Publications

• Informed Consent - Creating a Partnership of Communication and Understanding with Your Clients
• Is Your Practice Vulnerable to Client Complaints
• Client Communication: Prevent Complaints, Confusion & Misconduct Claims
• When Intention Doesn't Matter

Massage & Spa Industry - Sexual Misconduct, SOC

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

Expert Witness & Consultative Services in Massage & Spa Legal Cases Felicia Brown, LMBT, LMT has been a massage therapist since 1994. She is licensed in North Carolina and Florida. Her expertise, experience and opinions come from over 30 years as a practitioner, owner, coach, consultant, educator and client in the spa and massage industries. Since 2015, she has served as an expert witness or consultant in over 125 legal cases involving the the massage and spa industries in 27 states and other territories. More than 110 of those cases were related to Inappropriate Touch, Sexual Abuse or Sexual Misconduct. Retained in both Plaintiff and Defense cases, Ms. Brown provides detailed reviews of case materials and discovery; consultations on standard business/management practices and standards of care for massage and spa services; and conducts relevant research. An advocate for the massage and spa industries, Ms. Brown approaches each case with a curious and thorough analysis. She strives to provide direct and thoughtful consultation, opinions and/or testimony. Experience Ethics: Ms. Brown began teaching professional ethics in 1997 for the Guilford Technical Community College – Professional Massage Therapy Program and Natural Touch School of Massage. She is an Approved Provider for the National Certification Board for Massage & Bodywork and teaches professional ethics classes as continuing education for licensed massage therapists. Business Practices: Since 1996, Ms. Brown has owned and managed several spas. This experience combined with years of networking, collaborating, and consulting with similar professionals provides her with direct knowledge of commonly used business and management practices, policies, and procedures in businesses employing massage therapists. Ms. Brown has taught and/or consulted with hundreds of massage and spa professionals on workplace issues including but not limited to dealing with inappropriate clients and staff; harassment/sexual harassment issues, hiring classification and embezzlement. Additionally, she advises clients on issues related to screening, hiring, training and supervising employees; policies and procedures; business operations; renters and/or independent contractors; professionalism and ethics; customer service and care; safety and sanitation; and various spa and massage service and product liability issues. Massage & Spa Industry Standard of Care/Standards of Practice: From proper treatment protocols and appropriate draping to privacy, client care, comfort and confidentiality, Ms. Brown has a wealth of knowledge about what should and should not occur within a massage session or other spa service. Spa Owner/President: From start-up and turn-around to inventory control, operations, management and more, Ms. Brown is familiar with the complex inner workings of a spa or massage practice. Her first business, Balance Day Spa, grew from a private practice into a company with fifty employees and annual sales of over $1.6 million. She sold the business in 2005. Her last spa, A to Zen Massage, in operation 2013 - 2021 employed thirty-one staff members pre-COVID. Massage Therapist: Ms. Brown has been a massage therapist since 1994, licensed in North Carolina and Florida. Speaker & Educator: Ms. Brown has been creating courses and educating massage and spa professionals since 1996. In addition numerous sharing business, ethics, marketing and treatment-related topics with conference audiences in the US and abroad, she also develops and teaches classes on professional communication, ethics, boundaries and sexual situations in the massage and spa workplace. Spa & Massage Client: Ms. Brown is an avid client of massage and spa services and has received more than 1000 massage sessions at her businesses as well as spas around the US and abroad. The variety of differing client experiences have been instrumental in creating Ms. Brown's well-rounded perspective of massage and spa businesses.