AG Platkin: New Jersey Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy Revokes License of Massage Therapist for Alleged Sexual Misconduct Against Clients

TRENTON – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs announced today that the New Jersey Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy (“Board”) has permanently revoked the license of a Monmouth County massage therapist amid allegations he engaged in inappropriate and unwanted sexual contact with female clients during massage sessions at two different salons where he worked.

Evans W. Chigounis is permanently barred from working as a massage therapist in New Jersey under an agreement he entered into with the Board to resolve allegations he touched a female client’s breast and genital area during one massage session and placed his genitals in another female client’s hand during a subsequent session in a different salon.

In a Final Consent Order filed with the Board on June 10, 2025, Chigounis agreed to immediately surrender his license to practice massage therapy in New Jersey, with such surrender to be deemed a permanent revocation with no possibility to reapply for licensure in the future.

“New Jersey has zero tolerance for massage therapists who engage in sexual misconduct against clients during massage therapy sessions,” said Attorney General Platkin. “We will continue to investigate and root out individuals who hide behind their professional licenses to sexually prey on the clients who trust them.”

“This kind of sexual misconduct is a threat to the public and an affront to the vast majority of licensed massage therapists who conduct themselves professionally and treat their clients with the respect and dignity they deserve,” said Elizabeth M. Harris, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “By permanently barring this licensee from practice, we’re demonstrating our commitment to ensuring client safety and protecting the integrity of New Jersey’s massage therapy industry.”

According to the filed consent order, Chigounis’ employer, Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa in Manalapan, filed a complaint with the Board alleging that in July 2024, Chigounis massaged a patient’s breast during a massage therapy session and tapped his hand on her genital area over the blanket. After this incident, Respondent admitted to Hand & Stone that he had acted inappropriately and was subsequently fired.

The Board then received a complaint from another employer, A Kneaded Vacation Massage & Wellness salon in Red Bank, alleging that in November 2024, Chigounis placed his genitals in a patient's hand when she was face down during a massage therapy treatment. Chigounis was fired by this employer as well.

Chigounis’ conduct, if proven, would demonstrate, among other things, that he engaged in gross and repeated acts of negligence, malpractice, or incompetence, and violated the rules of professional conduct, including those prohibiting licensees from engaging in sexual contact with a client; and engaging in activities that serve their own prurient interests or sexual gratification.

Under the terms set forth in the Final Consent Order, Chigounis must immediately cease and desist from holding himself out as a massage and bodywork therapist and refrain from practice in New Jersey. He also must immediately cease and desist from all client contact in any location.

The State was represented in this matter by Deputy Attorney General Daniel Evan Leef Hewitt, under the supervision of Section Chief Doreen A. Hafner, of the Professional Boards Prosecution Section, within the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Practice Group of the Division of Law. Investigators with the Enforcement Bureau within the Division of Consumer Affairs conducted the investigation.

Patients who believe that they have been treated in an inappropriate manner by a licensed professional can file an online complaint with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 (toll free within New Jersey) or 973-504-6200.

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