Nordik Spa Village in Chelsea, Que., has announced new measures to protect clients amid a class action lawsuit alleging sexual assault that implicates 36 massage therapists over a 19-year-period.
In a list outlined on its website, the spa says massage therapists will now undergo criminal background checks and get training on consent and the prevention of sexual violence.
They’ll also be “required to maintain good standing with a recognized professional association.”
Massage services will be relegated to their own floor with security personnel, the spa says.
Class action alleging sexual assaults at Spa Nordik to proceed
Other measures include an electronic consent form that clients will be able to update throughout their massage and a requirement for therapists to obtain consent before massaging “sensitive areas.”
The spa defines those as the “buttocks [and] upper inner thighs” and the “pectoral area.”
Clients will also have the option to have the audio of their session recorded. A new complaint process for clients is also being implemented, the spa says.
In a statement shared on social media, Groupe Nordik founder Martin Paquette wrote that the company is committed to the safety of its clients, adding that he was “deeply shaken,” and “angry” when he learned of the allegations.
“No one should ever have to go through something like that in a place dedicated to well-being,” he wrote.
Paquette also called for stronger government oversight of Quebec’s massage therapy sector.
“Unfortunately, what has happened at our establishment is not unique to Nordik,” he said.
