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Massage parlors rub Torrance wrong way
By Nick Green, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/29/2009 07:51:18 PM PDT
HOT TOPIC: » What our readers are saying
Alarmed by a surge in so-called massage parlors that are often little more than fronts for prostitution, the city of Torrance has enacted a 45-day moratorium on such businesses.
Police also pledged to crack down on those that already exist to ensure massage parlors and their employees are properly licensed and are operating legitimate businesses.
"This drops the gauntlet," Mayor Frank Scotto said. "People in this business know they have to be careful for the next 45 days."
The City Council on Tuesday night unanimously adopted the moratorium on new massage parlors and licensing for massage technicians. It could be extended for another 10 months by another council vote.
The moratorium and crackdown comes ahead of pending state legislation that would remove much local control of massage businesses. That legislation, authored by Sen. Jenny Oropeza, D-Redondo Beach, will standardize certification for massage therapists when it comes into effect Sept. 1.
While city officials are still analyzing the implications of the legislation, they fear that not acting now could lead to an even greater proliferation of such businesses and associated criminal activity.
Police officials said they are essentially "treading water" when it comes to massage parlors that are seemingly popping up on every street corner. Police often find such businesses - which come and go and relocate with a dizzying frequency to stay a step ahead of law enforcement - are unlicensed, as are the people who work there.
But even properly licensed massage businesses are proliferating, and illegal activities take place at many of those, said Lt. Devin Chase.
In 2002, Torrance had only 16 licensed massage businesses employing fewer than 100 massage technicians, he said.
However, that number has almost doubled to 31 in seven years, and there are now 261 licensed massage technicians working at them.
This year alone, licenses have been granted to 48 new massage technicians, while nine more massage business applications are pending.
"Traditionally, the Police Department has issued citations to about 20 percent of the businesses that we perform inspections at," Chase said. "However, in 2008, with the dramatic increase in businesses and technicians, that number jumped to 47 percent of businesses we visited that resulted in citations. Additionally, from 2005 to 2008 during 44 different undercover operations, we made 23 prostitution or lewd conduct arrests."
More than half - 52 percent - of massage parlors were cited for some form of criminal activity during the stings, he said.
Many of the women working at the massage parlors are themselves victims of human trafficking, Chase said.
At least three owners or managers of massage parlors spoke at the meeting and cautiously endorsed the idea, saying the proliferation of illegal parlors was harming legitimate businesses.
"More and more of these places seem to be springing up," said Mickey Schneider, owner of DuBunne Spa and Massage Center on Arlington Avenue. She added that she's noticed many of the businesses operating late into the evening.
"I don't know what they could be doing until 11 o'clock at night," she said. "There needs to be some oversight - things seem to be out of control."
Robert Thompson, president of the Madrona Homeowners Association, agreed.
"This is not the image I think the city of Torrance should be projecting," he said.
However, Julie Wasti, general manager of the Burke Williams Day Spa on Pacific Coast Highway in Torrance, cautioned that the moratorium could hurt legitimate businesses because of employee attrition and the up to three months it takes to get a new massage technician licensed.
"We're going to have a very hard time maintaining the quality of our technicians," she said. "It will definitely hurt our business."
Still, Torrance is one of a number of California cities, including Pasadena, Ventura and San Francisco, to have enacted moratoriums ahead of the pending state legislation.
"This will buy us time, so to speak, to get the job done," Police Chief John Neu said.
By Nick Green, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/29/2009 07:51:18 PM PDT
HOT TOPIC: » What our readers are saying
Alarmed by a surge in so-called massage parlors that are often little more than fronts for prostitution, the city of Torrance has enacted a 45-day moratorium on such businesses.
Police also pledged to crack down on those that already exist to ensure massage parlors and their employees are properly licensed and are operating legitimate businesses.
"This drops the gauntlet," Mayor Frank Scotto said. "People in this business know they have to be careful for the next 45 days."
The City Council on Tuesday night unanimously adopted the moratorium on new massage parlors and licensing for massage technicians. It could be extended for another 10 months by another council vote.
The moratorium and crackdown comes ahead of pending state legislation that would remove much local control of massage businesses. That legislation, authored by Sen. Jenny Oropeza, D-Redondo Beach, will standardize certification for massage therapists when it comes into effect Sept. 1.
While city officials are still analyzing the implications of the legislation, they fear that not acting now could lead to an even greater proliferation of such businesses and associated criminal activity.
Police officials said they are essentially "treading water" when it comes to massage parlors that are seemingly popping up on every street corner. Police often find such businesses - which come and go and relocate with a dizzying frequency to stay a step ahead of law enforcement - are unlicensed, as are the people who work there.
But even properly licensed massage businesses are proliferating, and illegal activities take place at many of those, said Lt. Devin Chase.
In 2002, Torrance had only 16 licensed massage businesses employing fewer than 100 massage technicians, he said.
However, that number has almost doubled to 31 in seven years, and there are now 261 licensed massage technicians working at them.
This year alone, licenses have been granted to 48 new massage technicians, while nine more massage business applications are pending.
"Traditionally, the Police Department has issued citations to about 20 percent of the businesses that we perform inspections at," Chase said. "However, in 2008, with the dramatic increase in businesses and technicians, that number jumped to 47 percent of businesses we visited that resulted in citations. Additionally, from 2005 to 2008 during 44 different undercover operations, we made 23 prostitution or lewd conduct arrests."
More than half - 52 percent - of massage parlors were cited for some form of criminal activity during the stings, he said.
Many of the women working at the massage parlors are themselves victims of human trafficking, Chase said.
At least three owners or managers of massage parlors spoke at the meeting and cautiously endorsed the idea, saying the proliferation of illegal parlors was harming legitimate businesses.
"More and more of these places seem to be springing up," said Mickey Schneider, owner of DuBunne Spa and Massage Center on Arlington Avenue. She added that she's noticed many of the businesses operating late into the evening.
"I don't know what they could be doing until 11 o'clock at night," she said. "There needs to be some oversight - things seem to be out of control."
Robert Thompson, president of the Madrona Homeowners Association, agreed.
"This is not the image I think the city of Torrance should be projecting," he said.
However, Julie Wasti, general manager of the Burke Williams Day Spa on Pacific Coast Highway in Torrance, cautioned that the moratorium could hurt legitimate businesses because of employee attrition and the up to three months it takes to get a new massage technician licensed.
"We're going to have a very hard time maintaining the quality of our technicians," she said. "It will definitely hurt our business."
Still, Torrance is one of a number of California cities, including Pasadena, Ventura and San Francisco, to have enacted moratoriums ahead of the pending state legislation.
"This will buy us time, so to speak, to get the job done," Police Chief John Neu said.
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