the hc scene has survived since the 80s, and actually the way they operate is much lower-profile than say the TN and the MP scene which have been sprouting all over the place, especially with their WLs who are in full view to people walking past those shops. so why all of a sudden, all the old dames are closing one by one, you ask?
my 2 cents are, its probably a way for the authorities to clean out the slate and re-regulate the whole industry. there has been talk in the past year about regulatory changes for hcs...such as all hc masseuses being required to go for classes and have certs....etc
i'm guessing instead of "upgrading," the authorities might have decided to go for "en bloc redevelopment." of course at this time, there's no sign as to whether there will be any "redevelopment" at all, but men's health spas are pretty much a quintessential part of the leisure/entertainment industry in Asia so i'm pretty sure they have to be allowed to come back in some way or another.
with regards to how the hcs are targeted, i'm guessing it's a matter of profile. if everyone's talking and raving about a place here, and the authorities are looking for places to start closing down anyway, naturally they go for the ones that have a higher profile.
anyway the hc scene is history for now. it's sad. i was going out with a girl who worked in one of the major hcs, and we had to split because she was jobless and was so stressed out by the industry movements. i was never one for the tns/mps. imo, those are the ones that the av should be targetting, if anything since they do operate rather openly and can create a rather sleazy impression to the locales where they set up shop. hcs on the other hand, are nondescript and are like anchor tenants to some of the malls. they are actually a rather good place to relax, have a soak in a hot pool, have a sauna and some food. just lounging and watching tv, in addtion to the massage of course. let's just hope for the best, and Reviewom now on just tone down on the colorful reviews lest it makes things seem like it's going out of hand which motivates all these undesirable actions by the authorities.