Huntington, California, Ends Test Mandate for Massage Therapists

Police in Huntington Beach, Calif., have axed a 17-year-old requirement that massage therapists regularly test for STDs. The change came after therapists criticized the rule as illegal and offensive, since it implied the profession was rife with prostitution. "I find this is a great victory for our profession," said Mark Dixon, a resident who runs a massage therapy business in Newport Beach. Dixon learned of the rule when he applied for a permit to do sports massage therapy on US Olympic athletes. Until the policy changed, therapists were required to prove they did not have gonorrhea, syphilis, or HIV. Huntington Beach requires that massage therapists have 500 hours of massage therapy training and certification from a national organization.

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