The Arizona State Massage Board revoked the license of James Sailer in February of last year, but Inside Edition found him still advertising his massage services online.
An Arizona man continued to offer massages online and accept appointments despite losing his license to practice in the state.
The Arizona State Board of Massage Therapy revoked the license of James Sailer in February of last year, but Inside Edition found him still advertising his massage services online.
His license was revoked after a client identified as "H.G" in documents filed with the Arizona State Board of Massage Therapy alleged that he acted in an "inappropriate" manner during a massage at a spa near Tucson, Arizona.
When Inside Edition's Lisa Guerrero responded to his ad, Sailer agreed to meet her at a hotel for a massage.
Unbeknownst to Sailer, the hotel room had cameras hidden throughout, and captured the moment when he arrived and prepared to perform a massage despite the fact that he is not licensed to do so in the state.
"I'm actually not going to have a massage today," Guerrero informed Sailer. "I'd like to ask you why you're offering massages when you've had your license revoked for inappropriately touching a woman?"
Sailer declined to comment and left the room.
After meeting with Inside Edition, Sailer later told the Arizona State Board of Massage Therapy that he believes his license was “inaccurately revoked.”
"I’ve never been violated like this before,” the woman who accused Sailer of inappropriately touching her, told the Arizona Board. “I don’t want any other woman to go through what I went through.”
A hearing took place in February of last year, and the board subsequently revoked Sailer's license.
Most states have a website that allows people to check and see if a massage therapists license is in good standing. Experts also say if at any point a massage feels uncomfortable do not hesitate to stop.
Nancy, who asked Inside Edition to not use her last name, says she was sexually abused at the Pink Cottage Day Spa in Jensen Beach, Florida. She recently settled a lawsuit with the spa, who denies any wrongdoing.
"You just don't want to believe that it happened. And then you blame yourself you wonder. What did I do?" Nancy tells Inside Edition.
That therapist, Joseph Correia, was later found guilty of misdemeanor battery and was stripped of his license.
Another woman, Alicia Hill, made similar allegations against Correia.
"When he was massaging, he was getting a little too close on my upper thighs," Hill tells Inside Edition. "And I sort of noticed that my underwear not where they're supposed to be."
Correia denied this claim and was never charged in Hill’s case.
As for Nancy and Alicia Hill, today they say they hope their stories help other women of alleged abuse come forward and speak their truth.
“This was not my fault,” Nancy says. “I am not a victim. I'm a survivor. And I want women to believe in themselves enough to report it.”
Ahmos Netanel, the CEO of the California Massage Therapy Council, says that it’s important to note that the massage client should always be in control of the session. "It is their massage. So during the session if they feel something is wrong or that the therapist may have crossed the line, they need to ask the therapist to end the session, ask the therapist to leave the room, get off the table get dressed and leave as soon as it is safe.”
He also provided the following consumer safety tips:
- Look for a certificate or license indicating the therapist has had a criminal history background check
- Request and check references
- Expect to be treated with respect, courtesy, and dignity
- Expect your privacy to be respected
- Expect to be draped with a sheet, towel, or blanket that only exposes the are being massaged
- End the massage immediately if uncomfortable in any way
- Report inappropriate behavior immediately to the establishment, police, and massage oversight agency
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