Luis Filipe Rodriguez: Massage therapist slapped with life ban after sexually touching female client

Health authorities have slapped a life ban on a former Sydney massage therapist after he sexually violated a woman, who had come to him to have chronic back pain treated.

A sign for Hidden Dragon Massage in Lawrence St, Freshwater. One of its former employees was convicted of sexually touching a female client.

A remedial massage therapist has been banned from working in the health industry for life after sexually violating a woman at a Sydney clinic.

Luis Filipe Rodriguez was an employee of Hidden Dragon Message, in Freshwater, when he touched a client’s vagina and rubbed her breasts during treatment.

After the woman complained to police, Rodriguez, 33, was charged with two counts of sexually touching another person without consent last year.

The therapist, who arrived from Colombia in 2019 and had no previous criminal record, denied the assaults.

But he was found guilty and convicted by Manly Local Court in March this year.

Manly Local Court, where Luis Filipe Rodriguez was convicted. Picture: Monique Harmer

Magistrate Robyn Denes placed Rodriguez on a community correction order, to be of good behaviour for two years.

Following the verdicts, the woman contacted the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission in May 2024 to lodge a complaint about Rodriguez.

The victim had made an appointment to have chronic back and shoulder pain treated through remedial massage. File picture: Bob Barker

On Thursday, the commission hit him with a permanent prohibition order for breaching a code of conduct for public health providers.

It also found that he “poses a risk to the health and safety of members of the public”.

“The commission considers that based on Mr Rodriguez’s conviction and conduct, he has breached the code of conduct,” it said.

It also determined that “protective orders are required in order to protect the public”.

Rodriguez, who now works as a restaurant manager, “is permanently prohibited from providing any health services, whether on a paid or voluntary basis, to any member of the public”.

In its written decision released on Thursday evening, the commission stated that the sexual assault had occurred in May 2023.

The woman had made an appointment for treatment to help with her chronic shoulder pain, back pain and muscle tightness. It was her second appointment with Rodriguez.

Rodriguez removed a towel that was draped over the front of the woman as she lay on her back on the massage table.

He then massaged her breasts for “about 10 seconds and slid his hands underneath the waistband of her underwear”, the commission determination stated.

“(The victim) stated that while Mr Rodriguez’s hand was on her vagina, he said, ‘Am I doing wrong, should I stop?’

“(The victim) stated that she ‘jolted’ and ‘immediately’ responded: ‘You’re gonna need to stop there. Is this part of the massage?’

“Mr Rodriguez said: ‘No, this is not part of the massage. I don’t do this for everyone’.”