DED Abu Dhabi launches inspection campaign on massage and relaxation centers, imposes fines for violating laws
The Department of Economic Development Abu Dhabi recently launched an extensive evening campaign to inspect massage and relaxation centres in Abu Dhabi to make sure they abide by the commercial activities approved by the DED’s Abu Dhabi Business Centre as per the regulations and provisions of Law No. 02 of 2009 on the Establishment of DED and Resolution No. 25 regulating commercial activities and commercial licensing.
Ahmed Taresh Al Qubaisi, Acting Director of DED’s Commercial Protection Directorate said that the decision to launch this campaign, which resulted in imposing fines on five centres, came as a response to numerous complaints from the clients of these centres, both men and women, and from the residents living nearby these centres. The fines were mainly due to the violation of regulations for massage services by employing women to provide massaging services for men and the presence of men in women's massaging centres.
He said that the DED takes such complaints and reports very seriously, developing inspection procedures to ensure fast performance and quality service using the latest technologies and techniques that saves the inspector’s time and effort while finalising all inspection procedures as soon as possible by electronically documenting data and evidence and taking instant photographs of the sites that are then directly fed into the inspection electronic system.
"Using women employees in men’s centres and vice versa is the main violation that should be strictly addressed. Most of the complaints we receive deal with this issue, which is basically against the nature of the licensed commercial activity given to these centres, and stating clearly whether they are for men or women," said Al Qubaisi.
Al Qubaisi explained that at the end of last year, the DED decided to close 15 businesses across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi that were proven to breach the laws and regulations that set the operational rules for these activities as per Resolution No. 69 of 2010 on the amendment of the list of fines imposed on commercial establishments in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
"The complaints we receive usually indicate that there are men in women massage centres, and they mainly come from the residents of the same building in which the centres practice their activity. To verify such complaints, DED male and female inspectors often visit such massage centres to take necessary action in case the complaints were substantiated," Al Qubaisi explained.
He said that the DED inspection visits had discovered that some centres were not licensed by the DED to provide massage services, and fines were imposed on these centres. He noted that such centres have mushroomed recently, which made the DED stop licensing any new centres in the emirate, except for centres located within hotels of 4 star ratings and above. Adding massage activities to already existing similar establishments (like men's and women's beauty salons) is still acceptable.
"As indicated in the DED’s decision to close violating centres, this decision is final and can’t be appealed for any reason as they were proved to expressly violate the nature of their licensed commercial activity. Abu Dhabi Business Centre is mandated to enforce this decision as of the date it was taken," Al Qubaisi added.
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