They're secluded in strip malls
and low rent office complexes,
but stick out in plain sight
with big massage signs.
An estimated 9000 illicit massage
parlors operate in the United States.
That's 2000 more than the number of banks
in the US for decades, American culture
has accepted these places with a wink,
wink, nudge, nudge, attitude,
allowing them to operate with impunity.
Places where men can go to get the so-called
happy ending under the guise of a massage.
A legit business front for a
legal prostitution on the inside a
$2.5 billion a year.
A legal industry that ensnares women,
predominantly from Asian countries.
That's just a bit more than what the
popular ride sharing app Lyft made in 2018.
Most come from China,
followed by South Korea,
Thailand and Vietnam.
They pay a trafficker thousands of dollars
in fees who promised them high paying jobs.
They know little English and
often come to the United States.
Legally,
under a tourist visa,
once they arrive,
their trafficker could threaten
them with deportation if they don't
comply with financial demands.
Women are coerced into giving
massages for little to no pay for
seven days a week at all hours,
and they are told to fear law enforcement
and often don't identify as victims,
making it tough to get help.
And in many Asian cultures,
the sense of shame keeps these women
from going back home as failures,
so in order to pay off their
debt and avoid embarrassment.
They are coerced to give those happy
endings to American men who either
don't care or don't know they're
playing a role in human trafficking.
Then how are you doing?
Good.
Suspecting sex and human trafficking.
I would see signs of people
living inside the business.
I'm just with the city.
Inspectors with the city of Aurora
found a new way to investigate
illicit massage parlors. He's
going to do an inspection.
I would see beds, I would see luggage.
I would see fully stocked refrigerators.
You know, signs that that people
were were living in there.
You guys living here?
We also see some people in
less than professional attire.
It's a little unusual, isn't it?
Lingerie in it.
This is just one of nearly twenty busted.
Last year, but not for prostitution.
Can I see your massage
therapy license? Nobody
else has a license except for her, the owner,
and this sting. Inspectors are looking
for business license violations.
Say, even if you did a prostitution
sting and you might be catching
somebody who might be a victim,
perhaps the trafficking victim.
Most of these women,
women that are trapped in commercial
sex trafficking everywhere,
don't have the choice.
They're often told that this
is what they're going to do
and it's not necessarily
something that they enjoy. Doing
Aurora thinks by going after the business
license they can stop human trafficking.
It's the first Colorado city to require a
special license just for massage parlors.
To get that license,
applicants have to turn over bank records,
prove their masseuses have state licenses,
be open to surprise inspections,
and only operate during the day.
I think the message has definitely
gotten out because a lot of these
businesses do communicate with each other,
and they know that Aurora is not a
a place that they want to locate.
Good for Aurora. Good for them,
right? But wait, out of the
18 businesses shut down,
we found seven still servicing
customers like Elite Spa.
Just one month after getting shut
down in Aurora, it popped up two
miles down the road in Denver.
We found massage me reopened in Denver.
Ocean Foot massage was shut down,
but still has a second location
open in Denver too.
You're stamping this out here,
but aren't you just pushing
this problem to other places?
That's part of our fear. You know,
we, we do what we can here in Aurora.
It's what we have control over
in trying to address this issue.
How does this help the women
though that are caught up in this?
I don't know. I mean I don't know if
it helps that and that's the problem.
We're getting it out of our community,
but it's still not solving the problem.
So we've got to get other
municipalities to get on board with
this because it's
all around one thing that we think it's
important is not to over regulate.
We want to make sure and have
a business friendly environment
Denver regulates.
More than 100 industries like alcohol,
marijuana and food trucks.
But unlike Aurora,
it does not require a city license
for massage parlors. It seems
to be working in Aurora.
According to them,
they're kicking these people out.
They're kicking the bad guys out,
and they're coming here in Denver.
What's your response to that?
Well, good.
We, you know, we we applaud Aurora.
It's just our approach might
be different than Aurora.
