Boca Raton massage therapist, Donovan Washington II, faces sexual assault criminal charges after a complaint was filed by a female client he allegedly assaulted during a massage appointment on January 12, 2022 at Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa in Boca Raton, FL. On March 31, 2022, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) ordered the Emergency Restriction of Donovan Washington’s license as a massage therapist, prohibiting his practice of massage therapy on female clients in the State of Florida. Washington has been a licensed massage therapist since March 2017 and has been an employee of Hand & Stone Boca since 2019.
According to the Order, Donovan Washington was arrested on January 12, 2022, after a 33-year-old female reported to the Boca Raton police department that she was sexually assaulted during a 60-minute massage given by Washington at . The police report states that during the last 5-10 minutes of the hour-long massage, Washington asked the client to flip over to lay on her back. Washington massaged the client’s legs and worked his way up to the chest area. He then reportedly moved his hands under the sheet draping and massaged and rubbed the client’s breasts and nipples. The client reports that she became uncomfortable and asked Washington to stop. She then got dressed and stormed out of the spa to go directly to the police department.
Washington was arrested and charged with one count of battery, which is still pending. According to the police report, Washington admitted to the officer that he touched the victim’s breasts without her consent and that he did know it was wrong. A civil lawsuit was filed in March 2022 against Amerida Enterprises, the owners of the Hand & Stone Boca franchise, as they still allowed Washington to work at the spa, even after allegedly receiving a prior complaint of seuxal misconduct.
Donovan Washington’s violation of the massage therapist-patient relationship indicates that he may lack the good moral character and judgment necessary to practice massage therapy. According to the Department of Health, Washington willfully abused his position as a massage therapist by inappropriately touching and sexually violating a client who trusted him to act professionally and within the boundaries of generally accepted massage therapy and treatment.
The Order ensures he can no longer pose a danger to the public’s health, welfare, and safety, pending a final hearing by the Department. Criminal charges remain pending. When clients book a massage, it is to decompress from the stresses of life. They trust that the massage therapists employed at the spa are carefully vetted and safe to engage with the public. It is unacceptable, immoral, and unlawful for any employee to touch a client in a sexual manner.
Horowitz Law has filed numerous sexual misconduct claims against massage therapists on behalf of clients who were sexually assaulted at Hand & Stone and Facial Spa or any other massage businesses, spas, and resorts. If you have been a victim of sexual assault or sexual battery during a massage, or if you know someone who has, please contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at [email protected] for a free consultation.