Everett closes massage business 'Happy Spa' for touching clients ... - KIRO Seattle

[massage]

by: Joanna Small Updated: Sep 12, 2016 - 7:51 PM

After a monthslong investigation and a police prostitution sting, the city of Everett was able to permanently shut down a massage parlor. Two of the women who worked at Happy Spa off Highway 99 on the edge of Everett were arrested.

Investigators said there are red flags visible from outside of Happy Spa: The windows are dark and a sign on the front door tells customers to enter from a door on the back of the building. And a legitimate massage clinic in Everett says there are more businesses like this that police should be investigating.

The Massage Clinic in Everett has never offered anything but massages, yet Debbie Reynolds, who works at the desk, takes some unusual calls.

“They’ll say, ‘Well, what do you charge for something extra?’ Or they’ll ask for a happy ending and I just have to tell them they’ve got the wrong place, they’ll have to check elsewhere because that’s not a service we provide,” Debbie explained.

Reynolds says the calls aren’t surprising because there are other massage businesses that do offer those services. What is surprising, she says, is how few have been investigated.

“Like I said, we’ve got several around the area and this is not the first place that I’ve worked where there were some in the near proximity,” said Debbie.

So Debbie was pleased to learn from us that Happy Spa, which is just south of The Massage Clinic, was forced out of business. The spa has been on the Everett Police Department’s radar since the owners applied for a business license in March.

Police found suggestive ads on backpage.com and then made three undercover visits to Happy Spa. After detectives say they were solicited, they arrested two female employees, one for promoting prostitution and the other for prostitution.

“We allege that the owner and business manager actually knew what was going on inside the business,” said Sgt. Aaron Snell, with the Everett Police Department.

Snell says this bust came about because of Happy Spa’s business application, but usually these types of investigations are driven by complaints, which is why they don’t do more.

“We have a lot of businesses, various businesses, and so going out and looking for the crime specifically in these industries isn’t exactly what we do,” explained Snell.

The city revoked Happy Spa’s business license; the owners appealed but lost that appeal last week. Debbie says one closure is a good start but likely not enough to stop the inappropriate inquiries.

“When they call it’s, like, 'Who wants this one?'” Debbie says, laughing it off.

Everett police say they are still investigating and there could be more criminal charges.

© 2016 Cox Media Group.


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