Scottsdale massage therapist gives up license after allegation of inappropriate touching

A Scottsdale massage therapist has agreed to give up his license after state regulators received a complaint from a woman alleging he had inappropriately touched her during a massage.

The Arizona State Board of Massage Therapy was scheduled on Monday to hold a formal hearing on a complaint involving massage therapist Juventino Tarazon's license. But the board instead voted to accept a license surrender that he signed on Dec. 17 as part of an agreement with state regulators. The license surrender is considered a disciplinary action.

The board's investigator, David Elson, told board members at a previous meeting that a woman filed a complaint on Oct. 2, alleging that Tarazon inappropriately touched her during a July 28 massage at the Spa Scottsdale/Healing Harbor.

Elson said Tarazon's massage license had lapsed at the time of the allegation but was later renewed. Tarazon denied inappropriately touching the woman but admitted to practicing with a suspended license, according to the agreement he signed with the board to surrender his license.

The board in October suspended his license after learning of the allegation. The board uses suspensions in instances where members believe the suspension is necessary to protect public health and safety while they are investigating the allegations.

Tarazon did not speak at the October or December public board meetings and could not be reached for comment by The Arizona Republic.

The woman filing the complaint, identified by the board only as V.K. to protect her privacy, did not elaborate on the allegation beyond what was presented by the board's investigator. Elson said she also filed a police report.

Scottsdale police refused to release a copy of the report to The Republic, saying the incident is still under investigation.

The spa's owner, Rene Kyle, told The Republic that Tarazon was a contractor and not a regular employee. She said he ran his own schedule and was used as an on-call temp when needed.

Tarazon is one of several massage therapists who have recently lost or given up their licenses after state regulators received complaints of inappropriate touching.

The Republic last year published a five-month investigation that found the massage board often gave massage therapists second chances when they were accused of fondling or sexually abusing their clients. This puts customers in danger, and there is very little they can do to protect themselves.

The Republic's investigation found that about 100 massage therapists had faced complaints before the state licensing board for allegedly exposing, fondling, sexually abusing or sexually assaulting their clients over the past eight years. Of those, about half didn’t have their licenses revoked. Some were suspended or put on probation. Others had their complaints dismissed or got only warning letters. At least one therapist has been accused twice and still has a license.

After The Republic's investigation, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey replaced the entire massage board. The new board has taken a more aggressive stance against therapists facing complaints, including issuing summary suspensions to prevent therapists from working while the board investigates the allegations. The previous board rarely, if ever, used summary suspensions.

In addition, a new law signed by Ducey in June will require massage therapists to go through more thorough criminal background checks before getting their work licenses. HB 2438, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Longdon, D-Phoenix, was introduced in response to The Republic's investigation. The new law will require massage therapists to have fingerprint clearance cards beginning in January 2023 for initial licensure and license renewal.

More stringent rules:New law requires tougher background checks for Arizona massage therapists

Arizona has about 10,000 licensed massage therapists.

Consumers can find out whether a massage therapist has had a disciplinary action in Arizona by going to the massage board's website and using the Massage Therapist Search Tool.

Reach the reporter at anne.ryman@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8072. Follow her on Twitter @anneryman.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Scottsdale massage therapist gives up license after allegation