Sex Abuse At Massage Chain That Has 42 Virginia Sites: Report

More than 180 women have accused massage therapists of sexual assault at a popular chain that has locations throughout Virginia, according to a report. Among the victims speaking publicly are a Washington, D.C., woman who reported that a Maryland massage therapist sexually assaulted her, and a Richmond, Virginia, woman whose attacker was convicted.

BuzzFeed cited court records, police reports and other complaints from women who reported being groped and penetrated by massage therapists at Massage Envy locations across the country. The company ignored the allegations, according to the report.

Two DC women reported to police in September 2017 that a Tenleytown Massage Envy massage therapist sexually assaulted them. One of the victims, who initially filed a $25 million lawsuit under the pseudonym "Jane Doe," decided to come forward publicly and spoke about the lawsuit at a press conference held at a DC law firm Monday afternoon.

Tara Woodley, a married woman in her 20s, said Habtamu Gebreslassie, 24, of Silver Spring, Maryland, performed oral sex on her against her will at the Tenleytown facility. She sued, stating Gebreselassie assaulted her in the final 15 minutes of her 90-minute massage on Sept. 17.

"It is almost impossible to express how violated I felt and how scared I was," Woodley said at Monday's news conference. "I felt deep shame and embarrassment about what happened to me."

One case cited by BuzzFeed was that of Danielle Dick, who was assaulted in a Richmond, Virginia, Massage Envy in October 2015. Her therapist placed his hand over mouth as he inserted his fingers into her vagina, according to the report. Dick immediately reported it to the Massage Envy desk clerk, who insisted calling the police would not be necessary because it would be handled internally.

The report cited no other sexual assaults occurring at any of the 42 Virginia locations.

SEE ALSO: 'Violated, Scared': DC Massage Envy Assault Victim Speaks Out

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 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 are the Virginia locations for Message Envy:

• Alexandria
• Arlington
• Ashburn
• Burke
• Charlottesville
• Chesapeake
• Colonial Heights
• Dulles
• Dumfries
• Fairfax
• Falls Church
• Fredericksburg
• Gainesville
• Glen Allen
• Hampton
• Herndon
• Lake Ridge
• Leesburg
• Lynchburg
• Manassas
• Mechanicsville
• Midlothian
• Newport News
• Norfolk
• Reston
• Richmond
• Roanoke
• Springfield
• Stafford
• Sterling
• Suffolk
• Vienna
• Virginia Beach
• Williamsburg
• Winchester
• Woodbridge

Head over to BuzzFeed for the whole story.

Photo Credit: Amy Sussman/Invision for Massage Envy/AP Images