Birmingham, AL Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Chapter 12-12 regulates massage parlors, defined by § 12-12-1 as any nonmedical establishment where manipulative massages are practiced for other than cosmetic purposes by someone who is not a licensed physician, osteopath, chiropractor, or nurse. Section 12-12-24 requires the parlor's owner to obtain a business license before opening to the public, and that license must list the name of every masseur, masseuse, or attendant employed there. The license fee scales with gross receipts: $100 per year on annual receipts under $10,000, or $100 plus three percent of everything over $10,000 for larger operations, and the owner separately pays $50 per year for each individual masseur, masseuse, or attendant on staff during the license year.

00 filing fee. Section 12-12-21 conditions any license, business or individual, on the applicant presenting a physician's written verification, dated within 20 days of the application, that the applicant is free of contagious or communicable disease. Section 12-12-6 bars a licensee from employing anyone convicted of prostitution within the past 24 months, and § 12-12-23 lets the city council revoke a license after notice and a hearing for any violation of the chapter, barring a revoked licensee from reapplying for 12 months. Operating rules layered on top of the license include mandatory hot and cold running water, freshly laundered linens for every customer, opaque coverings for anyone giving a massage, a ban on locked-door treatment rooms, and a ban on using the parlor as a dormitory.