South Florida massage therapist Orlay Palacio was arrested on May 8, 2017 on charges that he molested a 17-year-old girl at a spa in Davie, Florida. According to Davie police records, the teenage girl reported that Palacio, 29 years old, touched her vagina and breasts while she and her 18-year-old cousin were at the Massage & Stretch Center located at 4663 South University Drive in Davie for a massage appointment. Mr. Palacio is also the owner of Massage and Stretch center.
According to a police report, the girl claimed that Palacio told her to take off her clothes and lay face down on the massage table. “The victim stated that during the massage, Palacio would periodically touch her vagina and remove his hand like it was an accident,” Detective Zev Spiller wrote in the report. Palacio told the girl to roll over so he could massage her upper chest, but instead he would touch her breasts and nipples in a sexual manner, Spiller wrote. He later removed her underwear and tried to perform oral sex, but the girl said she “kept her legs closed and he stopped,” the report said. The girl told police that Palacio also grabbed her hand and placed it on his now-exposed penis until he ejaculated.
The victim told police that “at no time did she allow Palacio to perform any type of sexual activity with her. She stated that she did not tell him to stop because she was alone and afraid,” according to the police report.
Palacio was taken into custody Monday while he was at work. Police said he refused to answer questions and asked for an attorney. According to Florida Department of Health records, Palacio has been licensed as a massage therapist since 2009.
Attorney Adam Horowitz commented, “This is the latest in a long line of troubling incidents in which massage therapist reportedly committed sexual assault upon a female client. During a massage, clients are in an extraordinarily vulnerable setting. They are often undressed in a dimly lit room with a complete stranger (often of the opposite sex) whom they are expected to trust while lying in a prone position and seeking a relaxing experience. We commend this young girl for having the courage to report this matter.”
Attorney Adam Horowitz is experienced in handling claims nationwide on behalf of victims of sexual assault by massage therapists, including at Massage Envy, Massage Luxe and other national chains, spas, and hotels. You can reach Adam Horowitz at [email protected] or call our law firm at (954) 641-2100.