Personal Services & Wellness · 5 min read · Last updated
If you supervise or run a licensed body rub parlour in Hamilton, you need your own licence under Schedule 4, separate from the owner's establishment licence. It comes with an obligation the attendant licence does not spell out: if you move to another location, you have to tell the City.
The City of Hamilton lists this under its “Mobile” category: “By-law 07-170, Schedule 4. 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. Licence holder must notify the City if changing to another location.”
Who needs this licence?
This licence is for the person who operates or manages a body rub parlour, and it is held individually. The parlour itself is licensed separately under Schedule 3, by its owner.
You must be employed at a body rub parlour licensed under the by-law, and you can only actively work at one location.
You cannot be an attendant and an operator or manager at the same location at the same time. The two Schedule 4 licences describe different roles and the by-law keeps them separate, so the licence you hold has to match what you actually do at the parlour.
One duty is specific to this licence: if you change to another location, you must notify the City. That is a continuing obligation for as long as you hold the licence, not just a question answered on the application form.
You apply in person with government-issued photo identification, and you provide a Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service board in the city where you live, dated within 36 days of your application. Third party clearances are not accepted.
What documents do you need?
Four items make up the file, all personal to you.
The completed application form comes first, in your own name. Then the Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check, from the police service board where you live and dated within 36 days of the application.
Third, government-issued photo identification, noting that an Ontario Health Card is not accepted for this purpose.
Fourth, the name of the establishment you are employed at. Keep this one in mind after the licence is issued as well, because the notification duty about changing location works from it.
Zoning and premises requirements
There is no zoning requirement and no zoning charge on this licence, because it attaches to you as a person rather than to premises.
Zoning applies to the parlour you manage. The owner obtains the Zoning Verification Certificate for the address and files the detailed site plan showing the establishment's position on the property, its setbacks and the required parking spaces.
The connection to you is the notification duty. Your licence is tied to a location, and if you move to another one the City has to be told, so the address matters to your licence even though the zoning paperwork is not yours to file.
Inspections and approvals
No inspection is required for this licence, and there is no inspection fee in its fee structure. Personal licences do not carry premises inspections.
The screening step is the Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check, which must come from the police service board in your city of residence, be dated within 36 days, and not be a third party clearance.
The health and parking inspections that apply to the parlour belong to the owner's Schedule 3 licence. As the person running the premises day to day, you are likely to be the one present when an inspector attends, so it is worth knowing what those inspections cover.
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 photo fee; the licence fee itself is not subject to HST.
The licence fee for an operator or manager is substantially higher than the attendant fee in the same schedule, which reflects the responsibility the role carries.
There is no zoning charge and no inspection fee, so the fee schedule shows a single total for a new application.
At renewal the licence fee is charged annually, with the photo fee on the three-year cycle. A licence allowed to lapse carries a reinstatement fee with HST. All amounts are set in the City's fee schedule and confirmed when you apply.
How to apply
Check the role first. If you will supervise or run the parlour, this is your licence; if you will offer or solicit body-rubs, the attendant licence applies. You cannot hold both at the same location at the same time.
Confirm the parlour is licensed under the by-law, since employment at a licensed body rub parlour is a condition of this licence.
Order the Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service board where you live, timed so it is within 36 days when you attend.
Attend in person with government-issued photo identification, remembering that an Ontario Health Card is not accepted, and have the establishment's name ready. Your photograph is taken at the counter for the municipal photo ID card.
Renewals and staying compliant
Renewal must be done in person with government-issued photo identification.
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.
The location notification duty runs continuously, not just at renewal. If you move to another parlour part-way through the year, tell the City then rather than waiting for the renewal date to come round.
Renew before the licence expires. 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. What must a body rub parlour operator/manager do if they move to another location?
Schedule 4 states that the licence holder must notify the City if changing to another location.
2. Can one person hold both the attendant and the operator/manager licence at the same parlour at the same time?
The by-law states you cannot be an attendant and an operator/manager at the same location at the same time.
3. Which licence covers the parlour premises themselves?
The establishment is licensed under Schedule 3 by its owner, while operators, managers and attendants hold personal licences under Schedule 4.
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.