"The place was originally busted for offering sex-for-cash to an undercover police officer in May 2019, after which SF DPH revoked their massage license. The department then found they were still continuing that practice. A customer filed a police report in 2024 over an employee who was determined to tug at his genitals, and SF City Attorney David Chiu ordered the place closed in March 2025 after another SF DPH inspection found the place to be operating, well, more or less as a brothel."
"In the words of Chiu's office, a DPH decoy entered the business and observed a room of women in lingerie. One woman offered to allow the decoy to massage her while she made sexually suggestive hand gestures. Empire Relaxation Spa was blatantly operating as a brothel, and was an ongoing nuisance for the surrounding community, Chiu said in a Tuesday press release."
Empire Relaxation Spa in the Tenderloin repeatedly operated as a sex-for-cash venue despite prior enforcement. SF DPH revoked the spa's massage license after a May 2019 undercover bust, but subsequent inspections and complaints showed the illegal activity continued. A 2024 customer complaint and a March 2025 DPH decoy inspection prompted SF City Attorney David Chiu to order closure. Inspectors observed women in lingerie offering sexual services and found health and safety violations with sex workers living on-site. The business ignored multiple city violation notices. The city obtained a $275,000 settlement from owner Ricky Lee to prevent reopening.
Read at sfist.com
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