Board of Health discusses potential regulations on bodywork 

Waltham’s Board of Health is considering an update of the city’s regulations on permits for bodywork.

The city defines bodywork as tissue manipulation that does not legally constitute massage. The 2016 regulations assert that shops previously had used this designation as a way to be exempted from Massachusetts massage regulation.

Among other things, Waltham’s regulations require applicants to be older than 21, have a high school diploma, test negative for tuberculosis, pay an applicable fee determined by the board and be able to communicate effectively in English to obtain a bodywork permit. The board previously has specified to applicants at board meetings that if a business owner is not fluent in English, they can have an employee present on their premises throughout the business’ open hours who can communicate effectively in English.

At the board’s meeting Wednesday, board members looked at comparable regulations from nearby Framingham and Watertown, the latter of whom recently updated its bodywork regulation, and discussed how Waltham could adopt elements from their codes.

The board also continued to deny a permit for Main Street bodywork shop Rose Aromatherapy. The business has been working with the Health Department since June to gain a permit, but the board determined it has not yet submitted all necessary documentation.