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 different business, Ocean Pearl Spa, began operating in that space in 2024; a separate OCSD undercover investigation in August 2024 concluded that massage services were provided and that the employee’s conduct also violated Penal Code section 647(b). Based on those findings and other documented code violations, staff recommended revocation of Use Permit 02/2003. The planning commission adopted the staff resolution revoking the use permit; the record reflects staff submitted a report and attachments and that the commission’s action was unanimous with Commissioner Grable absent.

Later in the agenda the commission considered a separate application to authorize massage services at Hypnotic Wellness Center, 23811 Bridger Road, Suite 100. Staff presented the continued item and explained that a massage establishment license and individual therapist licenses (California Massage Therapy Council credentials) would be required before operation. Staff also noted that prior tenant‑improvement work at the Bridger Road suite had been done without permits and that code enforcement had opened a related case; staff said the tenant improvement work would need either permits or removal depending on whether the use permit was approved.

Applicant Alexander Choi spoke on behalf of Hypnotic Wellness and described the practice as combining hypnotherapy and somatic therapy that focuses on treatment for PTSD and anxiety; Choi said the business had previously been classified as a personal‑care service and that the owner’s intent was to operate as a wellness center. Choi said the business would operate roughly 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with two to three employees and that any massage therapists would hold the required state licenses.

Commissioners raised concerns about compatibility, proximity to residences and a nearby park and businesses that attract children, and the broader enforcement history involving illicit massage operations. One commissioner specifically cited the presence of a comic book store and other child‑oriented businesses near the Bridger Road location as a reason to question compatibility. Several commissioners also expressed frustration with the pace of enforcement and the prevalence of massage applications in the city; one commissioner urged staff to return with code changes that would address zone density and proximity to sensitive uses.

Following discussion a motion to deny the Bridger Road conditional use permit passed unanimously (Commissioner Grable absent). After the vote staff requested — and the commission approved — that the public hearing remain open so staff can return with a resolution that memorializes the commission’s written findings of denial at the next meeting.

Key legal and procedural points stated on the record included: the Lake Forest Municipal Code requires massage establishments to maintain a city massage establishment license (renewed annually) and to comply with attire and draping rules; the municipal code also requires a background investigation by the sheriff as a prerequisite to license issuance; violations of state law (Penal Code 647(b)) were cited by staff as grounds for revocation and denial under the municipal code findings.

The commission’s actions were procedural and administrative: staff entered its oral report and attachments into the record for the revocation hearing; for the Bridger Road item the commission denied the permit and directed staff to prepare a denial resolution and return it at the next meeting.