Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Massage Licensing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ottawa approves local massage-therapy licensing, sets biennial fees
Summary
The Ottawa City Commission unanimously adopted an ordinance to license and regulate massage establishments and therapists and passed a companion resolution setting fees: $200 every two years for establishments and $50 every two years for individual therapists. Staff said the ordinance was revised after community input to reduce burdens on practitioners.
The Ottawa City Commission voted unanimously Nov. 20 to adopt a local ordinance licensing massage establishments and massage therapists and to set a two‑year fee schedule.
City staff framed the ordinance as a targeted, “light touch” regulatory framework intended both to recognize massage therapy as a legitimate health and wellness service and to protect public safety. Staff told commissioners the adopted changes include allowing chair massage below the knees and above the waist, converting licenses from annual to biennial terms, cutting continuing‑education requirements to 10 hours every two years (with CPR accepted toward that total), removing an employee‑locker‑room requirement, and a grandfathering provision for practitioners already working in Ottawa.
“Chair massage can take place below the knees and above the waist to account for” workplace needs like employees who spend long periods standing, city staff said during the presentation. The staff presentation also noted that roughly seven practitioners currently practicing in Ottawa would be grandfathered from the initial education and continuing‑education requirements so long as they keep their licenses current.
Resident speaker Robert Bowers urged caution about fingerprinting and extensive background checks, saying massage therapists in Ottawa have a good local reputation and should not face uniquely onerous licensing compared with other businesses. “Shouldn’t we let the process work and not add to the burden of a legitimate business?” Bowers asked. Staff responded that the local approach is filling a state regulatory gap and that background checks are common for licensed occupations that include routine physical contact with the public.
Commissioners emphasized that the ordinance was amended after outreach with practitioners and supporters. The governing body voted by roll call on the ordinance and then approved the fee resolution: $200 every two years for an establishment license and $50 every two years for a therapist license.
The ordinance takes effect following publication, and staff said they will revisit the local approach if the state adopts a uniform licensing regime.
Outcome and next steps: The ordinance and the fee resolution were approved with unanimous roll‑call votes. Staff will implement the licensing program, apply grandfathering provisions for existing practitioners, and administer the new biennial fee schedule.
