Healthy Foot Spa to continue providing massage services after answering licensure questions
By Josh Bootsma
LANSING, Ill. (December 9, 2020) – Last week the Village Board of Trustees voted in a 5-1 decision to approve a special use permit for Healthy Foot Spa—currently known as Health Foot Massage—to continue operation as a massage parlor at 3319 Ridge Road.
Planning & Zoning deliberations
Village ordinances say that foot and body massage businesses must acquire a special use permit before beginning operations or as a result of a change in ownership. Lina Dong is the new owner of the business, and plans to change little about the business other than its name.
On August 12, Dong came before the Planning & Zoning Board as the first step toward obtaining the special use permit. At that meeting it was determined that Dong was employing two employees who did not have their massage therapy licenses—licenses required by the State of Illinois.
The Planning & Zoning Board voted in a 5-1 decision to recommend approval of Dong’s special use permit, with a caveat that all employees be licensed within six months. Commissioner Cathy Hallow voted against the recommendation.
Village Board deliberations
Dong came before the Village Board Committee of the Whole on November 17. At that meeting, Trustee Brian Hardy expressed concern about unlicensed employees.
Dong said—through her son as a translator—that the unlicensed employees were laid off and replaced by a new employee that is properly licensed. Village Trustees indicated they had information about three licensed employees—Dong, another licensed therapist, and the newly hired therapist.
Another point of discussion was license renewals, as the massage licenses for Dong’s employees will expire at the end of the year. Dong said the renewal process takes about 10 days and she and her employees would renew their licenses.
Vote to approve massage business
At the December 1 Village Board meeting, before bringing the matter to a vote, Trustee Hardy said, “I want to make sure that anybody working at the location at 3319 that needs to be licensed, please be licensed.”
The special use permit approval passed 5-1, with Trustee Maureen Grady-Perovich dissenting.
Next steps
According to Building Commissioner Zoran Savic, Healthy Foot Spa still needs to have an inspection with both the Fire Department and the Building Department before its business license is fully complete. Savic estimated that both of these inspections would be finished soon, and that Dong would have her completed license before the end of the year.
Savic said Dong was asked to provide the Village with information about her and her employees’ licenses once they are renewed in 2021. If this information is not provided, Savic will request the information in person.
The newly renamed Healthy Foot Spa is located at 3319 Ridge Road in Lansing, IL.
Related
- Village Board to vote on massage business special use Dec. 1 (November 28, 2020)
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Massage business special use permit to come before Village Board (August 21, 2020)
