An Onondaga County town is poised to crack down on illegal massage parlors - MSN

[Elizabeth Doran, syracuse.com]

Cicero, NY — The town of Cicero is about to crack down on illegal massage parlors.

If a proposed local law is approved, people who open new massage-related businesses would have to seek approval by the town board.


The applicants would also have to provide a full list of employees and ensure workers giving massages are licensed through the state.

A public hearing is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. After that, the Cicero Town Board may vote to enact the new local law, according to one town councilor.

The town is trying to prevent the operation of illicit businesses that offer illegal sexual services under the guise of being legitimate massage service providers.

Karp said he believes Cicero is the first town in Onondaga County to enact a law addressing these illicit parlors.

“These parlors are all over the place - they‘ve been in Manlius, a lot in Monroe County and other places,” he said. ”Shutting them down is like playing whack-a-mole."

Authorities have uncovered four illegal massage operations since 2021, including one earlier this fall, said Town Councilor Jonathan Karp.

Another one, called the Lilac Spa, sold sex for years out of its offices in the Aldi shopping plaza on Route 31, according to the Cicero Police Department. After a two-month police investigation in 2021, two spa employees were arrested. The two women, 58 and 59 years old, were charged with prostitution in a school zone, a misdemeanor.

The state requires massage therapists to be licensed. But there’s no specific state permit required for the business.

Currently, anyone can open a massage business without notifying the town.

The proposed law would change that.

It would ban massage parlors, which it defines as businesses that allow unlicensed workers to give massages.

Instead, anyone who wanted to open a massage business with licensed workers would be required to seek a special permit from the town.

In addition, these businesses would have to provide proof of their officers and directors, and names of their employees and their birth dates with copies of their licenses. Those licenses must be displayed on site.

If someone new is hired, that person’s information must be submitted to the town, the law says.

Sole proprietors would be exempt from the new town law.

Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com

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