Gulfport, MS Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Article VIII of Chapter 5 licenses massage parlors and establishments separately from individual massagists. Section 5-197 sets the license fees at $500 per year for a massage parlor or massage establishment license and $25 per year per individual massagist license, both payable to the city clerk and deposited into the general fund; licenses run from issuance and renew every October 1, must be posted conspicuously on premises, and cannot be assigned to another person or business. The city, and at its direction the county health department, may inspect any licensed premises at any time it is open for business to check sanitary conditions and compliance.

Section 5-198 requires a sworn, notarized application to the city clerk before any license issues, covering the business type, name, location, and the legal identity of the applicant, including corporate registration details if applicable; no massage business may operate before the license is issued. or after midnight, Central time. It also requires each treatment room's door to either be removed, left unclosed, or fitted with a clear glass panel of at least 10 by 12 inches, or an observation device with at least a 60-degree viewing angle, if the door is closed, and bars obscuring that view.

Instruments and devices that touch a patron's body must be sterilized before first use and between patrons. Section 5-202 lets the city suspend a license for one to 90 days per violation, including a massagist working while carrying an infectious disease, or suspend instantly without a hearing for repeat violations, subject to a hearing afterward.