Spokane Valley, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Chapter 5.30 SVMC requires every massage or reflexology business to hold a City business license under Chapter 5.05, obtained before conducting business, and it lapses automatically if ownership changes. Every person practicing massage or reflexology must hold a valid, current state-issued license or certificate; the owner, director, or manager in charge is personally responsible for confirming that status, and failing to check with the state licensing department counts as criminal negligence under § 5.30.080(E). Practitioners and clients alike must be 18 or older, businesses cannot advertise except as RCW 18.108.040 allows, and every location must operate within fixed hours: no massage or reflexology services between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. under § 5.30.110.

Businesses must conspicuously display the business license plus copies of every therapist's license or certificate, and therapists must carry government-issued photo ID on their person. Law enforcement may inspect common areas of the business, but only while it is open, and cannot enter treatment rooms without consent, a warrant, or another lawful basis. Licensing itself runs through the general business-license process: on the application for a massage business, the applicant must verify their state massage license under RCW 18.108.030, and if not a licensed therapist, must supply identifying information on every owner and manager, which the city manager forwards to the Spokane Valley chief of police for a background check for narcotics or sex-offense convictions under Chapter 9A.88 or 9A.60 RCW.

The chief of police has 10 business days to report back, and a licensed massage or reflexology business gets an initial police inspection within 120 days of licensure under § 5.30.060.