Hopkins Staff Bring Massage License Plan Before Council

is taking the next steps toward a new massage parlor license even as some council members predict resistance from the affected businesses.

The city currently licenses individual masseuses, not entire businesses. Staff proposed a new business license when .

Under the proposed ordinance, most businesses offering massage services would have to obtain the new license and go through a background check. No business would be grandfathered in, although massage therapists working under licensed medical professionals would not need to have the business license.

Under the current version of the ordinance, the council would be able to revoke licenses after a hearing—including for failure to prevent prostitution and other crimes from taking place on the premises. Revocation would effectively put the owner out of business. Council could also suspend a license for a set amount of time or until certain conditions are met. 

Councilman Rick Brausen said at Tuesday's work session that he doesn’t disagree with the idea behind the license but added that he’s worried about burdening businesses with more costs during already tough times.

The initial fee would be enough to cover the background check, said Jim Genellie, Hopkins’ assistant city manager. Annual renewal fees would be on the order of $25.

“It’s a small price to ensure that the whole business of massage is not having a black eye by one business,” Genellie said. “We’re not really trying to raise additional funds this way. We’re trying to control a business.”

Staff had been fast-tracking the change through, aiming to have it up for formal approval at an early November council meeting, he said, noting that the city could slow the process if it gets a lot of feedback.

Still, Brausen worried about “anti-government sentiment” and how it could affect perceptions of the proposed license.

“I think there’s more of a conversation with the businesses than we think,” he said.

If the city gets more than a few comments from business owners, officials may schedule a work session with those businesses to discuss their worries.