie Smythe, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
Jun. 28–Chair massage business Oriental Chi has been told by a state board that it can no longer give massages until its therapists have state licenses.
The Arizona State Board of Massage Therapy and the state Attorney General’s Office are negotiating an agreement with Oriental Chi to make sure the business operates according to state law, said Robert Wilson, the board’s deputy director.
Previously, Oriental Chi’s workers performed quick chair massages without massage licenses in local malls. In a Star story published in November, Oriental Chi owner Steven Chen said his workers were not technically performing massages but less intensive “energy work,” which does not require a license in Arizona.
Now, Chen said he is paying to have his massage workers licensed. About a dozen work for Oriental Chi, he said.
“We just want to comply with the state board,” he said in a phone interview. He added that he didn’t think the process would be difficult for them.
“They already have so much experience and so much knowledge,” he said.
Chen said Oriental Chi will stop doing chair massages in places where it does not have licensed massage therapists “in the next day or two.” Oriental Chi operates in four locations: Park Place, Tucson Mall, Foothills Mall and the Mall at Sierra Vista.
A local massage trainer said she thinks the state board is being too soft on Oriental Chi.
“They should have been fined. They should have been closed down until they can show proof of license,” said Denise Caywood, who trains therapists at the Westin La Paloma’s Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa. “No one is going to have respect for this field and its requirements unless the requirements are enforced.”
People who perform massage without a license could lack proper training and may not know how to handle special cases, such as clients who are pregnant or who have diabetes or cancer, Caywood said. She said she also worried that Oriental Chi’s Chinese therapists, who appear to speak limited English, might not be able to communicate with clients about possible health problems.
Under state law, people found to be practicing massage without a license can be charged with a misdemeanor and possibly fined. The state massage board can also seek an injunction to stop the business from operating.
State law defines massage as “the manual application of compression, stretch, vibration or mobilization of the organs and tissues beneath the dermis” for all parts of the body except the head, hands and feet. Massage therapists need at least 700 hours of training to be eligible for a license in Arizona.
But Wilson said the board’s enforcement powers are usually limited to therapists who are already licensed. Otherwise, the massage board has to rely on the help of law enforcement and other agencies, he said. So far, the board has notified Tucson police about Oriental Chi but has not yet pursued fines or an injunction, he said.
Oriental Chi workers’ English skills are irrelevant, however, Wilson said. While immigrant workers do have to be legally allowed to work in the U.S. to obtain a state massage license, they do not have to speak English fluently, he said.
In the meantime, Oriental Chi will be permitted to practice reflexology, which involves pressure areas on the hands and feet, Wilson said. Chen said workers will practice reflexology while he works to get them licensed or hires licensed massage therapists.
“We have a very loyal customer base, a very strong clientele,” Chen said. “That’s why we want to spend so much money to make sure we can do this type of service in Tucson for long term.”
Find local consumer news daily at www.AzStarBiz.com.
–Contact reporter Christie Smythe at 434-4083 or [email protected].
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