Massage Envy CEO says company to share details on "path forward"

Spa chain Massage Envy's CEO apologized Thursday and said "we are taking a hard look at ourselves" after an investigation by BuzzFeed News found that more than 180 women have accused therapists at Massage Envy of groping and other sexual acts. 

In a letter, CEO Joseph Magnacca said each location has been "required to review, recommunicate and, in no uncertain terms, recommit to our safety and reporting policies."

Additionally, Magnacca said the company has conducted a review "of all massage therapist files to ensure they have a completed background check and professional reference checks as well as to ensure their licensure/certification is current and annual training requirements have been met."

"Our accredited third-party background screening company has begun rescreening each and every one of the 20,000 licensed massage therapists within the Massage Envy network," the letter added.

Magnacca said that next week, the company will share details of what it he called "a comprehensive and transparent path forward."

Following BuzzFeed News' report, published earlier this week, Massage Envy told CBS News their therapists have done 125 million massages over the past 15 years. Still, it said even one incident is too many, CBS News' Meg Oliver reported.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued subpoenas Wednesday to find out more about the sexual misconduct complaints against Massage Envy spas.

"As I was lying down on the massage table, I felt him press his aroused genitalia into the back of my head," said Beth Ernst, who's lawsuit against the Streeterville Massage Envy location has been settled.

"His hands strayed, and he was trying to touch my genitalia," she told CBS Chicago.

Similar complaints have been made by Massage Envy clients in Naperville, Elmhurst and Tinley Park. Now, Madigan is subpoenaing records from all of them, as well as Massage Envy's Arizona headquarters.

According to BuzzFeed, Massage Envy only requires franchises to conduct internal investigations of abuse claims except in the few states that require notification of local law enforcement.

"I just found that these Massage Envy spa employees were not equipped to handle serious allegations of sexual assault all on their own," reporter Katie Baker told CBS News.

Massage Envy has more than 1,100 locations serving more than 1.5 million members.