SUNGAI PETANI: Except for Kota Setar district, Kedah has stopped issuing traditional massage licenses for some time.

Most operators in Kedah hold spa or foot reflexology licenses, said Malaysian Association of Wellness and spa (MAWSPA) president Jet Lim Cheng Kiat.

The Kedah state government announced lately that it had stopped issuing licenses for massage parlors since June.

Alor Setar mayor Datuk Mohd Yusri Md Daud confirmed that the council no longer issued licenses for new massage parlors.

Existing massage parlors are allowed to renew their licenses should they comply with council regulations, he said.

Lim urged Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor and state Housing, Local Government and Health Committee Chairman Mansor Zakari to clarify whether the announcement to stop issuing licenses for massage parlors include also foot reflexology centers.

Lim said only eight MAWSPA members under the jurisdiction of the tourism ministry are currently operating in Kedah.

Two are in Sungai Petani, three in Alor Setar and another three in Langkawi.

Most of the operators hold more than two types of licenses issued by the respective local councils as well as certification from the tourism ministry for spa treatment and foot reflexology.

“We need to clarify the various types of licenses issued for traditional massage, reflexology and wellness centers,” he said.

Except for Alor Setar, license issuance for massage parlors in Sungai Petani, Kulim and Langkawi have stopped for some time.

“For the past 15 years, I operate a massage business in Sungai Petani under the foot reflexology category,” Lim said.

He urged the state government to view the licenses for massage businesses from the perspective of health.

Lim is of the view that traditional massage service should not be stopped, as traditional Malay masseurs and blind masseurs hold such licenses.

He said the authorities could issue temporary licenses valid for one year before renewing the licenses in order to wipe out “unethical activities.”

The authorities could review the business for one year to ensure that the operator is running a proper business before renewing the license, he said.