Elmhurst Massage Business Protests Some Rules

ELMHURST, IL — With the new phase in pandemic regulations, massage businesses are reopening, but with strict social distancing guidelines. The owner of Elmhurst's Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa says some rules will unfairly hurt the industry, which the state shut down in March as a result of the coronavirus.

Franchise owner Jim Jensen, who employs about 20 licensed massage therapists, said the rule limiting massage and body treatments to 30 minutes could mean a considerable loss in business. Usually, he said, a therapist comes into contact with two or three clients during a three-hour shift.

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Despite the limit for massage therapists, Jensen said, chiropractors get more than 30 minutes per person, yet both professions have similar contact with clients.

"A mandatory 30-minute limit will affect the effectiveness of the massage treatment and may even cause injury to the client because the soft tissue is not properly warmed up or conditioned," Jensen said in a letter this week to the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which handles the business regulations. "It is for this reason that hundreds of massage therapy clinics in Illinois, employers to thousands of massage therapists, offer services with minimum duration of 50 minutes and as long as two hours. Most establishments do not even have 30-minute sessions on their menu."

In an interview with Patch, Jensen said he has been speaking with the head of the state's Massage Licensing Board. He said he has been told Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration did not consult with the board or the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation before enacting the regulations.

Also, salons such as Hand and Stone cannot do facials because customers must wear masks during such treatments, Jensen said.

For more than two weeks, Jensen has been preparing to open his business, calling back staff, reworking schedules and contacting customers to book appointments starting Sunday. Recalling employees from unemployment, he said, was not a task he took lightly. He said his employees are being trained in new sanitization techniques to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Most of Hand and Stone's therapists have returned, while a few have decided against coming back because of issues such as child care.

Hand and Stone's schedule, he said, is mostly booked for its first few days. But Jensen fears that could change with the new 30-minutes limit, which was just announced Sunday.

If the state lifts the limit, Jensen said he believed the industry would not greatly suffer as a result of the pandemic-cased recession. After the economy crashed in 2008, the massage industry grew because customers sought to reduce stress, he said.

"People will continue to come for the health benefits. Some come for relaxation. I understand if people lose their jobs, and they can't afford their membership," Jensen said.

The Hand and Stone chain has locations in 32 states. The Elmhurst business, 624 N. York St., opened in December 2016.