City officials have extended a moratorium on issuing massage therapy business licenses by another 10 1/2 months. Believing that such businesses are often a front for prostitution, officials first enacted a 45-day ban on October 21 on all new license applications for businesses that supply massages as a secondary service. The extension would give authorities time to study the issue more.
Officials rip San Gabriel Valley area massage parlor growth. Solicitation arrests haven't kept up pace. There are 9 times as many massage parlors in the San Gabriel region as there were 10 years ago, but arrests for prostitution has not spiked.
State officials have shut down 5 Arcadia massage parlors and fined one business $1.83 million for alleged labor code violations. Inspectors discovered that employees were not being paid hourly wages but got paid every time a massage was given. New Life Acupuncture at 610 E. Live Oak was fined $1.83 million for allegedly violating laws requiring employers to provide pay stubs and workers' compensation insurance. The four other locations fined were Ocean Health Center, C.H. Health Center, Arcadia Spa, and Best Health Center. The fines and closures continued a crackdown on massage-related businesses in Arcadia.