Massage Envy is making sweeping changes to how it instructs franchisees to handle sexual assault allegations following a BuzzFeed News investigation into reports of assaults committed by the chain’s massage therapists.
The changes come just over a week after a BuzzFeed found that more than 180 women have filed sexual assault lawsuits, police reports, and state board complaints against Massage Envy spas, their employees, and the national company.
Many of those women say their claims were mishandled or ignored.
Under the plan, if a Massage Envy client reports sexual assault, spas will be required to offer contact information for local law enforcement, as well as a private room to use to make the call if the person chooses to do so.
In addition, the 20,000 massage therapists employed at nearly 1,200 Massage Envy spas will now undergo background checks every year, rather than only when they are hired.
The company has until now instructed spa owners to conduct their own inquiries into misconduct claims but provided almost no guidance on how to do so.
