An Ashland massage therapist surrendered his license and will potentially face trial after a former client said he sexually assaulted her. 

It was November of 2020, when Kevin Farrow of Southern Oregon Chiropractic in Ashland crossed a line, said former client Nora Costley.

“While I was receiving care he put his dick in my hand, I was face down on the table,” she said.

“I have had other massages from him before, and it was okay, he never did anything.”

Costley complained to management at Southern Oregon Chiropractic. She went to the Ashland Police Department and filed charges against Farrow, and through the Jackson County Sexual Assault Response Team obtained an advocate to help her through the legal process.

“I complained to literally anyone who would listen,” she said.

Costley stated she has knowledge of other victims of Farrow’s, but only herself and one other woman will be testifying if the case goes to trial.

“Honestly I was really disappointed that they’re only two of us, it’s kind of scary,” she said.

Costly said the Ashland Police Department notified her they have passed the case to the District Attorney’s office. She is waiting for that office to make the decision if the case will go to trial or be settled through a plea deal. The Ashland Police Department could not be immediately reached for comment.

Farrow surrendered his license Dec. 22, 2020, according to the Oregon Massage Board’s public records. He was first licensed in 2015.

On Jan. 11, 2022 Farrow signed a document labeled “License Surrender, Final order.” The document began with the statement, “recognizing that professional misconduct accusations are now pending against me before the board, I now surrender my license.” 

The Oregon Massage Board could not immediately be reached for comment. 

The website for Southern Oregon Chiropractic does not list Farrow as an employee. Representatives for the company declined to comment.

Susan Moen, co-founder of SART could confirm she is Costley’s advocate but stated as a confidential sexual assault advocate she could not comment on this specific case. She could elaborate that the setting for this case is not unfamiliar for advocates.

Massage therapists, chiropractors and physical therapists have clients in an inherently vulnerable position — partially undressed or naked with a practitioner’s hands on their bodies. Offenders in this field can take advantage of the situation and use “gray areas” to create plausible deniability, she said. 

“In this situation they can so easily say they “misunderstood” what their client wanted, or they were misunderstood in what they were doing,” Moen said.

Costley said she has medical issues that make massage important for her healthcare but she has struggled to return to the massage table since the incident with Farrow. 

“It’s really stopped my care. I did try to go to another place, but I had a lot of anxiety. I missed a lot of appointments. I was there, but was in the parking lot in my car. I just couldn’t go in. They finally dropped me, because of all the missed appointments,” she said.