SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) The City of Santa Barbara is preparing to update its massage ordinance.
But a longtime massage therapist is concerned the effort to crack down on criminal activity will harm legitimate businesses.
"It is really unfair, I mean we are healers we are helping people in the community. I've got cancer patients Ive got motorcycle accidents I have pregnant women and to be put into a category of people doing really illicit and illegal things that is harmful to he community I want to see those gone too but this is not the way to go about it," said Katherine Gruver.
The proposal calls for random inspections, raising the current $25 fee by 100s of dollars, and doubling the 250-hour licensing requirement..
"They are targeting us, who are doing left healing work it is offensive and it is demeaning to the industry to those us that are really working hard to help the community be better."
The city hasn't updated its ordinance since the mid 1970s and sent a letter about the updates proposed to massage therapists and spas.
Gruver said she received a letter but she knows others who are just hearing about it by word of mouth.
She admits there is a problem but she is concerned about the way the city wants to address it.
"Id love to see some new things adopted but I read what they want to update and the first paragraph is just offensive to us it is like I'm sure there some nice people doing this, but they are talking about staff infections and trafficing, destroying the fabric of the community."
Her office is on upper State Street and she is booked solid until the New Year.
"You are looking at my office I am not destroying the fabric of anything, we are really doing the best we can, we are just trying to run our businesses as legit as possible and it is hard when we are having regulations thrown at us that are going to undermine what we are doing."
Even so she knows the problem exists.
"In the city of Santa Barbara there's tons, I can point to five within a two block radius of here, it is obvious where they are, they are listed on websites, I want to get rid of these places, it is not good for out business, not good for out community the families in our community," said Gruver," I'd love to see them go away. I can help you, put me in the car and I will dive down the street and go that one, that one and that one. It is really hard to get rid of, It is going to take a of time, a lot of money, that is why they have upped out fees because they expect us to pay for the inspections there has got to be a different way for them to do that."
She is worried her clients will be traumatised by inspections.
"I can't be in the middle of massage or someone who has had trauma and have he police banging on the door to be let in. It just can't work that way."
She believes the city will listen when they take up the issue again at an ordinance committee meeting on Dec. 16.
"There has to be some kind of compromise and they seem to be open to a compromise so we wil see what happens."
Your News Channel will have more on the issue tonight on the news.
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