Worcester officials say somewhere between 25 and 30 illegal bodywork businesses are operating in the city at any given time, a figure that is now driving a push for new local rules governing the industry. The estimate came from Nicholas Antanavica, the city's inspectional services commissioner, who shared the number at a Board of Health meeting on November 9.
Worcester is drafting new rules for bodywork spas amid broader concern about human trafficking tied to unlicensed massage-style businesses, according to the Worcester Telegram. Antanavica's estimate of 25 to 30 such businesses operating citywide at any given time was shared at the meeting. Illegal bodywork businesses are generally recognized as sometimes associated with human trafficking.
A Pattern Playing Out Across Worcester County
Worcester is not alone in grappling with the issue. In nearby Northborough, a resident complaint prompted the town's board to take up concerns about unlicensed bodywork businesses, according to citizenportal.ai. Town staff told board members that some businesses offering massage-like services may lack required state licensure and could be linked to criminal activity, including human trafficking.
Northborough's board responded by directing staff to collect model regulations from neighboring communities and to place the topic on a future agenda, the outlet reports. That review reportedly includes rules already used in Southborough and Westborough, giving the board a menu of approaches from towns that have already wrestled with the same problem.
Sudbury's Licensing Model Offers a Template
One possible blueprint sits just up the road in Sudbury, where bodywork regulations took effect in November 2023. Those rules, laid out by the Town of Sudbury, require both individual bodywork therapists and bodywork establishments to obtain licenses through the town's health department.
Sudbury's regulations also allow town departments and authorized agents to conduct unannounced inspections of bodywork establishments, and they set a civil penalty of $300 for each violation, with every day or partial day counted as a separate offense. It is a far more structured system than what currently governs much of the unlicensed bodywork trade regionally, though these are Sudbury's own provisions and not necessarily a preview of what Worcester will ultimately adopt.
Past Cases Illustrate the Stakes
Worcester has already seen what can go wrong at an unregulated spa. Angies Bodyworks, a Worcester bodywork business, closed after a fatal Thanksgiving shooting at the location, and state regulators subsequently found cause to take action against the owner over whether the spa had advertised massage services without proper licensing, the Telegram reported in 2024.
In nearby Webster, the Board of Health issued a cease-and-desist order to Webster Asian Bodywork in December 2024, and police described an ongoing investigation into alleged paid sexual services at the business, according to Spectrum News 1. Webster Police Chief Michael Shaw said at the time that his department was also looking into establishing its own guidelines for starting a massage spa in town.
What State Law Already Requires
Massachusetts law already sets some ground rules statewide. Under General Laws Chapter 112, Section 235, it is a violation to advertise as a massage therapist or massage therapy establishment unless someone in the business's employment holds a valid license under that chapter, according to the Massachusetts General Court. State regulations separately specify that a massage therapy establishment requires its own distinct license, per the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Other cities have layered on local restrictions as well. In Lowell, an individual practitioner's license is restricted specifically to a licensed massage establishment within the city, according to the City of Lowell. Whether Worcester's forthcoming rules will mirror any of these approaches, including Sudbury's inspection and penalty structure or Northborough's still-developing review, remains to be seen as city officials continue drafting their own version.
