More than 180 people have reported sexual assaults at Massage Envy spas, according to a new investigation by Buzzfeed News, which cites lawsuits, police reports and state board complaints in its extensive report.
Massage Envy is the first and by far the largest chain of massage franchises in the country. The billion-dollar business promises trustworthy massage services at an affordable price and has has four locations in Baton Rouge.
Along with the reported assaults, many of those who allege they’ve been victimized also say the national chain or employees of individual spas mishandled their claims.
These claims represent only a sliver of the tens of millions of services Massage Envy says its franchises have provided. Still, lawyers for aggrieved spa clients tell BuzzFeed that there are more cases where women report abuse by massage therapists to police but no arrest is made, and that Massage Envy spas sometimes offer a settlement before a suit is filed, leaving no public record.
Massage Envy tells BuzzFeed that it would not be “appropriate to respond point-by-point” to questions “because of pending litigation” and the confidential documents involved. But overall, Melanie Hansen, general counsel of Massage Envy Franchising, says the company has worked hard to create the industry’s “most stringent, rigorous policies” for hiring, screening and training therapists.
“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,” she says in an email to BuzzFeed.
