Arguing that massage parlors have become a “hotbed of illegal activities” in recent years, Fairborn city management has asked city council to approve a 180-day moratorium on massage services businesses.
The move follows an “unexpected increase” in establishing massage businesses within the city.
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City Manager Rob Anderson said the massage businesses can attract money laundering and human trafficking, and said rules need to be reviewed “in order to make sure the health, safety and welfare of our citizens are being protected without harming legitimate businesses.”
“A temporary, 180-day moratorium would allow the city time to review the existing ordinances to make sure that the businesses established in the city are properly licensed and that there are effective monitoring provisions in place,” Anderson wrote in a memo.
The resolution before council states “there has been a proliferation of massage businesses in the state of Ohio that do not perform services in accordance with appropriate regulations or are used … for illegal activities.”
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Fairborn is not the first local government to consider banning new massage parlors.
This month, Miamisburg council approved a six-month moratorium on the "processing and issuance of zoning authorizations and certificates" for new massage establishments. City officials said the ban follows a police raid involving "illegal activities" at a site near the Dayton Mall.
Last month, West Carrollton council passed a law to strengthen requirements for massage business operators and property owners who lease to them. Among other changes, the law requires all employees who perform massage services to be licensed by the state as a medical massage therapist.
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