Cobb commissioners uphold denial of Oriental Massage health-spa license after inspection found unlicensed therapists

The Cobb County Board of Commissioners on April 8 unanimously upheld an administrative decision to deny the 2025 Cobb County health-spa license renewal for YALI Services Incorporated, doing business as Oriental Massage (2635 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 111, Marietta). The board vote sustained a March decision by the License Review Board; the final vote was 4-0.

The denial traces to a July 23, 2024 compliance inspection in which Cobb County police and business-license staff reported finding two people who were not Georgia-licensed massage therapists on the premises and a customer receiving a full-body massage. Detective Bruce Witt of the Cobb County Police Department testified that one person who exited a treatment room "started going towards the back of the business away from me" and later ran from the premises; Witt said he pursued her through the parking lot. Witt said he found a customer in a treatment room who was getting a massage and that the licensee's phone and glasses were in that room. Following that site visit, Witt said he obtained a magistrate's warrant related to allowing unlicensed massage therapy; the criminal case is pending.

Business-license manager Alicia Webb told the board her office received the compliance findings and cited the business under multiple sections of Chapter 78 of the Cobb County Code of Ordinances. Webb said the administrative denial letter and the ordinance references were sent to the licensee in February 2025.

At the hearing, the owner addressed the board. The license application on file is listed as YALI Services Incorporated; the woman who spoke identified herself as Tianya Li and said she has operated the business since 2015. Li told the board she and her husband — both of whom hold Georgia massage-therapy licenses — typically operate the business themselves and that they hired temporary help on the July day because their child was sick and they had a tax appointment. "I will correct all my mistake. And I should not hire any temporary, worker without the license," she said, and told the board she had dismissed the temporary workers after the inspection and had closed the business after she was notified of the denial in February.

The board heard that a follow-up compliance visit in December found Li present and licensed; investigators reported no recurring violations on that later visit. However, staff and police asked the board to treat the July inspection as a serious violation because allowing unlicensed massage therapy can cause physical harm and because the event led to an arrest warrant and pending criminal charges. At the License Review Board hearing on March 13, the LRB voted unanimously to uphold the administrative denial; the applicant appealed that decision to the Board of Commissioners.

Chairwoman Cupid and commissioners discussed the balance between welcoming small businesses and protecting the public. Several commissioners said the July inspection — multiple county-code violations on a single unannounced inspection date — was a serious breach that justified denial of the renewal. Commissioner Burrell moved to uphold the administrative denial and the License Review Board decision; the motion was seconded, and the board voted 4-0 to deny the renewal.

What this means: The county's denial removes the business's ability to operate under its 2025 Cobb County health-spa license. The owner said the business has been closed since February and that she is exploring options, including a potential sale. County staff noted a new owner or different license applicant could apply for a license in the future; if the board denies a renewal today, the applicant generally must wait 12 months to reapply, though a new owner would not be blocked from applying.

Authorities and legal context: The staff cited multiple sections of Chapter 78 of the Cobb County Code of Ordinances as grounds for denial. Police also sought a warrant under Georgia statute referenced in the hearing transcript (cited by Detective Witt as "43 dash 24 a dash 15 subsection f") for allowing unlicensed massage therapy; the criminal matter remains pending in magistrate court.

Board records show the License Review Board had unanimously upheld the denial on March 13; the Board of Commissioners' decision on April 8 is final for the county administrative process, subject to any judicial review the licensee may pursue.

Sources and quotes in this story come from the April 8, 2025 Cobb County Board of Commissioners meeting transcript and the cited county records.