Controls on New Acupressure Firms

As part of an effort to stem prostitution, new acupressure businesses in Inglewood will have to register their employees with the police and abide by other restrictions approved by the City Council on Tuesday.

Although several legitimate acupressure firms operate in the city, Inglewood police discovered earlier this year that some acupressure businesses were fronts for prostitution.

The new regulations require the acupressure businesses to submit photo identifications of all employees to the police and to undergo periodic inspections by authorities. New establishments cannot be placed within 500 feet of a public school or within 1,000 feet of another acupressure business.

In January, after prostitution arrests at several acupressure businesses, the council temporarily banned new acupressure facilities until city officials could come up with the stricter regulations.

There are currently about half a dozen firms in the city offering therapeutic acupressure, which involves the manipulation of pressure points through massage.