SOBADORES TAKING TO BACK ALLEYS TO PRACTICE

By Juan Montoya
Now that the commissioners of the City of Brownsville have virtually outlawed their practice, Doña Elena (not her real name) and Don Sabas, two of the best known sobadores in Brownsville say they fear that the Sex Police will storm their homes where they practice their healing craft.
Both practice the ancient cultural healing art of sobadores (literally, massage healers) handed down by their ancestors.
In Doña Elena's case it was her father, the sobador named "Manos de Seda" (Hands of Silk) by his patients, who led her down the healing-arts path while in Don Sabas' case, it was a gift handed down to him from his father, who in turn was taught by his father. Don Sabas started out kneading the dough to make pan dulce before he found his calling, he said.
"I used to knead the flour to make dough," he laughed. "Now I'm making dough kneading sore muscles."
According to the ordinance passed by the city commissioner son first reading massage parlors will now have to register with the city and obtain a $250 license to operate. Additionally, they would require that sobadores be qualified and licensed medical or chiropractic practitioners.
Once registered, the ordinance requires that the premises not operate between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. and gives the city the authority to enter the business during business hours to determine compliance with the regulations.
Ostensibly, the ordinance was proposed to prevent prostitution, but the way the regulations were worded, the laws could apply to Doña Nena and Don Sabas, who practice a kind of cultural therapeutic practice that is neither licensed nor regulated.
"Many of my clients come from as far away as Corpus Christi and Houston," said Don Sabas, pointing to a wall papered with Polaroid pictures from people grateful for the treatment they have received at his hands. "Some are policemen, Border Patrol, even an aerospace engineer from Houston. What would happen if cops came in the door and found one of their officers in here?"
Both these sobador practitioners say they fall between the cracks of the new ordinance. Both say their gift of touch and healing has spiritual origins that are not addressed by the new ordinance.
"I don't know what to make of this city commission," Don Sabas said, shaking his head. "Whoever goes to get a massage in those place and the people who work there are there because they want to be there. Unless people are taken there by force, what business it it of the government to poke its head into their business?"
One of his outspoken nephews, who attended the local college and now lives in Corpus Christi, says he has viewed the performance of the commissioners on cable television and said they would be in violation of the law even before the second reading.
"We have Charlie Atkinson massaging his ego with the bottomless pit that is the Sports Park," he said. "The mayor get his massage with the new animal shelter. Rose Gowen has her Farmers Market. Troiani is getting his primping and massaging his image before his run for District Attorney. (Rick) Longoria can't stop stroking the police department and thinking himself mayor. Melissa Zamora hadn't even been in office a year before we found out she was massaging some vendors, and (Edward) Camarillo has not stopped massaging the Cardenas and Juliet Garcia since he was a flunky for them at the college. Does this mean they have to get a license, too?"
We have probably not heard the last of this issue. But if there is one thing that we can be fairly sure of is that any effort by public commenters to publicly ruffle the feathers of the commission will probably not be allowed as the commissioners consider a proposal not to televise the comments of those who often criticize them.
"Now, if Fernando Ruiz and robert Euresti changed their tune and praised the commissioners, would they be allowed to be televised, or would they have to plunk down $250 to massage those egos?"