ST. LOUIS — Three St. Louis‑area MassageLuXe franchise operators filed suit Friday accusing the spa chain’s franchisor of abruptly terminating their agreements late Thursday and crippling their business operations.
In a filing Friday in St. Louis County Circuit Court, ABTB ML Kirkwood LLC, T & E LLC and ML Salon Investments LLC – each of which operates a MassageLuXe location in Rock Hill, Brentwood or Kirkwood – asked a judge to issue an immediate temporary restraining order restoring their access to company software, phones and online business listings.
The franchisee entities had operated their sites since “prior to 2010” under oral franchise agreements that allowed them to use the MassageLuXe name, systems and software in exchange for paying franchise and advertising fees. according to the lawsuit…