Wayne Looks To Ban Nude Massages, Fingerprint Masseuses

Wayne is looking to tighten its grip on massage parlors with a slew of new regulations that ban exposed genitals and require background checks for masseuses.

Employees would not be permitted to “perform, or offer to perform any act, which would require the touching of a patron’s sexual or genital area.”

The new law would require a patron’s private area be covered by "towels, cloths, or undergarments” when they are in the presence of an employee.

“Certainly there are some [massage parlors] that provide a service to the community and then there are those that do not,” Mayor Chris Vergano said when the ordinance was discussed Wednesday during the council session.

Massage therapists must be licensed by the township, submit to a background check and be fingerprinted. Therapists’ permits must be displayed “in an open and prominent place” in the establishment.

“We have, over time, checked on several establishments because sometimes customers complain about maybe seeing something they think shouldn’t be happening,” Police Chief John Reardon said.

The new ordinance also calls for stricter health requirements:

• Each massage room must contain a sink, changing area, and shower.
• Owners need to submit a sterilization plan for all non-disposable materials and equipment used in giving massages.
• Therapists would also need to wash their hands before administering a massage.

The health department would inspect each establishment at least twice a year.

Any business or therapist already licensed by the township is exempt from the provisions of the ordinance until 2013.

Eddie Wu, owner of , said that there "needs to regulations regarding massage parlors, we've just got to make sure that the regulations don't hurt existing businesses."