Bergen County Massage Therapist Suspended for Performing Unlicensed Medical Procedures

Fair Lawn spa owner permanently barred from operating massage businesses after state finds unauthorized post-operative and aesthetic treatments.

A licensed massage therapist in Bergen County has agreed to a five-year suspension of her license and a permanent ban from owning or operating a massage business, following state allegations that she performed invasive medical procedures without the required medical qualifications.

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs announced the disciplinary action against Ana C. Velazco, owner of the Fair Lawn-based business Fabsilhouette, also known as Medical Massage Network. Velazco was found to have conducted medical procedures beyond the legal scope of massage therapy, including post-operative fluid drainage, suture removal, Mesolipo injections, and microneedling—treatments that require medical licensure under New Jersey law.

Filed on May 30, 2025, a Final Consent Order issued by the New Jersey Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy and the State Board of Medical Examiners suspends Velazco’s license to practice massage and bodywork therapy for five years, effective immediately. The order also permanently prohibits her from owning, managing, or operating any massage therapy business, and from practicing independently. Should Velazco’s license be reinstated after the suspension, she would be allowed to work only under the supervision of a properly licensed massage and bodywork therapist in good standing.

Velazco, who admitted to having no medical training, also received a $15,000 civil penalty from the Board of Medical Examiners for the unlicensed practice of medicine.

“Our professional licensing laws require individuals who offer certain types of services to meet fundamental training and education requirements to deter unqualified practice and prevent serious harm,” Attorney General Platkin stated. “Professionals who put the public at risk by performing services that exceed the scope of their licenses, especially those involving invasive medical procedures, will face serious consequences.”

Elizabeth M. Harris, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, emphasized the potential dangers: “When individuals perform medical procedures without the requisite licensure and qualifications, they expose their clients to serious harm. As the med-spa industry continues to grow and evolve, we will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who provide aesthetic services they are neither licensed nor qualified to perform.”

The investigation into Velazco’s conduct began in March 2023 and was conducted by the Enforcement Bureau within the Division of Consumer Affairs. Inspectors found evidence of unlicensed medical activity inside Fabsilhouette, including syringes, needle tips, topical anesthetics, and hazardous medical waste—items consistent with the performance of clinical procedures.

Deputy Attorney General Michelle Mikelberg represented the State in the matter under the supervision of Doreen Hafner, Section Chief of the Professional Boards Prosecution Section within the Division of Law’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Practice Group.

The action forms part of New Jersey’s broader effort to regulate and monitor med-spa practices to ensure public health and consumer safety by preventing the unlicensed practice of medicine.