A San Francisco supervisor introduced legislation Tuesday that would establish new health and safety requirements for massage parlors in the city to prevent sexual and other illicit activity at the businesses.
The ordinance by Supervisor Katy Tang, who represents the city’s Sunset District, would require masseuses licensed by the city to wear photo ID cards while working and deny massage permits to applicants convicted of sexual or human trafficking crimes.
The legislation also outlines specific activity that would be banned inside massage parlors, including any sort of sexual activity and consumption of alcohol or non-prescription drugs.
The owners of the businesses, rather than their employees, would be the ones penalized for violations of the ordinance.
Tang said she was “careful about not putting potential victims of human trafficking in further harm’s way.”
Tang’s office estimates that there are at least 30 massage parlors in her district alone.
The legislation will be considered at a board committee hearing as soon as September after the supervisors’ annual August recess.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
