Following prostitution charges, Oswego considering more regulations for massage parlors -...

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Following arrests which led to prostitution charges for employees at two of the city's massage parlors and a third in a nearby unincorporated area, Oswego officials are looking at ways to further regulate the businesses.

The Village Board as a committee-of-the-whole Tuesday will discuss potential changes that would include a new licensing process that would allow police to do background checks on owners and workers.

Other changes would amend an existing zoning ordinance that would require massage parlors to open as a special use rather than as a permitted use in a business district.

Massage establishments in many cities are subject to a special type of license, but in Oswego, they just need a regular business license. Oswego Police Chief Jeff Burgner said police are working with city officials on the issue.


He said a new licensing process would also allow police to monitor the operations as well, he said.

"The ordinance could allow for inspections to be conducted ensuring the business is in compliance with village code as well as state laws. The ordinance can set a dress code for the individuals conducting the massages," Burgner said in a memo to the Village Board.

Oswego police and Kendall County Sheriff's officers made arrests last week resulting from ongoing investigations into alleged prostitution and business licensing violations, police said.

Citizen concerns about some of the city's massage businesses, including where they were advertising, the websites they were using and that people might be spending the night, prompted Oswego police to look into the businesses and see if any illegal activity was going on, Burgner said.


They ended up conducting operations involving undercover officers, but Burgner declined to elaborate on what took place during the stings, citing the pending cases and court proceedings.

Police didn't feel their investigation linked any of the activity at various massage businesses, Burgner said.

It may be particularly easy to open up massage businesses in Oswego because they don't have a specific ordinance that controls or monitors them, Burgner said, so that's one thing officials are looking at. They're also considering zoning changes.


"From my understanding, the massage parlors are permitted use in the zoning where they're located," Burgner said. "Some things we might talk about with the board is do we want to change that and make it more challenging to open these types of businesses?"

After the two Oswego stings, police contacted the zoning department, which had employees go to the businesses. Where they found code violations related to people staying at a business, the city pulled their business license until they were in compliance, Burgner said.

Batavia last year passed regulations including a new license for businesses that provide massage services after similar sting operations led to arrests at some of its massage spas. Similar undercover details and arrests have also taken place over the past year at several spas in St. Charles.

Most recently, on Nov. 9, Kendall County deputies arrested a 52-year-old woman at Lavender Therapy on the 5000 block of Route 34. Xiuhua Liao, 52, was living at the business, where she also worked, according to police. She's charged with prostitution and unlicensed massage.

Liao posted a 10 percent bond toward her $1,500 bail and was released with a pending court appearance Nov. 28.

The day before, on Nov. 8, Oswego police arrested a 46-year-old woman with a Montgomery address at the massage spa she owns on the first block of Merchants Drive. FengJu Li, 46, the owner of Dream Spa, is charged with prostitution and aiding and abetting unlicensed massage. Li is free on a signature bond with a pending court appearance Dec. 4.

The village of Oswego also ticketed Dream Spa for violating the building occupancy code.

An Oswego police sting last month at N Spa on the 4500 block of Route 71 led to charges against two women in their 50s.

Yiling Peng, 55, whose address is in the same block as the spa, is charged with prostitution and unlicensed massage, both class A misdemeanors. Yune Zhou, 50, of the 1800 block of South Melody Court in Chicago, is charged with aiding and abetting an unlicensed massage, also a class A misdemeanor.

Oswego police said they arrested Peng and Zhou at 2 p.m. Oct. 27. The women were released after posting 10 percent bonds toward their $1,500 bails and are both due in court Nov. 22.

The village of Oswego ticketed N Spa for a building occupancy code ordinance violation, police said.

Registrations for both businesses ticketed were suspended due to the occupancy issues, Oswego police spokeswoman Cathy Nevara said.

"Both businesses have come into compliance and their business registrations are now valid," Nevara said in an email Wednesday.

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Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.

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