Olympia, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Olympia Municipal Code Chapter 5.26 (Ord. 7436, 2025)
- Operating hours
- Prohibited between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
- Practitioner age
- At least 18, verified by government-issued photo identification
- First violation
- Misdemeanor
- Repeat violation
- Gross misdemeanor; minimum fine $500.00 and minimum five days in jail
- Inspection scope
- Common areas only, while the business is open
- State law adopted
- RCW 18.108, 9A.88, 9A.60 and WAC 246-830
Summary
In the City of Olympia, Washington, the owner, director, manager or other person in charge of a massage or reflexology business must make sure everyone practicing there holds a valid, current state license or certificate. Businesses cannot operate between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Chapter 5.26 backs this with criminal penalties, including mandatory minimums for repeat violations.
A. It shall be the responsibility of any owner, director, manager, or other person in charge of a massage business or reflexology business in the city of Olympia to ensure that each person who practices massage, or represents himself or herself as a massage therapist, is validly and currently licensed, and to ensure that each person who practices reflexology or represents himself or herself as a reflexologist is validly and currently licensed as a massage therapist or certified as a reflexologist.
B. It shall be unlawful for any owner, director, manager, or other person in charge of a massage business or reflexology business to facilitate or, with knowledge or criminal negligence, permit a person who does not have a valid and current massage therapist’s license to practice massage or represent himself or herself as a massage therapist.
Full Breakdown
OMC Chapter 5.26, adopted by Ord. 7436 in 2025, regulates massage and reflexology businesses in the City of Olympia, Thurston County, Washington. OMC 5.26.060 puts the duty on the owner, director, manager or other person in charge to ensure each person who practices massage is validly and currently licensed, and each reflexologist holds a valid massage therapist license or a reflexology certificate. Letting an unlicensed person practice, through facilitation or with knowledge or criminal negligence, is unlawful. Failing to confirm validity through the Washington State Department of Health is itself criminal negligence.
OMC 5.26.070 requires a copy of each practitioner's license or certificate to be conspicuously displayed, meaning visible and readable immediately upon entry into the initial common area, with no request needed. A mobile service displays them on approaching the massage table or chair. Presenting an expired, altered, fake or fraudulently obtained license is unlawful. OMC 5.26.090 requires the person in charge to verify through government-issued photo identification that each practitioner has attained the age of 18.
OMC 5.26.110 prohibits operating between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. OMC 5.26.120 makes it unlawful to touch the body parts identified in WAC 246-830-550(1) outside the listed exceptions, and requires compliance with the draping, sanitation and recordkeeping rules in WAC chapter 246-830. OMC 5.26.080 also makes it unlawful to receive services from someone the recipient knows or reasonably should know is unlicensed, with an affirmative defense if the recipient asked about licensure and was shown a document purporting to be a valid license.
Law enforcement can inspect under OMC 5.26.040, but only while the business is open and only in common areas; rooms where massage is provided are off limits absent consent, a warrant, or other lawful basis. OMC 5.26.030 applies the chapter regardless of the business name or structure, and treats a membership club or cooperative that provides massage as a massage business.
Violations & Fines
Under OMC 5.26.130, the first violation of any provision of Chapter 5.26 is a misdemeanor. Each subsequent violation, whether in the same prosecution or a later one, is a gross misdemeanor, and the Court imposes a minimum fine of not less than $500.00 and a minimum jail sentence of not less than five days for each such offense. Neither the mandatory minimum jail sentence nor the mandatory minimum fine can be suspended or deferred, and the jail sentence cannot be served by alternative means.
Frequently Asked Questions
What license does a massage business need in the City of Olympia?
What hours can a massage business operate in Olympia?
Can Olympia police inspect a massage business?
What are the penalties for violating the Olympia massage chapter?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Olympia
Compare Olympia to another location·View the Washington business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.