Doesn't mean Aurora's approach is bad.
It doesn't mean Denver's approach is bad.
We have a different approach towards this,
and in the future we might
have a business license it
would take. The act of City Council
to create that regulation with
the recommendation from excise and
licenses, where is that on the priority list?
Well, anything that has a threat to safety
in Denver is a top priority for us.
You know, it's hard to rank one
over the other. I would think.
Human trafficking is a
huge public safety issue.
Human trafficking absolutely is a
huge public safety issue.
That's why we have law
enforcement on the case.
Denver police arrested about a
dozen people in connection with
Alyssa massage parlors last year
on charges like prostitution.
One of those arrests occurred at
Tulip massage off of Sheridan,
a place that was denied a
license renewal in Aurora.
For sexually suggestive advertisements
in Aurora, we're seeing
these places get shut down.
Now we're seeing some of these
places opening up in Denver.
Are you seeing that here in Denver?
So I've heard information from you
that there are some locations that
have moved from Aurora to Denver.
The information that I haven't
heard yet is that they're involved
in illegal activity.
If they are,
I certainly want to know that
and that certainly is a concern.
Here I go into the massage place.
It's a secret. Everyone knows
there were massage out front.
Are you good? How are you doing? Good. Good.
Sexual services for cash inside. Hi.
I, I called for the 2:00 o'clock
appointment. OK. OK. Yeah.
18 Alyssa massage parlors shut
down in Aurora, suspected of
human and sex trafficking.
I know of at least one business
and potentially others,
that we revoked the license,
and now I've seen it reopen
another in another jurisdiction.
We checked on those 18 businesses.
Nine wants to know found seven
have reopened in other cities.
We visited all seven.
What's included with the with
the massage only body massage.
Four offered a standard massage and
I just want to know what's included
with the massage. For myself, but
three places offered something extra.
Is the body the body? Massage,
include anything else? Offered
with a hand gesture we can't show on TV.
Is there anything additional? Yeah,
that at the end besides a regular massage?
Yeah, I'm happy at the very end. OK.
A service that is illegal. Can
you tell me what's included else with
the body? I don't know what's your name.
OK, and that's that comes at the end.
Elite spa, massage me and Apple massage.
These are just three of nearly
500 Colorado businesses
profiled in a popular website.
It's like a Yelp just for
Alyssa massage parlors.
Customers leave detailed reviews
about the girls, their body types,
how to tip and what sexual
services are offered.
We refer to these places is where
you go for a massage with a happy
ending or a massage with benefits,
and it's something that.
Is laughed off.
And so you look at those places as
it becomes culturally acceptable.
It's it's well, we know what happens there,
but we don't realize the undercurrent
of the the lives of the people who are
there and that they can be victims.
Julie Beller's Group is trying to help
the women who work inside these places.
Misconception is that, you know,
this is a life that they've chosen.
They enjoy doing this.
They they enjoy having
sex with multiple men.
This is just their thing,
and that's not the case. And then
these women get. Re victimized
by the justice system.
What frustrates me is really having to
prosecute a victim in order to get back
up to the owner of the massage parlor
that's expecting this behavior to go on.
And that's something that is a
prosecutor doesn't sit well with me.
And really if one closes in one of the cities
or gets caught up in one of the cities,
they just go a mile down the road and
then they're in Denver. Apple, Asian,
mispa, here we go.
Moving down the road is what
these three massage parlors did.
Hi there. I am looking for the owner.
We wanted to know how easy it really
is for these businesses to reopen.
I know I'm not.
I'm not asking for a massage.
Do you speak English?
You don't. You don't speak
English. And if they're still
doing the same practices,
that got them kicked out of Aurora.
Hi there. Hi, I'm Jeremy hohola.
I'm a reporter with Nine News.
We brought along an interpreter.
I told you I'm not interested.
OK, OK. I just come over.
Should I just don't do this? I just
want to get your side of the story.
I just want to be fair. They
offered a sexual service
while we were undercover.
