Mount Prospect kneading massage parlor regulations

Mount Prospect is putting a six-month pause on new business licenses for massage parlors.

“We have had some problems. The board is well aware of them,” Village Attorney Lance Malina told the village board Tuesday, when the board passed the ordinance putting the temporary moratorium into effect.

During the moratorium, the village will study ways to strengthen licensing requirements, operational standards, inspection authority, and enforcement tools, as well as re-evaluate applicable zoning regulations.

Malina said the problems are historical and not just “one-off.”

He said the board has taken steps to tighten up the process, but more needs to be done. He will be working with the community development department to further study the issue.

“We have many great establishments who provide massage services in our town,” Mayor Paul Hoefert said. “This does not cast any aspersions on them.”

Malina also stressed it’s not directed at any one business. One of the goals, he said, was to have better enforcement with the village’s limited staff.

Today, there are 20 active massage establishment licenses in the village, with one under review.

Between 2011 and 2026, the village issued 36 massage establishment licenses across 25 different locations. Seven of those locations received code violations or formal warnings.

Four of the 36 licenses issued were either revoked or voluntarily forfeited. Three of those four locations later reopened as massage establishments once the required two-year waiting period had passed.

Code enforcement records identified 20 violations or warnings. Fourteen of these were found to be related to recurring concerns, with 10 pertaining to prohibited covered windows, three concerning evidence of residential occupancy in commercial tenant spaces, and one stemming from work completed without required permits.

Nine of those 14 violations occurred at businesses currently holding active licenses.