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Revere, MA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

State license required
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, § 51
Opposite-sex massage
Prohibited for masseurs/masseuses
Window requirement
1 ft by 2 ft, unobstructed view
Doors
Unlocked during all business hours
Default penalty
Up to $300/offense, Sec. 1.16.010
Code location
Chapter 9.04, Public Decency

Summary

Massage establishments licensed under Chapter 140, Section 51 of the Massachusetts General Laws must follow two Revere-specific rules: no masseur or masseuse may perform massage or assist with a bath on a client of the opposite sex, and every treatment room needs an unobstructed one-by-two-foot window plus doors that stay unlocked during business hours.

Whoever violates a provision of any ordinance, whether of these Revised Ordinances or any other ordinance enacted after the adoption of this revision shall, unless otherwise provided by law or ordinance, be liable to a penalty of not more than three hundred dollars for each offense. ... No masseur nor masseuse employed by an establishment licensed under Chapter 140, Section 51 of the General Laws shall practice massage upon or give or assist in the giving of any type of baths to the opposite sex. ... The doors of each room and enclosure of an establishment licensed pursuant to Chapter 140, Section 51 of the General Laws and used for massage purposes shall have an unobstructed window, one foot by two feet in size, which permits visual observation of the entire room or enclosure. The doors shall be free of obstruction and remain unlocked during the hours of operation, along with all entrances to the establishment.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4804778; v14 updated 2026-05-04).

Full Breakdown

Revere layers its own operating conditions on top of the state massage-establishment license required by Chapter 140, Section 51 of the General Laws. O. O. 83-52, Section 45). 030 addresses visibility and access: every room or enclosure used for massage must have a window measuring one foot by two feet that gives an unobstructed view into the entire room, so the space stays visible from outside without anyone opening the door. The section also requires that the treatment-room doors, and every entrance to the establishment, stay free of obstruction and unlocked throughout the hours of operation, so no room can be sealed off from outside observation while a client is present.

04, Offenses Against Public Decency, alongside Revere's rules on body piercing and public drinking, reflecting the city's approach of treating licensed massage practice as a public-decency and safety concern rather than a pure business-licensing formality. The underlying license itself is issued at the state level, not by Revere; the city's role is limited to these two conduct-and-visibility conditions layered on top of it.

Violations & Fines

Neither section spells out its own dollar penalty, so a violation of the opposite-sex practice ban or the window-and-door rule falls under the Municipal Code's general penalty in Section 1.16.010: a fine of not more than $300 per offense, with each day a room stays noncompliant, such as a blocked or locked door, counted as a separate offense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a masseuse in Revere treat a client of the opposite sex?
No. Section 9.04.020 bars any masseur or masseuse employed by a state-licensed massage establishment from practicing massage on, or helping with any bath for, a person of the opposite sex. The rule applies to establishments licensed under Chapter 140, Section 51 of the Massachusetts General Laws and has been in the Revere code since a 1978 city ordinance.
Are massage rooms in Revere allowed to have locking doors?
No. Section 9.04.030 requires every room or enclosure used for massage to keep its door, and all entrances to the establishment, free of obstruction and unlocked throughout business hours. The same section requires a one-by-two-foot unobstructed window into each treatment room so the space stays visible from outside.
Who issues the massage establishment license in Revere?
The underlying license comes from the state under Chapter 140, Section 51 of the Massachusetts General Laws, not a Revere city board. Revere's own ordinance only adds the opposite-sex practice ban in Section 9.04.020 and the window-and-unlocked-door requirement in Section 9.04.030 on top of that state license.
What is the penalty for violating Revere's massage establishment rules?
Neither Section 9.04.020 nor 9.04.030 states its own fine, so a violation falls under the code's general penalty clause, Section 1.16.010, which allows a fine of up to $300 per offense and treats each day a violation continues as a separate offense.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Revere

All Revere rules

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