Therapists At Massage Chain With 30+ MA Spots Accused Of Assault

A national massage chain with more than 30 locations in Eastern Massachusetts is facing accusations from more than 180 women that they were groped and violated by the chain's massage therapists.

The largest massage chain in the country with nearly 1,200 locations, Massage Envy was the subject of a bombshell report from from BuzzFeed News Sunday. The story mentioned no Massachusetts locations, and the Massachusetts DA's Association referred Patch to individual DA offices.

In Massachusetts, the Division of Professional Licensure Board of Massage Therapy helps massage therapists individuals and facilities with licensure. Patch's call was not immediately returned. According to a statement on the organization's website, "The Board ... maintains high standards within the field and protects consumers by investigating and resolving against practitioners."

BuzzFeed reported that one of the victims, Susan Ingram, called her local Massage Envy an hour after therapist James Deiter allegedly groped her during a session in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and pleaded with the staff to bar him from giving massages. The manager at the store told Ingram that Deiter was in a session with another client and could not be disturbed. Deiter would later plead guilty to sexually molesting nine women while working at Massage Envy.

Ingram's civil suit may be the first time Massage Envy has had to answer a victim of sexual assault at one of its spas in open court, BuzzFeed reported.

Massage experts told BuzzFeed that even if workers do not know for certain that a client was sexually assaulted, they should encourage victims to file a formal complaint with law enforcement. Experts also told the website that franchises should prominently display their reporting policies and hire specially trained consultants if they're accused of a crime.

But according to the report, in places where it is not required by law, Massage Envy "does not compel its franchisees to notify law enforcement," even in cases of rape. In an email to BuzzFeed, a lawyer for Massage Envy said: "We hold franchise owners accountable to our policies and, when we say nothing is more important to us than treating clients with respect and giving them a safe, professional experience, we mean it."

Here is the list of every Massage Envy franchise in Massachusetts, according to the company's website:

• Arlington
• Beverly
• Boston
• Braintree
• Brockton
• Brookline
• Burlington
• Cambridge
• Danvers
• Dedham
• Framingham
• Franklin
• Hyannis
• Mashpee
• Medford
• Methuen
• Newton
• North Attleboro
• North Billerica
• North Reading
• Norwell
• Plymouth
• Quincy
• Saugus
• Shrewsbury
• Stoneham
• Walpole
• Waltham
• Wellesley
• West Springfield
• Westborough

Watch Now: Sexual Misconduct Widespread At Massage Chain

You can read the full BuzzFeed report here

Image of Massage Envy in Norwell courtesy of Google Maps

Tom Davis of Patch contributed to this report