RIYADH: The Riyadh municipality is to crack down on all illegal massage parlors in the capital, according to a senior official.
“The clampdown is being implemented on a directive from Riyadh Mayor Prince Abdul Aziz bin Ayyaf,” general manager for the municipality’s Environmental Health Department, Soliman Al-Buthi, told Arab News on Tuesday.
Al-Buthi said that these parlors are unlicensed and do not have basic spa facilities such as Maghreb baths, Turkish baths, jacuzzis and steam baths.
“The owners of these illegal parlors will be severely dealt with by local authorities for not possessing a license to operate,” Al-Buthi said, adding that these parlors are trying to fool people who need massages to part with their money.
The manager explained that massage parlors for medical purposes need to be licensed from the Ministry of Health. Operating more social massages requires the municipality’s permission.
“Parlors that obtain a license from the Ministry of Health should also have a permit from the local authority.”
Al-Buthi also said that the Riyadh municipality is to cancel the licenses of sports centers in the city that do not have proper spa facilities.
“There are 128 sports centers in the Kingdom and half of them do not have the proper facilities and services,” Al-Buthi said, adding that action would be taken against centers that operate with improvised spa facilities.
“The three-month deadline we gave licensed sports centers to restructure has elapsed. We will bring the violators to book and hand out suitable punishments.” He claimed some of the centers were running coffee shops without municipal licenses. “We want to ensure that they serve healthy food prepared in hygienic conditions by men who are free of diseases. Waiters and cooks should also have a health certificate from the local authority.”
Al-Buthi said the centers should use easily disposable materials and ensure there is no risk of electrical faults occurring in the premises, especially in bathroom areas where hot water is used.
He added that hair saloons are completely prohibited from providing massages or laser treatment.
