There are likely more Illicit sex spas here; What's law enforcement doing about it? -...

[massage]

opinion


Gil Smart Treasure Coast Newspapers

Published 4:06 PM EST Mar 1, 2019

In the wake of the huge sex spa/human trafficking bust, I — we — began to get some curious phone calls and emails.

Sure, said respondents, law enforcement shut down eight spas along the Treasure Coast. But what about this one here; what about that one over there?

Maybe they're not connected to those targeted in the sting. But there are more sex spas here.

And what's law enforcement going to do about it?

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder freely acknowledges there are other local spas engaged in similar shenanigans.

He plans to do something about it.

"We are already strategizing on how to pressure every single one," he said.

"If your business model is predicated on sex trafficking or illicit sexual behavior," Snyder said, "you're probably going out of business in Martin County."

On the other hand, some local law enforcement agencies seemed nonplussed. St. Lucie Sheriff's Office officials have said there are no illicit sex spas in the county; Port St. Lucie police say they've gotten no reports of problems; and Stuart police say they've busted a few illicit spas here and there, but that's about it.

So how big a problem is it, really?

According to the Polaris Project, a nonprofit which runs the National Human Trafficking Hotline, there are as many as 9,000 illegal massage parlors operating in more than 1,000 cities across the country.

It's a $3 billion industry, give or take.

As reported by the Associated Press, "Most of the prostitutes are women from China and South Korea in their mid-30s to late 50s who have entered the country illegally, are deeply in debt, and are drawn into sex work through a combination of lies, threats and other forms of coercion, (Polaris) said."

So how do the "johns" find these places? Some of it's word of mouth, said Snyder. But others find them online, via web sites like Rubmaps.com, where patrons leave spa reviews, sometimes describing "their sexual experiences in detail, including how much they paid, what services they received, and their level of satisfaction with the women’s performance," as the New England Center for Investigative Reporting put it.

Let me add a huge caveat here: I didn't, personally, read the reviews on Rubmaps because the site wants you to register and pay for the "privilege." So let's stipulate that some of the spas — which I won't list for this very reason — may be on the up and up, offering only legitimate services.

However.

In Stuart, a total of nine spas were reviewed, though two were listed as closed and a third — Therapy Spa, in the 2800 block of Southeast U.S. 1 — was among those targeted and closed viavia? the recent investigation.

The one spa listed/reviewed in Hobe Sound, the Bridge Spa, also was targeted and closed via the investigation. But the investigation also closed a second spa in Hobe Sound, Sequoia Apple Day Spa. That spa wasn't on the Rubmaps list.

In other words, this definitive site for sex spas doesn't even include all of them.

And, no problems with this in Port St. Lucie/St. Lucie County? The Rubmaps list includes nine spas in Port St. Lucie with reviews, one as recent as six days ago. (Two are listed as closed).

Yeah, it's happening here beyond this investigation.

Certainly, the recent busts aren't the first time cops have targeted local sex spas. In September 2017, Stuart police used hidden listening and video devices to shut down Asian Sports Massage, in the 500 block of Southeast Dixie Highway, charging Xiao Yin, then 33, with solicitation of prostitution.

Stuart police busted another spa, the Green Massage Parlor in the 1900 block of Southeast U.S. 1, in 2013.

"When we've gotten complaints, we've responded," said Stuart police spokesman Sgt. Brian Bossio. But he was unaware of any attempts to target sex spas in the wake of the big investigation.

"Is this still going on (locally), of course it is," Bossio said. But due to the recent arrests and all the publicity, "I'm not sure the clientele is in abundance right now."

In Port St. Lucie, police spokesperson Sgt. Lisa Marie Carrasquillo said there have been no recent complaints about illicit spas; police will follow up when there are.

"It's funny looking at the map (of spas caught in the recent probe) — how could they have skipped us?" she said. "But so far we haven't had anybody come out" and say it's a problem in Port St. Lucie, as well.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara has said illegal massage parlors, and sex trafficking in particular, isn't a major issue in the county.

But it is for Snyder, in Martin County. He said his agency plans to keep up the pressure.

"We'll put high-visibility patrols in the parking lot" of suspected sex spas. "We've contemplated using cameras on the outside (of shopping centers), maybe cars with cameras. And some of our methodology will be covert.

"Whatever it takes to stop this."

Gil Smart is a TCPalm columnist and a member of the Editorial Board. His columns reflect his opinion. Readers may reach him at [email protected], by phone at 772-223-4741 or via Twitter at @TCPalmGilSmart.

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