LAWTON — Mischief and criminal behavior were cited as reasons for Lawton City Council adoption of an ordinance that establishes regulations and “operational standards” specifically for massage parlors and spas.
Current City Code provisions “do not adequately address emerging issues involving massage establishments and spas operating in Lawton,” Police Chief Craig Akard wrote.
Lawton police have “identified concerns involving unlicensed operations, illicit business practices, human trafficking indicators, and violations of state and local regulations,” Deputy Police Chief Eric Carter reported. Current City Code provisions “do not provide sufficient regulatory structure or enforcement authority to adequately address these concerns.”
Some massage parlors are “actually a front for illegal activity,” Carter told the City Council, but added, “We do have legitimate businesses, too.”
An ordinance that was proposed by the LPD “will allow us to have more avenues to prevent illegal operations and human trafficking,” he said.
The new ordinance is comprised of approximately 2,830 words – 115 of which define the term “massage.”
In addition, 200 words spell out exemptions for physicians, chiropractors, osteopaths, nurses, licensed barbers and beauticians, and licensees or students enrolled in an educational course or program “to obtain a degree or certification to perform massages.”
Another 140 words – in Section 7-13-2-1318 of Article 7-13, Chapter 7, of the Lawton City Code – define “indecent conduct.”
Every person engaged in performing massages will be required to acquire a massage therapist licensed in accordance with state statute.
Anyone who “gives massages or operates a massage establishment or any of the services defines” in the new ordinance “without first obtaining a license or permit and paying a fee to do so from the city … shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, …shall be guilty of an offense.”
An initial violation can be punished with a fine of up to $500 and/or a jail sentence of 30 days.
The penalty for a second offense could be a fine of up to $750 and/or 60 days in jail.
The fee for a massage parlor license will be $100, and every license must be renewed annually.
No one granted a license to operate a massage establishment “shall operate … under a name not specified in his/her license, nor conduct business under any designation or location not specified” in that license.
An amendment suggested by City Manager John Ratliff mandates that no windows in the front of a massage parlor can be tinted. Also, no massage establishment “or off-site service” can remain open or provide massages after 10 p.m. and before 8 a.m., the new ordinance decrees.
No one under the age of 18 will be allowed to enter or remain on the premises of any massage establishment “as a massage therapist, employee, patron, or in any other capacity” without a parent or legal guardian’s presence or written consent, unless the juvenile is “on the premises on lawful business.”
No person affected “with any contagious disease or with any disease of the skin” can receive a massage, the ordinance states.
The ordinance is intended to establish requirements, standards, and “enforcement mechanisms” to support legitimate businesses “while deterring unlawful activity and enhancing public safety,” Akard wrote.
The new municipal law goes into effect July 9.
Mike W. Ray is a fifth-generation, award-winning journalist who has more than 55 years’ experience covering municipal, county, state and federal government in Oklahoma and Texas. He can be reached at mike. ray@swoknews.com.