The state board that licenses massage therapists has revoked the credentials of a 68-year-old Marana man accused of inappropriately touching a female client.
James P. Sailer denied wrongdoing in the case, but the Arizona State Board of Massage Therapy sided unanimously with a woman who complained of his conduct during a massage last year at The Gallery Sports Club, 13965 N. Dove Mountain Blvd. in Marana.
At a Feb. 28 board meeting in Phoenix, the complainant said she’s had dozens of massages over the years, but none like the one with Sailer on May 20.
She testified Sailer’s “hands were shaking” as he peeled back a sheet covering her torso, placed a washcloth over her breast area, then repeatedly pressed down on her pubic area and touched the undersides of her breasts while massaging her abdomen. When she turned over, he massaged into the top of the cleft between her buttocks, she added.
“I’ve never been violated like this before,” said the woman, who testified under her initials H.G. to protect her privacy. “I don’t want any other woman to go through what I went through.”
The complainant said she immediately reported the incident to club management, and said Sailer quit working there soon after. A few days later she filed a formal complaint to the board.
Sailer declined to take part in the board hearing, according to a state investigator. He did submit some written remarks, one of which questioned why the complainant stayed on his massage table for a full 90-minute session if she thought she was being assaulted — a statement that received pushback from those deciding the case.
It’s “very common” for someone in a traumatic situation to freeze in place as a method of self-protection, said board vice chair Myriah Mhoon. “There is a flight or freeze response that prevents you from being able to move, process or think.”
“I don’t think the length of time on the table has anything to do with anything,” added board member Michael Tapscott, a licensed massaged therapist.
Sailer told the Arizona Daily Star in a text message that he’s had a state license and a national board certification since 2011. “I have never had a blemish on my profession,” he said.
To report misconduct by a state-licensed massage therapist, contact board investigator David Elson at David.Elson@massageboard.az.gov.
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