Federal Way Pauses Massage Ordinance
- City Council put a proposed massage business ordinance on hold after concerns from local therapists. - Rules would ban cash payments, limit hours, and require unlocked front doors for safety. - Ordinance returns to committee in June for revisions targeting illicit operations with stakeholder input kentreporter.com.
Federal Way City Council voted 6-1 on May 12, 2026, to pause a proposed ordinance regulating massage businesses, sending it back to committee for revisions after pushback from local therapists . The ordinance aimed to curb illicit massage parlors—often fronts for prostitution or human trafficking—by imposing strict rules: no cash payments allowed, operating hours limited to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and front doors required to remain unlocked during business hours for safety inspections . Councilmember Tiffany Washington cast the lone "no" vote, arguing the measures were too broad and would hurt legitimate operators. Local massage therapists, including representatives from the Washington State Massage Association, testified against the rules at the May 12 meeting. They called the cash ban "crippling" for small businesses reliant on walk-ins and said unlocked doors posed security risks in high-crime areas . Federal Way has seen a rise in such parlors; police raided three suspected illicit operations in 2025, leading to arrests on prostitution charges, according to city records cited in council discussions. Supporters, including Councilmember Verda Hunter, framed the pause as a chance to refine the rules. "We're not killing it—we're making it better to target bad actors without punishing everyone," Hunter said during the meeting . The revisions will incorporate input from therapists, law enforcement, and business owners. This isn't Federal Way's first attempt. In 2024, a similar ordinance stalled after industry opposition; nearby Kent passed a version in 2025 banning cash and requiring video surveillance, which cut reported illicit activity by 40% per Kent police data . Federal Way's draft drew from those models but added the unlocked-door rule, inspired by safety protocols in Bellevue . Why the concerns? Therapists argued cash bans ignore client privacy preferences and could drive business to unregulated pop-ups. Unlocked doors, they said, invite robberies—Federal Way's crime rate rose 12% in 2025, per FBI stats . Illicit parlors often hide behind licensed fronts; Washington state has licensed over 5,000 therapists, but King County alone shuttered 15 suspect businesses last year . Next: The ordinance heads to the Public Safety Committee in June 2026 for stakeholder workshops. Revisions must focus on "problem premises" like repeat violations or unlicensed workers, per council direction. A final vote could come by July, aligning with Federal Way's 2026 budget cycle for enforcement funding .
