<h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 2.4em; font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; color: var(--iq-title-text); letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #ffffff;">New York City Massage Laws</h1>
<h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 2.4em; font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; color: var(--iq-title-text); letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #ffffff;"><img style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; border-style: none; max-width: 29%; color: #585858; font-size: 14px; height: auto; width: auto; max-height: 339px; margin: 0px 10px;" src="https://i.imgur.com/f9uvWJz.jpg" alt="massage in new york city" align="right" /></h1>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-size: 14px;">Whether you live in NYC or are visiting, a massage is a great way to relax and relieve stress. It also provides a break from the fast paced city life. The city is full of top notch spas. These sanctuaries offer the perfect escape for stressed out New Yorkers. Whether you're looking for a deep tissue massage, a Swedish massage or a relaxing massage, New York City has what you're looking for.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-size: 14px;">New York state law requires that a massage therapist have a license to practice massage therapy. In addition, the education department is responsible for ensuring that a massage therapist has a license and investigating violations of the law. If a massage therapist is found to have violated the law, he or she can be charged with a class B misdemeanor. This is punishable by up to four years in prison, but more serious penalties can be applied if the violation is related to a prostitution offense.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-size: 14px;">While the law requires that all massage therapists have a license, many have been arrested for practicing unlicensed massage. The number of arrests for unlicensed massage in New York City has increased by more than 2,700% between 2012 and 2016. The Urban Institute has analyzed more than 1,400 cases of unlicensed massage in New York and found that Asian immigrant women are disproportionately affected by these raids. According to a recent report, 87% of the arrests for unlicensed massage were of noncitizen Asian migrant women.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-size: 14px;">The Urban Institute report also found that a substantial portion of the money taken by police during these raids was confiscated. In one case, a woman named Yang Song fell four stories to her death after a police raid on her massage parlor. In another, police took valuables and seized money from an alleged sex business. Oftentimes, these raids are conducted in an attempt to fight child sex trafficking.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-size: 14px;">In addition to taking money, scammers target massage workers. They know that a massage worker will be less likely to report a crime if he or she is not licensed, so they take exorbitant payments for fake licenses. While there are a variety of ways to avoid getting scammed, an alternative is to visit a massage parlor.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-size: 14px;">There are hundreds of massage parlors in the five boroughs of New York. In order to get the best massage in NYC, it's important to know where to go. While some of the best spas are expensive, you can find a massage that's affordable and comfortable. A few of the most popular massage places in NYC include Ming Happy Spa, LoDo Chair Massage, Great Jones Spa and Aire Ancient Baths.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-size: 14px;">Ming Happy Spa is located in the Montague Street neighborhood of Brooklyn, next to a high end women's boutique. It's open seven nights a week and sees a steady stream of male clients late into the night. It's one of the 629 illicit massage businesses in the five boroughs.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-size: 14px;">In addition to offering the best massage in NYC, these spas are a great place to relax and unwind. While city life can be hectic and stressful, it's always a good idea to book a massage at a nearby spa.</p>
<p><img style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; border-style: none; max-width: 29%; color: #585858; font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #ffffff; height: auto; width: auto; max-height: 339px; margin: 0px 10px;" src="https://i.imgur.com/f9uvWJz.jpg" alt="massage in new york city" align="right" /></p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #ffffff;">Whether you live in NYC or are visiting, a massage is a great way to relax and relieve stress. It also provides a break from the fast paced city life. The city is full of top notch spas. These sanctuaries offer the perfect escape for stressed out New Yorkers. Whether you're looking for a deep tissue massage, a Swedish massage or a relaxing massage, New York City has what you're looking for.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #ffffff;">New York state law requires that a massage therapist have a license to practice massage therapy. In addition, the education department is responsible for ensuring that a massage therapist has a license and investigating violations of the law. If a massage therapist is found to have violated the law, he or she can be charged with a class B misdemeanor. This is punishable by up to four years in prison, but more serious penalties can be applied if the violation is related to a prostitution offense.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #ffffff;">While the law requires that all massage therapists have a license, many have been arrested for practicing unlicensed massage. The number of arrests for unlicensed massage in New York City has increased by more than 2,700% between 2012 and 2016. The Urban Institute has analyzed more than 1,400 cases of unlicensed massage in New York and found that Asian immigrant women are disproportionately affected by these raids. According to a recent report, 87% of the arrests for unlicensed massage were of noncitizen Asian migrant women.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #ffffff;">The Urban Institute report also found that a substantial portion of the money taken by police during these raids was confiscated. In one case, a woman named Yang Song fell four stories to her death after a police raid on her massage parlor. In another, police took valuables and seized money from an alleged sex business. Oftentimes, these raids are conducted in an attempt to fight child sex trafficking.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #ffffff;">In addition to taking money, scammers target massage workers. They know that a massage worker will be less likely to report a crime if he or she is not licensed, so they take exorbitant payments for fake licenses. While there are a variety of ways to avoid getting scammed, an alternative is to visit a massage parlor.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #ffffff;">There are hundreds of massage parlors in the five boroughs of New York. In order to get the best massage in NYC, it's important to know where to go. While some of the best spas are expensive, you can find a massage that's affordable and comfortable. A few of the most popular massage places in NYC include Ming Happy Spa, LoDo Chair Massage, Great Jones Spa and Aire Ancient Baths.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #ffffff;">Ming Happy Spa is located in the Montague Street neighborhood of Brooklyn, next to a high end women's boutique. It's open seven nights a week and sees a steady stream of male clients late into the night. It's one of the 629 illicit massage businesses in the five boroughs.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #585858; font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #ffffff;">In addition to offering the best massage in NYC, these spas are a great place to relax and unwind. While city life can be hectic and stressful, it's always a good idea to book a massage at a nearby spa.</p>