Massage establishment and bodywork establishment licenses; special requirements.
Peoria, Ariz., City Code § 11-170
in effectSec. 11-170. Massage establishment and bodywork establishment licenses; special requirements.
(a) No license shall be issued: (i) if the applicant or a controlling person has been convicted during the ten (10) year period immediately preceding the date of application of any felony or misdemeanor offense having a reasonable relationship to a massage establishment; (ii) if the application was falsified; (iii) if the applicant or a controlling person has an outstanding warrant for his or her arrest; (iv) if the applicant or controlling person had a massage establishment or bodywork establishment license revoked during the three (3) year period immediately preceding the date of application; (v) if an applicant or controlling person had a massage establishment or bodywork establishment license denied within one (1) year preceding the date of application; (vi) if within three (3) years immediately preceding the date of the application, the license of any massage establishment or bodywork establishment was revoked that was located at the same physical address or within the same business complex; or (vii) if the applicant or a controlling person is not in compliance with any provision of this chapter.
(b) No license shall be issued if the applicant or controlling person was convicted during the ten (10) year period immediately preceding the date of the application of any offense: (i) prescribed by Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 13, Chapters 14, 32, 23, or 35.l; (ii) similarly prescribed in this Chapter and otherwise by Peoria City Code; or (iii) any offense committed outside this state or city that, if committed in this state or city, would constitute a violation of any offense prescribed by Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 13, Chapters 14, 32, 23, or 35.1, or by this Chapter and otherwise by Peoria City Code.
(c) No license shall be issued if the applicant or controlling person has any felony or misdemeanor charge pending in a court of competent jurisdiction having a reasonable relationship to the functions of a massage establishment or bodywork establishment. A renewal license may be issued if the licensee or controlling person has a felony or misdemeanor charge pending in a court of competent jurisdiction having a reasonable relationship to the functions of a massage establishment or bodywork establishment; however, the issuance of such renewal license shall not prevent the city from taking any action prescribed in this chapter against the licensee should the licensee or controlling person be convicted of the pending charge.
(d) A licensee shall permit representatives of the Police Department and Peoria City Code Compliance, and any other federal, state, county, or local agency in the performance of any function connected with the enforcement of any code, statute or regulation relating to human health, safety or welfare or structural safety, normally and regularly conducted by such agency, to inspect the premises of a massage establishment or bodywork establishment for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the law, at any time it is lawfully occupied or open for business.
(e) A licensee shall comply with the following requirements at all times:
(1) A readable sign shall be permanently affixed to or immediately next to the main entrance of the massage establishment or bodywork establishment and shall identify the licensee's trade name or business name as it appeared on the license application.
(2) Reasonably adequate lighting, measured at a height of thirty (30) inches at the approximate center of the room or enclosure, shall be provided in each room or enclosure where services are performed on clients.
(3) Ventilation shall be provided in accordance with Peoria City Code.
(4) Adequate equipment shall be provided for disinfecting and sterilizing instruments used in administering or practicing massage therapy or bodywork.
(5) Hot and cold running water, tempered by means of a mixing valve faucet.
(6) Closed cabinets shall be provided and used for the storage of clean linens.
(7) Notwithstanding any other requirement of this chapter, a minimum of one (1) shower or tub shall be provided for any establishment offering any hydrotherapy services including whirlpool baths, saunas, steam baths, and herbal wraps.
(8) Any pool or spa shall be issued a permit and inspected as required by Peoria City Code or Maricopa County Code, as applicable.
(9) All walls, ceilings, floors, showers, bathtubs, steam rooms, and all other physical facilities within the establishment must be in good repair and maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. Wet and dry heat rooms, steam or vapor rooms or cabinets, toilets and wash basins shall be thoroughly cleaned each day business is in operation. Shower compartments and bathtubs, where provided, shall be thoroughly cleaned after each use.
(10) Clean and sanitary sheets and towels shall be provided for each client of the establishment. The head rest of each table shall be provided with a clean and sanitary covering for each client.
(11) All wash basins within an establishment shall: (i) have hot and cold running water, tempered by means of a mixing valve faucet; (ii) provide sanitary towels placed in permanently installed dispensers or upon a permanently attached roll dispenser; and (iii) provide soap in a soap dispenser that is placed on or near the wash basin. A hand wash basin shall be provided in each treatment room providing hydrotherapy services, including whirlpool baths, saunas, steam baths and herbal wraps.
(12) A massage establishment or bodywork establishment shall not have any entrance or exit way providing a direct passageway to any type of sleeping or living quarters.
(13) A massage establishment or bodywork establishment must have a public entrance door, or a window made of glass or transparent material with an unobstructed line of sight connected to the sales transaction area of the massage establishment or bodywork establishment, unless the establishment has no doors or windows on the exterior of the building in which the massage establishment or bodywork establishment is located. The line of sight may not be obstructed by any means, including the use of furnishings, window dressing, plywood, paper, or other opaque materials.
A. The unobstructed line of sight must permit a view of and from the sales transaction area through all exterior windows and public entrance and exit doors located in the sales transaction area.
B. The unobstructed line of sight must, at a minimum, extend from four (4) feet above the ground to at least seven (7) feet above the ground.