The massage services here.
Do you offer sexual services too?
With massages? So is that?
Going to Singapore?
No, no, no, no.
When the cameras on they claim ignorance,
is there any human trafficking
that's happening here? Deal
and blame unhappy, vengeful
customers for those online reviews.
At Apple massage,
we couldn't find the owner,
but a worker said nothing
illegal happens here.
Are there any sexual services that
are offered here at this location?
Yeah. No, no, there's no
social services offered here.
What needs to change here? I think
what needs to change is looking at this
within the criminal justice system as a
broader issue and making sure that we're
prosecuting the correct individuals.
But if we don't have a statewide regulation,
all we're doing is passing the
buck from 1 locality to another.
This is a statewide problem that I think
ultimately needs a statewide solution.
We're good. We're good. Start. OK.
Alright. If you just start with
your first name and your last name.
Real quick, Sir Ronnie Hines.
OK, and what's your exact title here?
I'm the division director for the Division
of Professions and Occupations in Dora.
Let's pause. Interviews with reluctant
government officials who don't wanna
go on TV to explain themselves usually
involve the following ingredients.
A dull conference room and
table with awkward seating.
An entourage of other government
communications people.
This one had three lights.
A reporter who just wants an authentic,
honest answer. That's me.
And the most.
Abundant ingredient,
bland sound bites to mask the bitter
taste of a government problem.
We have an effective, robust system
where we're reviewing applications,
we're looking at education and training,
we're taking swift, appropriate action,
and we're working really hard to make
sure consumers are unduly harmed.
That swift appropriate action includes
a break for the owner of Elite Spa.
The City of Aurora kicked her out
for hiring unlicensed masseuses.
She she had half license.
He he just didn't finish.
She got to keep her state massage
license after paying a $2000 fine,
making her one of 13,000 licensed
massage therapists in the state.
So do you guys have inspectors out there
in the field checking up on these people?
We've focused on the complaints that we get.
We do have the ability to conduct
investigations if we need to,
but we really value our partnerships,
both with the public who
provide us information.
As well as our sister law enforcement
agencies that are often great partners
and us taking swift action, no
swift action here. The City of
Aurora banned the owner of massage
me because of multiple online
sexual reviews about her shop.
So I have no idea about that
is 9 wants to know learned she
has an active state license
after getting certified through
a now defunct trade school.
American International Beauty
College decided to shut down after
the state revoked its accreditation
partially for selling credentials.
We found about 80 people that
are currently licensed by your
agency that got certificates
from these defunct schools.
Are you aware of that?
Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
I would I would have serious concerns.
The owner of Massage Me passed
a state required massage test
given in Spanish or English.
Her employees should have licenses too. How
are your employees able to
get a state certificate?
I'll tell you I'm going home and father.
I have no idea.
Inspectors in Aurora say it's odd how
some people, despite the language gap,
I have asked them do you know where
the bicep is and they won't know.
And then I'll ask him where the
calf muscle is and they won't know
that are able to get a state license somehow.
They have a massage therapist license.
That's been an issue nationwide with with
fake schools and cheating on the exams.
Is it acceptable to have people out
there with active licenses from
schools that have been? Revolt.
I want to make sure that we're
keeping all consumers safe and taking
action where we appropriately can.
Let's pause again.
Does the body and the body
massage include anything else?
While undercover shops offered US
sexual services, Aurora has found a
way to shut them down and stop the
endless cycle of human trafficking.
What I'm suggesting is I think
we need to have those same
conversations that Aurora had,
but do it as a state and look
at that statewide regulation.
So is there anything more you could
do? We definitely take swift,
appropriate action.
It is stuck in a cycle itself.
Is it acceptable though?
I wanna make sure that we're
protecting all consumers and that's,
that's that would be our focus is to
take the swift appropriate action.
We need to so much swift appropriate action.
Maybe we need a little more actual action.
I think investigative stories
like this often showed a light
on where we might want to talk
about what we could do better.