HOUSTON – Pampering yourself with a relaxing massage after a stressful day at work is something you don't have to go to a fancy spa for anymore. Massage businesses are opening up all over town.
Sharon went to Massage Envy on West 43rd street in Northwest Houston. But everything about her relaxing massage changed in an instant. According to Sharon, during her massage, her masseur swept his hand by her genital area.
"He goes up by the legs and thighs. You're thinking, 'It's just an accident, it didn't happen.'"
Sharon filed a complaint with the state and the case is still open.
Emily Gonzalez worked at a Houston-area Massage Envy. She said on her day off she decided to book a session with one of her co-workers.
"It was a two-hour session. I'd heard great things about him and I had a lot of areas I needed to have work done," Gonzalez said.
She said halfway through her masseur crossed the line.
"He had been massaging the back of my legs. It was very quick -- he wrapped his hand around, he slid under the covers. And that was when the assault happened. You know, you just ... you sit there in shock," Gonzalez said.
She reported the assault to her employer and the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office. No charges were filed.
"It took a while for it to really sink in, to realize this is what happened and it wasn't OK," Gonzalez said. "And I didn't want that to happen."
There have been several criminal cases filed against Houston-area massage therapists. Since February, three men have been charged with sexual misconduct.
So Channel 2 Investigates looked at disciplinary actions filed with the Texas Department of State Health Services, the regulating board for the industry. We uncovered 89 complaints statewide since 2005 -- four against therapists working for Massage Heights. And there were 12 reports of sexual misconduct against Massage Envy employees in the Houston-area.
A client from Massage Heights in Cypress filed a complaint of sexual misconduct against Travis Schuler with the State of Texas.
The state investigated and cleared him, citing there was not enough information to suspend his license.
But even before the investigation was done, Schuler left Massage Heights and got a new job at Massage Envy in Katy. While working there, state records show another allegation of sexual misconduct surfaced. Nothing came of it and Schuler left that location.
Channel 2 Investigates discovered Schuler was then re-hired at the Massage Envy on West 43rd, where a third allegation of sexual misconduct landed him in jail for sexual assault.
Schuler is out on bond awaiting trial and still has a license.
Channel 2 asked Massage Envy's corporate office to explain how Schuler could have gone from one location to another after accusations of sexual misconduct.
"One of the pre-employment obligations for franchisees is that they conduct a search to ensure that any massage therapist applying for employment has not been restricted by another franchisee," the company said in a statement. "We are still investigating the matter and cannot comment further."
Sharon and Gonzalez said they want others to know they don't have to stay silent.
Sharon said she didn't speak up at the time of her alleged assault because she feared retaliation from her massage therapist. She said she later found out he only had her first name, but no other identifying information, like her address or last name. She said if she had known, she would have spoken up immediately. She wants to encourage other women to speak out.
"Please, stand up, speak up. Have the courage to say something then and there so this doesn't happen to anyone else," Sharon said.
Gonzalez said she plans to continue speaking up and encouraging other victims to come forward.
"If I can, (I'll) be another voice there to say, 'This is something that happened. It happened to me as well,'" Gonzalez said.
Massage therapists' license histories with the Texas Department of State Health Services can be checked by going to www.dshs.state.tx.us and entering the name of your massage therapist.
