Greenburgh Town Board Unanimously Passes Massage Parlor Law
In an effort to permanently close down massage parlors along Central Avenue that have provided prostitution under the guise of spa treatments, the Greenburgh Town Board unanimously passed a law with a two-pronged approach to provide the double punch they feel will put these illegal businesses off the streets for good.
Bob Bernstein, a lawyer and Edgemont Community Council President along with Greenburgh Town Board members Francis Sheehan, Kevin Morgan and Ken Jones worked in tandem to put the legislation together.
Under current NYS law, massage therapists are licensed to practice their profession – most involved in therapeutic services. Anyone providing massage services without a license is committing a felony.
The problem along Central Avenue, however, has been the spas that put one person’s license on display and then allow other workers to provide services beyond massage. Once tracked down and closed by police, these establishments are able to reopen under another license.
The new Greenburgh law requires massage therapists to apply for a town license, allowing checks for valid state licenses. With a town license, the business then will apply for a Special Permit to comply with the Zoning Code.
The Zoning Code was rewritten to accommodate this change.
If a business is found running a prostitution operation, once the massage license violation has been acted upon, the business is not able to reopen because it has violated the Zoning Code and a court order to close operations of the entire business can be obtained.
While the law was being crafted, several valid massage professionals came before the Town Board to express their outrage over what they feel is an unfair law and the fact that their profession is already policed by New York state regulations.
