GOING TO GET A MASSAGE IS
SUPPOSED TO BE RELAXING.
BUT WHEN YOU MAKE THE
APPOINTMENT, HOW WELL DO YOU
REALLY KNOW WHO IS WORKING ON
YOU?
BRITTNEY JOHNSON LED THE MOST
COMMON ACTIONS CAUSING MASSAGE
THERAPISTS TO LOSE THEIR
LICENSE.
IT IS A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF
PEOPLE, BUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING
COULD LEAVE YOU TRAUMATIZED OR
INJURED.
EVERYTHING STARTED OUT FINE.
I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT
SOMETHING JUST FELT OFF WITH
THE MASSAGE.
JODI SAYS SHE COULDN'T SEE
EXACTLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING
DURING HER MASSAGE IN 2017 AT
THIS MASSAGE ENVY IN VALENTINE,
BUT HAVING HAD MASSAGES
REGULARLY FOR YEARS, SHE TOLD
ME SHE COULD FEEL SOMETHING WAS
WRONG.
THAT HE WAS ONLY MASSAGING
ME WITH ONE HAND.
AND THAT WAS NOT THE NORM.
SHE SAYS SHE SENSED THE
THERAPIST WAS DOING SOMETHING
INAPPROPRIATE WITH HIS OTHER
HAND.
I WAS SO FROZEN AND
PETRIFIED, I JUST DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT TO DO.
Reporter: AT FIRST, SHE
FROZE.
SOMETHING IN ME CLICKED AND
I JUMPED UP AND I TOLD HIM TO
GET THE BLANK OUT.
SHE FILED A POLICE REPORT
DESCRIBING INAPPROPRIATE
BEHAVIOR, SOME OF THE
ALLEGATIONS ARE TOO GRAPHIC TO
AIR, BUT LICENSED MASSAGE
THERAPIST TOM ARCHER TOLD ME HE
HAS HEARD IT ALL.
I'VE HEARD PRETTY CRAZY
STORIES.
LET ME KNOW IF ANYTHING IS
PAINFUL.
HE SAYS BECAUSE OF THE HORROR
STORIES, HE WROTE THIS ARTICLE
CALLING ON YOGA AND MASSAGE
THERAPY PROFESSIONALS TO DO
MORE TO PREVENT AND FIGHT
SEXUAL HARASSMENT.
YOU DESCRIBE PART OF IT AS A
MISUSE OF POWER.
YES.
FOR SURE.
AS A CLIENT OR PATIENT, YOU ARE
PUTTING YOURSELVES IN A VERY
VULNERABLE POSITION.
MOST OF THE TIME, YOU WILL BE
UNDRESSED AND DRAPED UNDER
TOWELS OR SHEETS AND YOU ARE
ASKING SOMEONE TO HELP YOU.
ARCHER SPECIALIZES IN
THERAPY AND POSTS ONLINE ABOUT
HIS WORK.
HE SAYS THAT CLIENTS SHOULD
SEARCH FOR A THERAPIST THAT
FOCUSES ON THEIR SPECIFIC NEEDS
AND ASK FOR RECOMMENDATIONS AND
LET THE THERAPIST KNOW WHICH
BODY PARTS TO AVOID AND LOOK UP
THE THERAPIST'S LICENSE ON THE
STATE WEBSITE, WHATEVER IT
TAKES TO MAKE YOU COMFORTABLE.
YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE CREEPS
INSIDE OF ANY TYPE OF BUSINESS
LIKE THIS, BUT THAT'S GOING TO
BE THE MINORITY.
ARCHER SAYS PEOPLE WITH BAD
INTENTIONS SHOULD BE WEEDED OUT
IN MASSAGE THERAPY SCHOOL, BUT
SOMETIMES THEY MAKE IT THROUGH.
STATE RECORDS SHOW OVER A YEAR
AND A HALF FROM JANUARY 22
THROUGH JUNE 2019, 39 THERAPIST
IN NORTH CAROLINA HAD THE
RIGHTS, LICENSES FOR BOTH.
ROUGHLY HALF FOR INAPPROPRIATE
SEXUAL CONTACT.
SOME WERE REPORTED MULTIPLE
TIMES FOR INAPPROPRIATELY
EXPOSING AND TOUCHING CLIENTS.
THE BOARD DOCUMENTS SHOW THAT
ONE EVEN CONTACTED A VICTIM ON
LINKEDIN TELLING HER NOT TO
TELL HER PROFESSORS THAT HE HAD
EXPOSED OR MASSAGED HER
BREASTS.
SOME COMPLAINTS LED TO CRIMINAL
CHARGES.
IN HER CASE OCEAN
I BROKE DOWN IN TEARS,
DEVASTATED.
NO CHARGES WERE FILED.
HE KNOWS WHAT HE DID TO ME.
AND BECAUSE I DIDN'T PHYSICALLY
SEE WHAT HE DID OR WHAT HIS
BODY PARTS, AND BECAUSE MY
FROZEN DIDN'T MOVE QUICK
ENOUGH, HE GETS AWAY WITH IT.
BESIDES FILING THE POLICE
REPORT, SHE TOLD MANAGEMENT BUT
WORRIES THAT HE COULD STILL BE
IN THE INDUSTRY.
I WENT THROUGH A LOT OF
THERAPY.
HE DIDN'T BREAK ME.
SHE HAS WORKED HARD TO MOVE
ON, NOW SHE IS HOPING TO
EMPOWER OTHERS TO SPEAK UP IF
THEY EVER HAVE TO.
THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO
FIGHT IF SOMETHING THAT MAKES
THEM UNCOMFORTABLE --
WE LEARNED DOZENS OF OTHER
THERAPIST ALSO LOST THEIR
LICENSES FOR ALLOWING PEOPLE
WHO DON'T HAVE A LICENSE TO GET
A MASSAGE INSIDE THEIR
ESTABLISHMENT.
WE POSTED WAYS FOR YOU TO HELP