C. Any substance or material in conjunction with glazing material (i.e. window tint) placed on a transparent door or window required under Section 11-170(e)(13) to be unobstructed must have a light transmission of more than thirty-three percent (33%) plus or minus three percent (3%) and a luminous reflectance no greater than thirty-five percent (35%) plus or minus three percent (3%).
D. The requirements set forth in Section 11-170(e)(13) do not apply to doors and windows within a massage establishment or bodywork establishment adjoining rooms where massage therapy is performed.
E. A licensee does not have to meet the requirements of Section 11-170(e)(13) if the licensee:
(i) Operates a massage establishment or bodywork establishment in which the licensee is the only massage therapist performing massage therapy or bodywork; and
(ii) The massage establishment or bodywork establishment consists of only one (1) room, not including any shower/bathing or bathroom facilities, as demonstrated in the sketch or diagram required to be submitted to the licensing office pursuant to Section 11-166(v).
(14) A massage establishment or bodywork establishment shall keep posted an unobscured multi-language notice in the employee work area to be furnished by the city which outlines the crimes of sex trafficking (Arizona Revised Statute § 13-1307) and prostitution (Arizona Revised Statute § 13-3211) and provides contact information for the Police Department.
(15) A massage establishment or bodywork establishment shall not offer any massage therapy or bodywork services on a table shower.
(16) A massage establislunent or bodywork establishment shall not advertise itself as a sexually oriented business as defined in Peoria City Code. A massage establishment or bodywork establishment shall not advertise for services except those the massage or bodywork establishment are licensed to provide and per A.R.S. § 32-4260.
(17) A massage establishment or bodywork establishment shall not permit massage therapy or bodywork to be performed in any area that shares any wall with any part of a childcare center.
(f) The name of any person provided to the licensing office pursuant to Section 11-170(l) whose employment at the massage establishment or bodywork establishment has terminated shall be reported to the licensing office, on the form prescribed by the licensing office for that purpose, within ten (10) calendar days after termination.
(g) An applicant and licensee shall be in compliance with all fire, building and zoning codes of the Peoria City Code.
(h) Any massage establishment or bodywork establishment application that is not in full compliance with this chapter sixty (60) calendar days after initial filing of the application shall be denied, provided the licensing office may grant an additional period of up to ninety (90) calendar days upon written request of the applicant, prior to the expiration of the sixty (60) day period, if applicant demonstrates the occurrence of circumstances that were beyond the applicant's control or other, similar good cause. Nothing in this Section 11-170(h) shall be construed to prevent the licensing office from denying a license as soon as a legal basis exists to do so.
(i) A licensee shall not operate under any name or conduct business under any designation not specified in such license and the application submitted for such license.
(j) A licensee shall not conduct business at any location not specified on such license.
(k) A licensee shall not implement changes in the services offered by a massage establishment or bodywork establishment, change the use or configuration of the premises of the massage establishment or bodywork establishment, change the designated agent, or change the business hours of the massage establishment or bodywork establishment without providing written notice to the licensing office and receiving written approval from the licensing office of such change.
(l) A licensee shall not employ a massage therapist whose true name and Arizona state-issued massage therapist license number has not previously been provided to the licensing office on the form prescribed by the licensing office for that purpose.
(m) No massage establishment or bodywork establishment shall remain open for business, provide massage therapy or bodywork services, dispatch massage therapists or bodywork providers, or permit employees or independent contractors to work off the premises on behalf of the massage establishment or bodywork establishment at any time between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Clients cannot be on the premises of the massage establishment or bodywork establishment after 10:30 p.m. All massage therapy and bodywork must be concluded by 10:00 p.m., however other business activities related to the massage establishment or bodywork establishment may continue until 10:30 p.m. A massage establishment or bodywork establishment may only be open for business during hours that have been approved by the licensing office as required by this chapter. No massage establishment shall open, remain open for business or provide massage services unless a licensed massage therapist is on the premises. No bodywork establishment shall open, remain open for business or provide bodywork services unless a bodywork practitioner is on the premises.
(n) The ownership or control of the licensee shall not change during the term of the license such that a person, other than those listed on the application, would be deemed a controlling person for the licensee and either: (i) the new controlling person was not reported to the licensing office within ten (10) calendar days after he/she became a controlling person; or (ii) the new controlling person fails to meet the requirements that must be met by a controlling person as set forth in this chapter.
(o) The licensee must maintain in the records of the licensing office, the name of an individual as a designated agent.
(p) No licensee shall knowingly permit, or negligently fail to take reasonable actions to prevent, criminal activity to occur in or on a massage establishment or bodywork establishment.
(q) Any person performing bodywork shall wear a tag displaying their name and any person performing massage therapy shall wear a tag displaying their name and massage therapy license number issued by the State of Arizona.
(r) Violations of subsections (e)(1)-(e)(11), (e)(13), (f), (l), (p) are civil violations pursuant to Section 11-180. Violations of subsections (e)(12), (e)(14)-(e)(17), (g)-(k), (m)-(o), and (q) are criminal violations pursuant to Section 11-179(c).
(Ord. No. 2023-20, § 1, 12-12-23)
Source: City of Peoria, Arizona, City Code and Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/peoriaaz/latest/peoria_az/0-0-0-56733Fetched: 11/8/2026