ByZachary Thole
August 04, 2026 at 1:58 PM
The
Bemidji City Council
voted 7-0 during a meeting Monday, Aug. 3, to revoke the business license of Siam Massage and Wellness Spa
The vote comes after city building officials and the Bemidji Police Department conducted multiple compliance inspections at Siam Massage, which the company failed. City officials also noted during a meeting presentation that the owner of the establishment did not reply to any of the letters or emails sent, or acknowledge that there would be inspections
Police officer Tabitha Carrigan is spearheading the ongoing investigation
“On April 2, 2026, a letter was sente business establishment license, the establishment must pass a compliance inspection by a representative of the city of Bemidji Building Department and a Bemidji police officer,” Carrigan wrote in a letter to the council, which she read during the meeting
The first inspection took place on June 11, according to the letter
“Since Siam Massage (located in downtown Bemidji) had not responded to letters/emails requesting to set up an appointment for the compliance check, an unannounced visit was conducted,” Carrigan continued. “The business was open. Upon entering, it was determined that a massage session was being conducted.”
“Currently, there are three ‘professionals’ (Latte, Annie and Vivi) that you are allowed to book an appointment with; however, none of them have proper city massage therapist licenses.”
Carrigan told the council that a second visit was scheduled with the owner, Kanvadi Jirayoorathchai, on June 15
“Again, upon arrival, there was a therapy session taking place with a client, and an employee (identified by Jirayoorathchai as Krongthong Clapping) had to go next door to get the owner for our scheduled meeting,” Carrigan detailed. “The owner was able to produce an establishment license for 2026 but showed a therapist license for only one therapist, Clapping, from the city of Bemidji that had an expiration date of Dec. 31, 2023.”
Carrigan went on to explain that the massage establishment licenses and therapists’ licenses were not posted in the window and were instead behind the counter area, which is a violation of City Code Section 12-728
“Upon questioning Jirayoorathchai, the owner, about employee records, she was only able to show the expired city license, verbally stated where each employee lived, and was unable to provide any other employee information. This is a violation of 12-729 and 12-736,” Carrigan concluded
A memo provided to the council noted that the investigation found four different violations by Siam Massage, including lacking a massage therapist permit, not posting a permit properly, a register of employees and required records
Robert Kringler, an attorney from Flaherty & Hood, was on hand during the meeting to provide legal counsel on the issue
“I will note that we provided this first notice July 7, 2026, so almost a month in advance of this hearing,” Kringler said. “Far in advance of the 10 days that are required by the city code. And the reason we did that was in the hopes that we could help the business owner come into compliance before this hearing
“We know that there has been back-and-forth communication with the business owner to try to get them into compliance. But as of this date, those requirements have still not been satisfied.”
Ward 5 Councilor Lynn Eaton asked what would happen if the company continued to operate as a massage business, despite not being in compliance. Kringler explained that since it is a violation of city requirements, the Bemidji Police Department could be involved for any potential criminal charges
At-Large Councilor Audrey Thayer questioned if the rest of the local businesses contacted complied, to which Carrigan replied that all other massage companies were in compliance with city code except for Siam and one other business that is in the process
“The local level has to regulate this so much because the state of Minnesota is not regulating (massage business licenses) right now,” explained City Clerk Michelle Miller. “It is a state-to-state regulated industry.”
Mayor Jorge Prince commented that he took a look at the company’s website and it was still up and running as normal as of the meeting time, listing specific massage therapists as available to book time with
At the time of publication, the company’s website was still up and showing the same information. On Tuesday, the city posted a sign on the front of the business stating a notice of business license revocation
After all councilors’ questions had been answered, a motion was made by Ward 1 Councilor Gwenia Fiskevold Gould to approve a resolution presented by city staff to revoke the license of Siam Massage and Wellness Spa, citing it as a public health issue. This motion was approved unanimously
No representative from Siam Massage was at the meeting or available for comment
By
Zachary Thole
Zachary is a News Reporter for the Bemidji Pioneer. He is a Mass Communication graduate from Bemidji State University. His favorite past times are sports and gardening. Readers can contact Zachary at (218) 333-9798 or zthole@bemidjipioneer.com.
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