Local massage therapists speak out against negative attention - newschannel20.com

[mnews]

SPRINGFIELD, Ill (WICS) — Local massage therapists speaking out Wednesday about the negative attention their businesses have received.

They said not all massage establishments are bad.

It comes after Springfield shut down 11 parlors across the city for violating a new ordinance.

The owners want everyone to know their priority has always been to help people.

Licensed massage professionals in Springfield said it's a battle of public perception. They said businesses that don't follow the rules give all massage establishments a bad reputation.

Dana Homann, a medical massage practitioner at Springfield Wellness Center, said there's a lot of time, money, and work that goes into becoming a licensed massage therapist.

"There's a lot of study and practice, there's a lot of certifications that you have to have. You have to know what you're doing. Because when you're working on somebody who's in pain, you can't take the chance of hurting them further,” Homann said.

Chiffonia White, another licensed massage therapist for Revive Wellness and Massage Spa, said the required 600 hours of supervised classroom and clinical experience is the bare minimum.

"Because, for a massage therapist, you really only have to have 25 continuing education hours every two years, for those that are more medically inclined and in the medical field and work on people with orthopedic issues, we do 40-50 a year,” Homann said.

Licensed professionals said the language around massage services matters. They said words like bed, masseuse, and parlor all carry specific connotations with them.

Alexander Zeigler, a licensed massage practitioner at Moxie Massage, said improving public perceptions help gather respect.

“It helps to bring us back to that position where we’re respected in the community,” Zeigler said.

"It taints the whole field. Sometimes when you can tell people, oh I'm a massage therapist they go oh! And they get the wrong idea of what you do. And in part, it's because these places are allowed to exist,” Homann said.

Mary Atkins is the owner of Aspen Grove Wellness. She said although things are changing since she started in the late 90s, there are still misunderstandings about the field.

"It's more than just a massage. It's impacting people’s lives in a positive, healthy way. And so when there are other establishments that have other intentions, it's definitely very frustrating,” Atkins said.

White said massage establishments violating city ordinances do the industry a disservice.

Licensed massage therapists have to pay fees for their license and to renew it every two years. Massage therapists also have to pass a test.

The city passed the new ordinance last June. It requires all businesses to register with the city and have a licensed massage therapist on the premises.