SPRINGFIELD – Multiple massage parlors in Sangamon County have closed.
On Dec. 4, the Sangamon County Board public health committee called for the closure of all county massage parlors and issued prohibited occupancy plaques to four businesses operating outside the city boundaries in mid-December.
The county started requiring businesses operating massage therapy in May of last year to apply for a license or be forced to shut down, much like the ordinance Springfield passed in 2024.
When the committee took the applications out of tabling and brought it up to a vote, only county board member, Tim Krell, motioned in favor. A call for a second was made, but no one seconded the vote to approve, so the applications failed to pass.
The reason why the county did not even consider giving licenses to the businesses which had been inspected? New information on public websites advertising sexual services.
Sangamon Public Health Director John Ridley said following the December meeting the businesses wouldn’t immediately close but be placard as part of a process.
“Tonight is part of a process that requires a discussion after this meeting to determine how to go forward in that process,” Ridley said. “Tonight was for me to present to the public health committee my findings and for a vote to be had.”
One month later
The SJ-R went by all four massage parlors on Jan. 19 and Jan. 20 and found all of them were closed.
5-Star Massage and 509 Massage were both confirmed closed by a small local business in the same strip mall sandwiched between the locations. According to the small business owner, on Jan. 5, 5-Star Massage had cars for moving most of the day and since then, the building has been closed down. 509 Massage had closed in early December instead, the same small business said.
Both closed parlors had the lights off, doors locked and no signage on the front advertising open hours.
L Spa, the massage establishment which was regularly posting online to sexually illicit websites, was also found with doors locked and closed. Neighboring businesses told the SJ-R L Spa went silent near the end of December and has remained closed.
However, L Spa has not gone silent posting online to sexually illicit websites, with the last post made on Jan. 22.
Day Spa Massage at 1544 W. Jefferson St. was the fourth and final county massage parlor listed but never completed the application process to operate. According to a neighboring business in the same strip mall, Day Spa Massage had been closed since 2025. Just like L Spa however, advertisements for the business are still being posted online with the last on Jan. 21, advertising “young, friendly service” and “men’s top choice.”
On Realty.com in the commercial retail section, 1544 W. Jefferson is listed for rent by Ben Call of The Real Estate Group and was last updated in March of last year.
Ridley, who delivered the notices of closure and placard signage to prohibit occupancy to all four businesses, said to his knowledge there had been no further business taking place.
When asked about the online advertisements, Ridley said not to rely on the websites for accurate information, and there was no further statement other than the businesses are closed.
Similar to Springfield license; varied results
Day Spa and L Spa have things in common with two massage parlors in city limits. Those two spas along with Red Bean Massage and Sunshine Massage all continued to post advertisements online despite being closed.
In 2025, 20 businesses were issued a license to operate as a massage establishment within city limits.
Both the city and the county’s massage establishment license process requires fingerprinting, IDPR therapy licensing, a building plan and lease agreements. The county’s process has no wording for online scrutiny in the application process to receive their license, however.
According to the Springfield municipal code, advertisements printed, posted online through photo or video cannot suggest or imply in the text of such advertising that any sexual activity in connection to the massage. To obtain a license, there are strict building inspection checks yet no verbal distinction of searching online for these advertisements in the process, or annual reinspection of online presence. Sexually explicit advertising is prohibited in the license, but there is no wording for deep diving online inspections into the advertising.
City attorney for Springfield Greg Moredock said in a Dec. 12 in an email the city continues to monitor internet postings as part of its application, inspection and renewal process.
“It is encouraging to see that the County and other local municipalities adopted a form of the City’s ordinance and handled some of the massage parlors that were outside of, but adjacent to, our corporate limits,” Moredock said. “Working with our other governments makes it harder for these illegal establishments to operate in the greater Springfield area. My office will continue to enforce this licensing ordinance, which requires massage establishments to utilize persons licensed through the State of Illinois.”
According to Moredock, the city has obtained orders leveling fines and other sanctions against at least 10 massage establishments ordered to close, with fines exceeding $30,000.
Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for The State Journal-Register. She can be reached at CLGrant@usatodayco.com; and on X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: County massage parlors close after failing to receive proper license
Reporting by Claire Grant, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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