Personal Services & Wellness · 5 min read · Last updated
The body rub attendant licence is held by the individual, not the parlour. Under Schedule 4 of By-law 07-170, a body rubber is a person who offers or solicits a body-rub in, at or upon a body-rub establishment, and that person needs their own licence even though the parlour itself is separately licensed under Schedule 3.
The City of Hamilton lists this under its “Mobile” category: “Body Rubber means a person who offers or solicits a body-rub in, at, or upon a body-rub establishment. Applicant MUST APPLY IN PERSON with government issued photo ID. Must be employed at a Licensed Body Rub Parlour under the By-law. Cannot be an attendant and operator/manager at same location at the same time.”
Who needs this licence?
A body rubber is a person who offers or solicits a body-rub in, at or upon a body-rub establishment. That is the activity the licence covers, and it is licensed at the level of the individual.
You must be employed at a body rub parlour licensed under the by-law. Your licence and the parlour's licence are separate but linked, and one does not work without the other.
There is a rule specific to Schedule 4 that catches people out. You cannot be an attendant and an operator or manager at the same location at the same time. If you are being asked to supervise the parlour as well as work in it, those are two roles the by-law keeps apart, and the licence you hold has to match the role you actually perform.
You can only actively work at one location, which is why the application asks which establishment employs you.
You must apply in person with government-issued photo identification, and you need a Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service board in the city where you live, dated within 36 days of the application. Third party clearances are not accepted.
What documents do you need?
The checklist has four items and they are all about you.
First, the completed application form in your own name. Second, the Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service board where you live, dated within 36 days of your application. The window is short, so order it close to the date you plan to attend.
Third, government-issued photo identification. The by-law is specific that an Ontario Health Card is not accepted, so bring a driver's licence, a passport or another government photo ID.
Fourth, the name of the establishment you are employed at. Because you can only actively work at one location, and because you cannot hold this licence and an operator/manager licence at the same location at the same time, that detail is part of the substance of the licence rather than an administrative note.
Zoning and premises requirements
No zoning requirement applies to this licence and there is no zoning charge in its fee structure, because it attaches to you as a person rather than to a property.
Zoning applies to the parlour where you work. The owner obtains the Zoning Verification Certificate for that address, along with the detailed site plan the by-law requires from them under Schedule 3.
What matters for you is that the parlour holds a valid licence under the by-law, since employment at a licensed body rub parlour is a condition of your own licence.
Inspections and approvals
No inspection is required for this licence. There is nothing to book and no inspection fee, because a personal licence has no premises attached.
The Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check is the screening step in its place. It has to be dated within 36 days of your application, come from the police service board in your city of residence, and not be a third party clearance.
The health and parking inspections that apply to the parlour belong to the owner's licence under Schedule 3, not to yours.
How much does it cost?
A new application carries a processing fee, the licence fee and a photo fee for the municipal photo ID card. HST applies to the processing fee and the photo fee; the licence fee is not subject to HST.
There is no zoning charge and no inspection fee for this licence, so the fee schedule shows a single total for a new application.
At renewal the licence fee is charged annually, with the photo fee applying on the three-year photo cycle.
If your licence lapses, reinstating it carries a reinstatement fee with HST. All amounts come from the City's fee schedule and are confirmed when you apply, so ask at the counter rather than relying on what someone else paid.
How to apply
Confirm that the parlour employing you is licensed under the by-law, and that the role you are taking is attendant rather than operator or manager, since you cannot hold both at the same location at the same time.
Order the Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service board in your city of residence, timed so it is within 36 days when you attend.
Complete the application form and have the establishment's name ready.
Attend in person with government-issued photo identification, keeping in mind that an Ontario Health Card is not accepted. Your photograph is taken at the counter for the municipal photo ID card, which is the licence you carry.
Renewals and staying compliant
You must renew in person with government-issued photo identification. The parlour cannot do it for you.
The municipally issued photo ID card is printed annually with an updated expiry date, and a new picture is required every three years. Declarations A and B both have to be completed.
If you have changed parlours during the year, deal with it at renewal rather than letting the licence show an establishment you no longer work at. The one-location rule makes that detail meaningful.
Renew before the expiry date. A late licence has to be reinstated, and reinstatement carries its own fee with HST added.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. How does the by-law define a body rubber?
Schedule 4 defines a body rubber as a person who offers or solicits a body-rub in, at or upon a body-rub establishment.
2. Can you hold an attendant licence and an operator/manager licence at the same parlour at the same time?
Schedule 4 states you cannot be an attendant and an operator/manager at the same location at the same time.
3. What identification will not be accepted when you apply?
The checklist requires government-issued photo ID and states specifically that an Ontario Health Card is not accepted.
Skip the paperwork
Tell Permits2Go about your business and it assembles the licence application for you — document checklists, e-signatures and a guided workspace for Hamilton, with more cities on the way.
This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Licensing requirements, by-laws and fees change and vary by municipality — always confirm the current rules with the City before you apply.