Proposal would require licensing for massage therapists in Minneapolis

Massage therapists operating in Minneapolis would need city licenses under a proposal moving through the City Council.

Licensing massage therapists would give police new tools for cracking down on prostitution rings posing as massage parlors, and could reduce the need for cops to go undercover posing as johns.

That's a good thing, Council Member Elizabeth Glidden said.

"Because the way today that they go in and they try to see if there is illegal activity happening in a business is not a safe or a good way to go about doing police work," she said.

The city's massage therapists largely support the proposed licensing requirement. Rebecca Smith said it will lend legitimacy to her business.

"I'm very excited about the possibility of licensing so that we can protect those of us who are doing good work in Minneapolis and remove those who are not," Smith said.

Fourteen Minnesota cities already require massage licenses, but the state does not.