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Commission backs updating code to license massage establishments; therapists seek edits
Summary
The commission recommended changes to zoning definitions and supported a plan to license massage-therapy establishments after staff linked the proposal to state law aimed at curbing illicit businesses. Local licensed therapists urged the city to refine clinical language and meet with practitioners before Council action.
The Norman Planning Commission moved to recommend amendments that would add licensing and definitions for massage therapy establishments and delete outdated, suggestive terms from the adult-entertainment zoning definition.
City legal staff said the ordinance was drafted at the police department—s request after local data showed advertisements for locations appearing on known prostitution websites. "This ordinance came about at the request of the police department after noticing an uptick in certain establishments opening in Norman that purported to offer massage therapy, but were instead really a cover for prostitution, human trafficking," City Attorney Catherine Walker said.
Under the draft ordinance, massage therapy establishments would be required to obtain a local license beginning April 1. The proposal includes background checks for establishment applicants (e.g., recent felony convictions for force or sexual misconduct), registry provisions for therapists employed on-site, operating-hour limits and requirements to post prices and keep staff records; the ordinance would also remove legacy terms such as "massage parlor" and "****** encounter center" from the zoning code.
Several licensed therapists urged the city to consult practitioners and adjust technical language. "Law enforcement comes at us the wrong way," said Mary Elizabeth LeBlanc, a local licensed massage therapist and AMTA-Oklahoma chapter member, who warned that some clinical language (for example, restrictions on touching the buttocks) could unintentionally block legitimate medical treatment of small muscles such as the piriformis.
Kaylee Winchester, who owns a multi-practitioner wellness clinic in Norman, said the ordinance contains confusing overlaps with state licensing and with other establishment-level inspections. "There are many therapists in town who are trained and licensed and professional," Winchester said, urging clearer, less punitive language and outreach to legitimate businesses.
Commissioners supported removing archaic and potentially stigmatizing language from the zoning code and asked staff to convene meetings with local practitioners before the item goes to City Council. Staff said council-level consideration is scheduled for Dec. 2 and that they would reach out to local therapists to refine wording.
What happens next: The Planning Commission forwarded a recommendation to City Council; staff will meet with practitioners and present revised language at future council consideration.
