Politics & Government
Massage Business in the Clear, Eagan Council Rules
The Eagan council also voted to tighten its ordinances regarding massage businesses in the community.
Less than three months after an Eagan police investigation allegedly found an unlicensed masseuse at Heavenly Asian Massage, the Eagan City Council voted Tuesday night to dismiss its case against the business.
The move came as a relief to business owner Julio Alaniz, who in May voluntarily chose to turn in his license and close a similar business in Hopkins. That massage business, Wonderland Asian Massage, was also the subject of a police investigation.
"I think they treated us fairly based on fact," Alaniz said on Tuesday night, referring to the Eagan council's action.
Police issued a misdemeanor citation to Alaniz on March 20, after an undercover investigator, responding to complaints from the community, allegedly found at least one unlicensed masseuse at the business. Under city code, allow masseuses employed at such a business must have a valid license.
On April 16, the council voted to conduct an administrative review of the alleged ordinance infraction. But the results of that review, completed on May 8, found that city officials had failed to provide adequate evidence that unlicensed massage therapists were working at the business.
According to the administrative review:
- An undercover Eagan police received a massage from a therapist identified as "Mary" on March 20. Mary told the detective there were four therapists working at the business. The detective only saw one other woman besides Mary at the business during his visit. The detective repeatedly tried to proposition the masseuse, but his advances were declined.
- The only licensed massage therapist the city has on record working at Heavenly Asian Massage is Yang Yu, Alaniz' wife and the manager of the business. There is only one therapist named Mary registered in Eagan, but she did not fit the physical description of the Mary present at the business that day.
- However, neither the city nor the detective obtained the true identity or full name of the "Mary" at Heavenly Asian Massage that day, nor did they follow up to see if Mary had a license under a different name, according to the review findings.
- The city does not require massage therapists to update their license once they change employers. Nor do they require massage businesses to keep a list of therapists working at the business, meaning that city records may not adequately reflect the movement of masseuses within the community.
- Because the city failed to obtain the therapist's real name, the reviewer concluded, it could not definitively prove she was unlicensed.
The new ordinance amendment will require massage businesses to display the establishment license and individual therapists' licenses in plain view of the general public. As part of the amendment, therapists would also have to have their licenses present at all times, no matter the business where they're currently employed.
Alaniz, an insurance agent who ran the massage businesses in conjunction with his wife, Yu, said the city's actions and the resulting media coverage had damaged Heavenly Asian Massage. Heavenly Asian Massage, he said, has the support of neighboring businesses in the area. He and his wife, he added, are considering moving to Eagan to become a part of the community.
"We are a reputable business. We take pride in what we do, and we are very strong-minded in being good citizens of the community," Alaniz said prior to the council meeting on Tuesday. "I’m not some fly-by-night human trafficker, I’m a Minnesotan. I’ve been living here all my life."
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