Massage therapists need a Colorado state license under C.R.S. Β§12-235, and Denver requires a separate massage facility license under DRMC Ch. 32. The local rule targets human-trafficking and prostitution fronts with inspections, hours limits, and signage.
Massage therapy in Denver is dual-regulated. The therapist must hold a Colorado Massage Therapy Practice Act license under C.R.S. Β§12-235. The business itself must obtain a massage facility license from Denver Excise and Licenses under DRMC Chapter 32. Owners submit fingerprints, ownership disclosures, and floor plans. Facilities must be open only between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., post operator credentials and prices, keep doors unlocked during business hours, ban living quarters in treatment rooms, and allow on-demand inspection. The ordinance was strengthened in 2018 to combat human trafficking, and operators failing inspection can be summarily suspended.
Operating without a Denver facility license or violating hours, signage, or trafficking-prevention rules triggers immediate suspension, fines up to $999 per day, license revocation, and possible state criminal charges for prostitution-related offenses.
Denver, CO
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See how Denver's massage establishments rules stack up against other locations.
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