Committee forwards massage-business ordinance to public hearing after police warn of illicit parlors

The Parks, Recreation, Human Services & Public Safety Committee on June 9 voted to forward a proposed ordinance that would create a new chapter 12.65 in the Federal Way Revised Code and give police additional civil tools to investigate and deter illicit massage businesses.

Assistant City Attorney Adam Gadbury told the committee the draft mirrors state licensing requirements and would require a conspicuous display of state massage licenses, prohibit internal warning systems that are used only to alert staff to incoming law enforcement, set operating hours from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., prohibit locking the front door during business hours, and ban cash transactions. "We are not prohibiting alarm systems," Gadbury said, adding the restriction targets devices meant solely to alert staff of law enforcement presence.

Police officials urged the ordinance after describing sustained problems tied to illicit operations. "This business is booming and there's a tremendous amount of money that's being made by organized crime," the chief said, recounting robberies and a recent shooting he described as an attempted homicide. Commander Black told the committee officers had catalogued "about 17 robberies since 2021" at locations investigators suspect are illicit and said those operations often rotate staff and move quickly when enforcement follows. "We have become a soft spot in the region because we have no ordinance," the chief said.

Supporters on the committee framed the measure as a public-safety tool. Council Member Melissa Hamilton said the proposal restores enforcement mechanisms that can protect people who are coerced or exploited. "Public safety is our number one responsibility," she said.

Industry representatives urged narrower language or exemptions. Robin Blake, government relations director of the Washington State Massage Therapy Association, said the association supports shutting down illicit businesses but urged the committee to remove or exempt three provisions that target legitimate therapists: locked-entrance bans, restrictions on internal warning systems, and bans on cash transactions. Blake proposed exemptions for solo practitioners and a one-year sunset clause to evaluate effectiveness.

Adam Gadbury and police leaders said enforcement will rely on investigator discretion and complaints or tips: routine checks will focus on locations with suspicious advertising or other red flags so that legitimate practitioners are not targeted. "If our investigation shows they're not illicit, then we move," Commander Black said, adding the city lacks the staffing to pursue every business and will prioritize places with corroborating evidence or repeated complaints.

After extended discussion that included questions about state preemption of licensing and comparisons to neighboring Kent, the committee voted to forward the ordinance to a public hearing and first reading on the June 16 council agenda.

Next steps: the ordinance will be considered at a public hearing and first reading by the full council on June 16; if advanced there, future council action would determine final adoption, exemptions, or amendments.

Quote highlights: "We are not prohibiting alarm systems," Adam Gadbury said, clarifying the draft targets systems installed solely to warn staff of police. "We've had shootings, rapes, robberies," the chief said, citing local incidents that he said the ordinance would help address.

Context: Committee discussion referenced a prior local ordinance repealed in 2009 and state licensing handled by the Washington Department of Health. Industry representatives requested a clearer enforcement plan and narrow exemptions to reduce impacts on legitimate practitioners.