Sex assault complaints filed about workers at NC Massage Envy locations

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – State regulators have received complaints of massage therapists at Massage Envy locations in North Carolina inappropriately touching and sexually assaulting people, according to an attorney for the North Carolina Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy.

Attorney Charles Wilkins told CBS North Carolina in the last three years, the agency has received “about a dozen” complaints, half of which include allegations of inappropriate touching, sexual comments, contact or assault.

In most of the cases, he said the board revoked the therapists’ licenses and levied the maximum fine of $1,000.

Buzzfeed News reported this weekend that more than 180 women across the country have accused therapists at various Massage Envy locations of groping and other sexual acts. Click here to view more on that investigation.

CBS North Carolina has requested copies of the consent orders filed in each of the North Carolina cases. Wilkins did not specify the locations where each of the complaints originated.

Until this year, the state board only had the authority to regulate individuals, not businesses. A new law that passed this year related to human trafficking has given the board more authority to start regulating businesses.

“A big problem was that we could discipline the therapist and not the businesses making all the money,” said Wilkins.

Wilkins said as of Oct. 1, the board can license the businesses themselves. That will include background checks on people running the businesses, who could have disciplinary action taken against them.

He said the board is still finalizing the rules surrounding this and expects to begin issuing licenses late next year.

In an email statement to CBS North Carolina, a Massage Envy spokesperson wrote:

 “Each of these incidents is heartbreaking for us and for the franchisees that operate Massage Envy locations, and we will never stop looking for ways to help our franchisees provide a safe environment at Massage Envy franchise locations. The article references 180 reported incidents.  These occurred over a span of 15 plus years and 125 million massages.  But, we believe that even ONE incident is too many, so we are constantly listening, learning, and evaluating how we can continue to strengthen our policies with respect to handling of these issues.”

 The company also noted it rewrote its policies in 2014, which have been updated annually since then.

The email also reads:

“Massage Envy’s  policies require that, when there is an allegation of inappropriate conduct, franchisees must immediately remove the therapist from the schedule and report the incident to Massage Envy Franchising.  The franchisee must also conduct a prompt, fair, and thorough investigation of the allegation, with the assistance of outside experts if needed.  If the franchisee finds that a zero-tolerance offense occurred, they are required to terminate the therapist and that therapist is ineligible for hire at any Massage Envy franchise location nationwide.”