Woman sues Massage Envy after allegedly being sexually assaulted at southwest Austin location - KVUE.com

[John Diaz]

Austin police said a felony arrest warrant has been issued for the man following the alleged incident.



AUSTIN, Texas — Warning: This article contains details of an alleged sexual assault.


A woman is suing an Austin-area spa chain franchise, claiming she was sexually assaulted during a massage.


In the lawsuit, the woman said the incident happened in July 2024 at the Massage Envy franchise owned by Helix2 Spas Austin, located on Escarpment Boulevard near Circle C Ranch in southwest Austin. The civil lawsuit filed in Travis County is also against a former employee, massage therapist Juan Alberto Bastida, for his alleged actions during a massage in July of 2024.


The woman, who is going by S.H., said she had a membership to the spa and regularly received massages. She accused Massage Envy of failing to properly vet and train the employee about inappropriate sexual contact with patrons.


She explained to KVUE what happened.


"He started first by groping my breast and I just was absolutely terrified," she said. "I froze up. I didn't know what to do and I just was beyond scared."


S.H. said he then penetrated her with his finger.


"You're in such a vulnerable position, you know. You're you're laying there, you're completely naked, you're in a dim-lit room, and the only thing between you and the door is this complete stranger, this man, and you have no clue who it is. So it's very, very scary," explained S.H.


According to the lawsuit, the woman managed to leave during the massage and drove directly to report the incident to Austin police. S.H. said she now has nightmares and lives in fear because of the encounter.


APD issued a felony arrest warrant for Bastida. According to online records, in 2015, before being hired at Massage Envy, he faced an assault charge in a domestic violence case.


"I checked today and he still has an active license, so he could be practicing as a massage therapist right now," said attorney Anna Greenberg. "I think it's so important for not only law enforcement to act quickly but also the licensing board to act quickly in revoking or suspending someone's license when someone's been charged with sexual assault."


Greenberg said in the past year, she has worked five cases against Massage Envy in various locations related to sexual assault.


KVUE reached out to Massage Envy and Helix2 Spas in Austin for a comment. We haven't heard back yet.