CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Multiple Chesterfield County massage therapists took their concerns about a new ordinance to address human trafficking in massage businesses to county officials, saying the new rules are unclear.
Chesterfield County first considered policy changes in September, after a nationwide explosion of bad actors using massage places as venues to perform sex acts for money.
After receiving support from the board and some members of the community, stricter rules for massage businesses were put into place which require changes to massage studios’ hours of operation, along with changes to rules regarding licensing and permitting.
8News spoke with Roxana Paduretu, who’s been in the industry for nearly a decade. When her studio received a letter saying it was out of compliance, she was left with more questions than answers.
“I was very upset. I was very upset. And I was a bit frightened that I would be in trouble because of it,” said Paduretu.
After licensing, hours of training and years of experience, Paduretu says her frustration also left her frightened and not knowing what the future held for her career.
The letter stated that her studio had until Nov. 26, 2023 to comply with the new rules. Businesses who were out of compliance were asked to bring their business into compliance as soon as possible. However, Paduretu says she never knew about the November deadline and did not receive word about the ordinance until five months after it passed.
Paduretu and others took these concerns and more to county officials Wednesday night, saying the ordinance was unclear, the process was rushed and communication was poor.
“There is a problem that needs to be addressed and I think it needs to be done through legislation, through policing — but I don’t think that punishing people that actually obey the law and do everything correctly is the way to achieve that,” said Paduretu.
A common theme presented to county officials was that law-abiding massage therapists deserve to be a part of the conversation.
“The statement was that many people in the industry have been involved in this process. I doubt it, because the language of the ordinance was very confusing when it comes to massage,” said Paduretu. “Although we are not in law enforcement or legislation, we do have thoughts on how this can be done. And I think that we would be a very useful voice at the table.”
Paduretu and other massage business owners are now demanding immediate action for board members to review the policy and consider how the new policies will impact law-abiding businesses.
“We deserve better than to be treated like people that do not respect the law,” said Paduretu.
This meeting comes as three massage business employees were arrested by Chesterfield Police officers working in partnership with Virginia Capital Region Human Trafficking Tax Force during an undercover operation.
8News reached out to the county to learn if they are considering to make any changes after hearing these concerns and did not hear back before the publication of this article.
