3 more massage therapists lose licenses
Warning: Contains sexually explicit language and graphic content.
Three Arizona massage therapists lost their massage therapy licenses Monday after state regulators received complaints of sexual misconduct against them.
The Arizona State Board of Massage Therapy accepted the voluntary surrender of therapist Adrian Hernandez’s license after a woman alleged he digitally penetrated her and touched her breasts during an October massage at an Elements Massage.
He later admitted to the allegations, according to board documents.
This is the second time Hernandez has faced a sexual complaint before the massage board, according to a sexual misconduct database maintained by The Arizona Republic. He was accused of sexual misconduct and improper draping while working at a Massage Envy location in 2018.
A female client accused Hernandez of placing his hand on her breast during a 2018 massage, which made her uncomfortable. The way he draped her leg made her feel exposed as well. The woman asked that he not work on her chest. But he did so anyway, stating during a hearing with the board that he had forgotten about her request.
After the complaint, Hernandez was terminated from the Massage Envy. But he stated during the 2018 hearing he had started work at an Elements Massage.
He also said he’d taken classes to improve his draping skills. The board in 2018 issued him a nondisciplinary order, which included eight hours of communication education.
The client who filed a complaint against Hernandez in 2021 told the board earlier this year she has been getting trauma therapy.
“I am currently no longer working because I let my job know what was going on and I wasn’t given really any time off,” she said, her voice choked with emotion. “I did want the board to understand how much this has affected me, and I hope the appropriate actions are taken.”
The state massage board is appointed by the governor and is responsible for licensing the state’s 10,600 massage therapists and investigating complaints against them.
A Republic investigation published in September found the board routinely gave many 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. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey replaced the entire board less than two weeks after the stories published, saying “it’s critical the State Board of Massage Therapy protects massage clients, especially those who are in a vulnerable position.”
The newly installed board members have taken a more proactive stance toward revoking licenses, including issuing emergency suspensions to prevent some therapists from working while the board investigates the allegations. The previous board rarely, if ever, used emergency suspensions.
One license revoked
On Monday, the board revoked the license of therapist Stephen Faulstich after receiving complaints against him from two clients.
One of the clients, identified as H.P., said she filed a complaint against him in August after she fell asleep and woke up to find him massaging her vagina. She said she had been getting massages from him for about a year and he had gradually been getting more and more unprofessional.
He started out by asking her to book massages through him, instead of the company he worked for, Bella Body. Then he would send her “flirty” texts and hug her when she went to and from appointments. He allowed the sheets to fall off her body, exposing her breasts, she said.
She said, in retrospect, she missed the red flags. She feels a loss of trust and safety and has been depressed since the incident. She has been in therapy because of what happened, she told the board.
Another client, identified as K.H., identified herself as a massage therapist who worked with Faulstich at Bella Body. During a massage from Faulstich as part of a service trade, she claimed he got very close to her genitals. He also made an inappropriate comment about his anatomy, she said.
Faulstich asked the board to postpone making a decision on his case at Monday’s meeting. He told the board he didn’t think he had to respond to the letter. He told the board he is a “wonderful massage therapist.” He said he was amenable to a suspension or continuing education but didn’t want to lose his massage license forever.
Board members said he was notified of the complaint and did not respond by the board’s deadline. They opted not to postpone discipline.
Therapist surrendered his license
A third therapist, Gary Patrick Kahl, voluntarily agreed to surrender his license Monday after the board received a complaint that he had an inappropriate relationship with a client.
The client, identified as T.H., said she had a consensual relationship with Kahl and didn’t initially want to make a complaint with state regulators. But she felt he took advantage of her when she was in a vulnerable state after she had a miscarriage and her sister died.
Kahl told the board he does not deny the allegations and regrets his actions. He told the board the relationship was consensual, though that doesn’t excuse his behavior.
The board initially heard the allegations against Kahl at a January meeting, where Board Chair Angela Reiter told Kahl it’s inappropriate for a licensed massage therapist to have a sexual relationship with a client. It’s also against Arizona law.