Local massage therapist urges council to amend massage-establishment code

Tracy Heilers, a St. Charles resident and state‑licensed massage therapist, urged the City Council on July 20 to amend the city's massage‑establishment code, saying the current rules unfairly burden sole proprietors and lead to inconsistent enforcement.

“I believe we have several unclear, unjust and inequitable issues right now with our massage establishment code and that amendments are needed,” Heilers said. She told the council she pays a $250 annual city massage‑establishment license fee and that city records show seven multi‑practitioner establishments and four sole proprietors now hold city licenses; she said about 10 sole‑proprietor therapists operate in St. Charles without city licenses. Heilers said the municipal code exempts chiropractors, M.D.s and physical therapists but not the therapists who work for them, creating what she described as an inconsistent and burdensome system.

Heilers outlined specific proposals: add an exemption for state‑licensed sole proprietors; adopt an equitable fee structure tied to the number of therapists at a location (citing Batavia as an example); explicitly exempt state‑licensed therapists practicing under a doctor's supervision; and allow state‑licensed sole proprietors to provide massages from their homes under the city's home‑occupation rules. She said she has completed 800 hours of education, regular continuing education, and substantial work treating veterans and other patients, and she urged the council to direct code changes.

Mayor Quintal thanked Heilers for her remarks and noted the public‑comment process for following up with council members. Heilers said she will email each council member with supporting materials and proposed code language.

No council vote or direction was recorded during the meeting on this issue; the matter remains a citizen request for potential code amendments.