In an effort to better regulate massage parlors, Duluth has made sweeping changes to the ordinance that deals with oversight of the businesses.
The Gwinnett city of 26,000 will limit the number of massage parlors to seven, increase the licensing fee from $50 to $1,500 and require thorough backgrounds checks for applicants and managers. The changes, approved Monday by the Duluth City Council, draw from the similar action by metro Atlanta cities Sandy Springs, College Park and Doraville, among others.
City leaders spoke of wanting to slow down the proliferation of massage parlors and to better ensure the qualifications of massage therapists. Dozens of residents, however, told the council they were more concerned about prostitution and other crimes associated with many of the businesses.
"Those places have no business in this community," said Greg Stewart, a Duluth resident.
Stewart said the issue caught his attention in late November, when police officers were involved in a shootout with a pair of armed robbers in the parking lot of a nearby massage parlor. A Cobb County couple was later arrested in connection with the robbery.
Soon after, Stewart and his neighbors began pushing city officials to do more to monitor activities at similar businesses around the city.
"The city didn’t have tools to do anything but cite the people who were in there giving the illegal massages," he said.
As a result, city staffers looked for ways to strengthen a massage parlor ordinance that was adopted in March 2011. The ordinance now increases license fees, effective June 1 for new businesses and Jan. 1 for old ones; requires massage therapists to have photo identification, proof of state certification and to submit to fingerprinting; limits the number of massage therapy businesses to three per 10,000 residents; and removes conditional-use permits.
Additionally, massage businesses will only be allowed to locate in zoned commercial districts and will require a 150-foot buffer from residential areas.
Businesses currently operating in Duluth will be grandfathered into the new law and allowed to remain open until they change owners or commit a violation. Duluth has eight massage parlors, with six located along Peachtree Industrial.
If one closes, a new massage business will not be able to open in Duluth under the new ordinance.
Dusty Graham, a Duluth-based massage therapist, said the law will unfairly restrict opportunities for licensed therapists.
"If there's a prostitution problem, then there needs to be a prostitution ordinance," he said. Duluth is "denying my clients a very valid and ancient form of health care."
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