Concerns raised over allowing nude services

By Ray Huard
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

March 27, 2003

San Diego goofed when it tightened restrictions on massage-related businesses more than two years ago, leaving some glaring loopholes.

It's just fine under the ordinances to give massages in the nude as long as the person giving the massage is a holistic health practitioner and not strictly a massage therapist, said police vice unit Lt. Bob Kanaski.

Patrons of holistic health practitioners also can be nude.

But that was never the intention.

Massage therapists can't give nude massages under the law, but the ban was inadvertently left out of the regulations expanded to cover holistic health practitioners.

Police have since found people calling themselves holistic health practitioners showing up for on-call services in the buff or offering their services naked at their place of business, Kanaski said.

Holistic health practitioners, as defined by the city, use a variety of nonmedical treatments that can include massage and involve pressure, friction, pounding, tapping, stroking, kneading or vibrating external body parts with the hand or other body parts with or without electrical or mechanical devices.

They had been exempt from city regulation for 15 years until the ordinances were adopted in December 2000.

Kanaski said those offering to do business naked were few among holistic practitioners, many of whom called for new regulations to close the loopholes.

The City Council Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee voted unanimously yesterday to advise the council to revise the regulations to close the loopholes.

The committee proposal would require those offering massages to wear clothes that covered them from just above the knee to the neckline. Bathing suits would be allowed for water therapy.

Patrons would have to be draped so certain body parts weren't exposed, and massages couldn't involve touching certain body parts or any form of sexual stimulation.

Reading details of the clothing regulations, Councilwoman Toni Atkins said, "I felt like I'm back in junior high school."

The regulations meant to require police licenses for all massage-related businesses also exempted certain nonmedical professions, such as manicurists and cosmetologists. The committee proposal would require them to get police licenses to operate a massage business.

Besides further tightening restrictions on massage, the committee advised that education requirements for licensing reflexologists be reduced. Current law requires them to have the same training as massage therapists.

Reflexologists said that was excessive because they don't offer full body massages but work only on feet, hands and ears.