Massage therapists must be licensed in Utah, but that doesn't stop unlicensed practitioners from plying their trade with advertisements in newspapers and on the Internet.

State regulators police the profession for improper sexual contact and other unprofessional conduct. But unlicensed practitioners are by far the most common problem. A proposed law passed this session by the Utah Legislature, now awaiting the governor's signature, would further crack down on those scofflaws. HB243, sponsored by Rep. Michael T. Morley, R-Spanish Fork, would give authorities the ability to issue citations to unlicensed practitioners and those who hire them. The citations would carry fines.

Unlike some trades, massage therapists across the country have pressed states for greater regulation, in part to distance reputable practitioners from those who provide services that are illegal, including prostitution.

Thursday, the Unified Police Department arrested 11 people operating a "massage parlor" in Millcreek, alleged to be a front for prostitution. Prostitution is a criminal class B misdemeanor and carries a penalty of up to six months in jail.

Massage therapy is one of 76 professions regulated by the state Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, or DOPL.

Between January 2009 and February 2011, DOPL and its massage therapy board sanctioned 41 people for such things as ''unprofessional conduct,'' "practicing without a license," "engaging in a sexual relationship with a client," and "selling HCG, a prescription drug to massage clients," according to a records inspection by The Salt Lake Tribune. Those administrative sanctions — which are not criminal charges — are listed in a new database on The Salt Lake Tribune's public records website, UtahsRight.com (www.utahsright.com).

Consequences for violators included probation, loss of license and fines.

Those sanctioned are just a tiny fraction of the 5,828 licensed massage therapists in Utah — 4,614 of whom are female and 1,214 male. Last year, 766 people applied for massage licenses.

A significant challenge facing regulators is the one they can least quantify: How many unlicensed practitioners are offering massages to the public?

"Almost without exception, the biggest problem is unlicensed therapists," said DOPL director Mark Steinagel.

With only 25 investigators, DOPL is hard-pressed to run down unlicensed massage therapists, Steinagel conceded. The agency depends on the public to keep an eye out for abuses and report them.

But most consumers probably are like Karen Johnson, of Salt Lake City. She gets an occasional massage to relieve stress and agrees that massage therapists should be licensed.

"They should know what they're doing," she said. "But I've never asked for a license."

A potential customer can type the words "massage" and "Salt Lake City" into a computer search engine and within seconds find many choices to relieve stress and aching muscles ­— among other things. It isn't difficult to find a therapist that could offer more than a basic massage.

State regulators and licensed professionals warn that ads featuring a scantily clad woman in provocative poses are a red flag that the masseuse may not be licensed and may offer such amenities as a "happy ending" — industry lingo for an illegal genital massage.

"Anyone offering a so-called 'happy ending' is violating Utah law," Steinagel said.

Because of its inherent physical intimacy, massage has been associated with prostitution in the past, said Sharon Muir, who is a licensed therapist and chairwoman of the DOPL board overseeing massage therapy. "We've had a lot of problems with that," she said. "I have had clients who have asked me for 'happy endings' and I just say no."

Professional massage therapy groups and organizations have pressed for regulation, Muir said. "We've put together regulations and agencies so people who come to us can trust us."

Muir added that wearing a bikini doesn't, by itself, constitute breaking the law if the masseuse has a license. Licensed therapists usually cite their credentials in ads, she said. Most licensed therapists display the license at their place of business.

Massage therapy schools prepare students to become licensed through agencies like DOPL, said Rober Olbrot, the education director at Salt Lake City's Myotherapy College. Students are trained in anatomy, pathology and disease, massage techniques, professional standards and ethics, as well as safety and sanitation.

"A person who is licensed won't hurt someone through massage," he said. "But there is a group of people out there who are claiming to do massage that is nontherapeutic. In my opinion, some of it is a front for prostitution."

It's best not to use classified ads to find massage therapists, said R.J. Nikola, the founder of Healing Mountain Massage School in Salt Lake City.

"If I'm traveling, I'll go to the yellow pages or business directories to find a licensed massage therapist. And they will have categories of 'therapeutic massage' and 'nontherapeutic' massage."

People seeking a therapeutic massage should be on the lookout for code words that might suggest something else, such as "full-body" or "late hours," he said.

"Licensing is a good thing," Nikola said. "The laws are set up so that people who practice massage therapy have met a standard of education and ethics." —

Unlicensed massage therapy

O Report unlicensed or illegal activities to the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing at 801-530-6628 or dopl.utah.gov. —

New on UtahsRight.com

O The Salt Lake Tribune's website of searchable public records now includes a database of sanctions issued against people in all licensed occupations. > utahsright.com