It has taken me some time to find the words to write this important review. On March 17th 2024, I drove to Relax Massage to inquire if they had any massages available, immediately after a traumatic experience of putting my cat to sleep. The owner, Kiki, told me they did not, but I was welcome to try back later that evening. I returned home and called to schedule a 7pm session with her. She in turn called me again around 6:30pm to inform me that she was very busy and had called in someone to help, and that I could come early for my appointment if I wished. When I arrived to the business about 15 minutes later, Kiki introduced me to a gentleman in his mid-50s and said, "This is my friend who will be doing your massage." I found her choice of words odd but also understood there to be a language barrier and wondered if she might have meant "colleague" or "co-worker" as opposed to "friend". When the gentleman began my massage I noted his deep pressure and proper technique, 2 qualities I value in a massage. I was pleased by his apparent talent and relaxed into the 90-minute massage. I did note that as he was massaging my legs, he became lax with the draping of the sheet, something massage therapists are generally hyper-conscious of, in order to provide a comfortable environment for their clients. I myself am a massage therapist of 20+ years.
He did not turn me face-up until the final 15 minutes of the massage, where he provided solid work on my neck and head. With 10 minutes or so remaining, he began to move his hands down between my breasts, and as he did so, he began to push the sheet down as well, exposing my breasts and torso. He then began stroking upward between my breasts, each time beginning the stroke lower on my torso with his hands until he was beginning the stroke just above my vulva. I took my own hands and formed a barrier on my abdomen so he could not stroke any lower. He used his hands to pushed against my hands, attempting to move them out of the way and go further into my vulvar area. When I resisted, he began massaging around my groin, moving closer to my vulva from the side. I was able to say, "You don't need to massage there," and he returned to my chest, using his full hands to massage my breasts and nipples. He did all of this without any talking, finally exiting the room at the 90-minute mark.
During and after the assault, I felt frozen, dissociated, and unable to fully comprehend what was happening. I did not feel safe or capable of jumping off the table in the middle of the assault. I simply dressed, paid Kiki, and left the premises. I proceeded to shower and go to sleep immediately upon returning home. When I had a day to process the extent of what had happened, I contacted Kiki via phone to inform her. Because of the language barrier, it was difficult to assess what she understood and what she did not, but at one point she said, "Oh you didn't like it?" and offered a complimentary massage on my next visit. I also asked for the massage therapist's name and let her know I would be pressing charges against him. She claimed not to know his name (?!) and said she would find out.
In the days that followed, I moved forward and filed a criminal report with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department. After they had personally interviewed Kiki (with the help of a translator), they let me know that she claimed the man who massaged me was A CUSTOMER of the establishment who did not work there but had simply identified himself as a massage therapist who volunteered to help out that day because it was busy. She maintained that she did not know his name but provided the police with a phone number associated with him. When they contacted that phone number, they reached a man who identified himself but denied any knowledge of or connection to Relax Massage. Placing his photo in a 6-person line-up confirmed he was not the man who massaged me that evening. Kiki told the police she believed the man who massaged me to be in Mexico at the time of the police interview.
When I learned the extent of the illegalities behind my assault, I contacted the California Massage Therapy Council, the Los Osos Business License office, the San Luis Obispo County Planning and Zoning Department, the California Attorney General, the California Department of Consumer Affairs, and the Better Business Bureau, in an attempt to hold the business owner responsible for her actions in allowing a non-employee to provide a service at her direction, during which he sexually assaulted me. None of these organizations were able to provide recourse, stating that it either fell outside of their jurisdiction or they did not pursue these matters. Several redirected me to file a criminal report and follow-up with the District Attorney, which I had already done.
As of today, July 8th, 2024, Relax Massage is still operating normally, without any consequences for their part in the assault. read more
