Several massage parlors failed to comply with massage business ordinance - Iowa City Press...

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Hillary Ojeda Iowa City Press-Citizen

Published 4:06 PM EST Jan 15, 2019

Five businesses in Iowa City failed to comply with the city's new massage business ordinance after Iowa City Neighborhood and Development Services staff requested business information forms last month.

The ordinance was adopted in September as a way to combat human trafficking.
Massage parlors are often cited as fronts for human trafficking and illegal sex work.

City officials say the business information forms, which ask for names of owners and employees, allow them to have a contact point for the businesses.

Four of the locations were missing information or didn't fulfill the business manager requirements, while one of the location's therapists had an expired massage therapy license.

READ: City visited seven businesses under massage parlor ordinance

The locations include La Care Spa, 216 Stevens Dr.; Asian Bodywork Therapy, 1021 Gilbert Ct.; Benton Street Massage, 317 E. Benton St.; and two locations of Paradise Spa, 805 S. 1st Ave. and 1901 Broadway St., according to Assistant City Attorney Sue Dulek.

Seven businesses were initially added to a list after Iowa City Police Sgt. Jorey Bailey found them on the erotic massage parlor review website, RubMaps. The website purports to be user-generated and allows anyone to submit photos and information on locations that sell sex services.

Of the total eight locations, two complied, one was closed and the remaining five locations have more than a week to comply before enforcement actions are taken.

The notice for La Care Spa says the form they submitted is incomplete and to correct it they have to include the residential address of the business manager, who must be a resident of Iowa.

"We don't have a manager," said ShanShan Kong, owner and licensed massage therapist of La Care Spa. "Because we don't have a lot of customers and employees."

Paradise Spa, located at 1901 Broadway St., received a notice informing them that they have to take action regarding an employee's state massage therapy license, which is no longer valid.

READ: Will a new Coralville permit system stop human trafficking in phony massage parlors?

"In order to cure the violation," reads the notice, "Paradise Spa must cease its employment of Mei Xue Song as a massage therapist until proof of an active state LMT license can be provided."

The second location of Paradise Spa, located at 805 S. 1st Ave., needed to comply by providing a residential address for a business manager.

It was also the only location that requested translation services, according to Neighborhood and Development Services Director Tracy Hightshoe. She said out of all the December visits carried out by building specialist, Marnie Teagle, only one said they needed to use Google translate to understand what was being requested.

Hightshoe said when city staff work with the public and translation services are needed, they ask what language they speak and if they prefer to use a service, Language Line.

In this case, she said, the Paradise Spa worker said they were most comfortable using Google translate and used that to communicate with Teagle last month.

City documents show that the businesses received notices of violations on Jan. 10, 2019, and have until Jan. 24, 2019, to correct them.

The notices inform the businesses that they can communicate with city officials if they feel they aren't in violation or need an extension to comply.

If no action is taken to correct violations and no extension is requested, a range of enforcement actions may be taken.

The city could seek "civil penalties, administrative remedies such as denial or revocation of City permits and licenses, criminal court proceedings, and/or action for an injunction or other court order directing elimination of the violation," according to the notice.

Assistant City Attorney Dulek said decisions on enforcement will be made after Jan. 24, depending on what the businesses have done to comply.

READ: Iowa City completes Human Trafficking Pamphlet Friday morning

Reach Hillary Ojeda at 319-339-7345, hojeda@press-citizen.com or follow her on Twitter at @hillarymojeda

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