Planning Commission revokes one massage‑establishment use permit and denies another amid enforcement concerns

LAKE FOREST — The Planning Commission voted unanimously (Commissioner Grable absent) on March 6 to revoke a use permit for a massage establishment at the Lake Forest Marketplace after law enforcement investigations found criminal conduct, and later denied a separate use‑permit application for a hypnotic wellness center proposing massage services at a Bridger Road suite.

Staff reported that in December 2022 the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) conducted an undercover investigation at Oasis Relax (the business previously operating in the Lake Forest Marketplace tenant space). Jennifer Mansour, community development staff, told the commission OCSD concluded the conduct by a massage technician constituted a violation of California Penal Code section 647(b) (prostitution). The city subsequently issued written notice that the conduct was disqualifying under city code and a renewal application was denied by the city manager in October 2023 after a reconsideration request in January 2024 failed to reverse the denial. Under city code, staff said, the tenant space could not be used for another massage establishment for two years.

Mansour said a…