Criteria to Operate Spa with no Massage Services in Residential Areas
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the criteria for operating spas without massage services in residential areas and the risks of illegal activities. Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked how URA evaluates these applications and whether such businesses can be restricted to prevent vice concerns. Minister Lawrence Wong stated that all spas are classified as Massage Establishments (ME) and must obtain police licensing or exemptions. Only Category I MEs with CaseTrust accreditation and $50,000 capital investment, or low-risk Exempted MEs, are allowed in residential commercial sites. URA rejects applications that cause disamenities, and the Police will revoke the licenses of any establishments found to be contravening the law.
Transcript
4 Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked the Minister for National Development (a) what are the criteria applied when URA considers whether to approve an application for the setting up of a business to operate as a spa with no massage services; and (b) in view of the risk that such businesses may end up providing massage services in contravention of the law, whether such businesses can be restricted from operating in/around residential areas.
Mr Lawrence Wong: Currently, all spas (with or without massage services) and massage parlours are considered as "Massage Establishment (ME)" use and require a licence or exemption under the Police licensing framework to operate. URA evaluates ME applications on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration land zoning, local planning intentions and inputs from other agencies, such as LTA for traffic considerations and the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department for vice-related concerns. Where the proposed siting of a ME is assessed to result in disamenities to the surroundings, the application will be rejected.
In particular, only MEs given a Category I licence or classified as Exempted under Police’s licensing framework can be considered for operation on commercial sites in residential areas. Category I MEs are subject to stringent qualifying criteria, including CaseTrust accreditation and a capital investment of at least $50,000. These conditions help to ensure that the applicant is willing to invest capital to run a legitimate massage business. The "Exempted ME" category is for activities that have minimal risk of causing vice or disamenities; examples include physiotherapy clinics and open-concept massage outlets.
Should any ME be found to contravene the law, the Police will take enforcement action against the licensee and revoke the ME licence if necessary.