Lansing, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Chapter 822, titled Health, Massage and Bath Establishments, defines a "health club" broadly under Section 822.02 as any establishment offering baths, exercises or similar services, singly or combined, to members or the public for a charge, which is how massage services are folded into this licensing scheme; the definition carves out hospitals, nursing homes, medical offices, single-sex exercise clubs that do not offer massage, and barber shops and beauty parlors. Section 822.03 requires a license from the City Clerk before anyone establishes, maintains, operates or conducts a covered club, and Section 822.04 sets every license to expire April 30 each year regardless of issue date.

Applicants file plans showing entrances, partitions, windows and plumbing under Section 822.05, and Section 822.06 routes the application to both the Fire Marshal and the Director of Building Safety for a compliance inspection before approval. Section 822.07 requires liability insurance covering $100,000.00 per person, $300,000.00 per incident and $100,000.00 in property damage, plus a $1,000.00 indemnity bond naming the City, before the Clerk issues the license under Section 822.08; licenses are non-transferable under Section 822.09 and the fee, set by Council resolution, is non-refundable regardless of inspection outcome under Section 822.10.

Section 822.11 requires practitioners to hold a physician's certificate of good health renewed every six months, on May 1 and November 1, filed with the Clerk. Sections 822.12 and 822.13 impose physical-plant and sanitation rules: nonporous tables and floors, closed containers for wet towels, single-use towels and linens discarded after each patron, and a bar on serving anyone with a visible skin infection absent a physician's clearance. Section 822.14 lets the Director of Building Safety, Fire Marshal and Chief of Police enter licensed premises at any reasonable time, and refusing entry forfeits the license outright.