San Francisco spa owner
arrested for sexual battery

By Adam Martin, Bay City News Service

March 16, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO(BCN) - The first of three sexual battery complaints against San Francisco spa owner William Dresbach came into the police department about two years ago.

Inspector Frank Lee, of the San Francisco Police Department's sexual assault division, said he has been investigating the case since 2004.

He said two complaints had come in that year and the third was received in 2005.

Of the three complainants, two were customers, Lee said, and one was an employee who no longer works for Dresbach. All three apparently went in for a massage "and he basically massaged them in inappropriate places,''Lee said.

Lee said a judge signed Dresbach's arrest warrant Tuesday.

Officers from the Taraval station then arrested Dresbach without incident at his business, Sunset Sauna and Non-Sexual Massage, at 1214 20th Ave. in San Francisco.

Dresbach made his initial court appearance today in San Francisco Superior Court department 11, but his arraignment was continued until April 3. He is out of police custody on $100,000 bail. He faces three felony counts of sexual battery, according to district attorney spokeswoman Bilen Mesfin.

In addition to Sunset Sauna and Non-Sexual Massage, Lee said Dresbach owns a massage parlor in Cotati known as Massage Inc. A representative with the Cotati Police Department did not say whether Dresbach is accused of inappropriate massage in that city. David Wabel, a certified massage therapist from San Francisco who no longer practices regularly, said appropriate massage technique can include most parts of the body. "There are a few areas we don't work on-- obviously the genitals and the anal area-- we don't work on those areas,'' Wabel said.

Also, Wabel said, an important part of appropriate massage technique is to drape the client with a sheet or some kind of cover and only expose the part being massaged.

Wabel said he is familiar with Sunset Sauna and Massage, and that the spa has a good reputation within the city's holistic health community.

"That's a good place,'' he said. "I've known people who have worked there and said it is very professional... I think he's probably innocent.''

Dresbach was not available by telephone at either of his businesses today.

Lee said he encourages anyone who thinks they know or might have been a victim of Dresbach's alleged battery to call the San Francisco Police Department at (415) 553-1361.

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