Not For Sale: Massage Parlors Flourish In Georgia (2024)

Massage parlors like the one in Florida where prosecutors say Patriots owner Robert Kraft paid for sex are common in Georgia.

Posted Mon, Feb 25, 2019 at 11:16 am ET

ATLANTA -- Day spas, like the one in Jupiter, FL, where police say New England Patriots owner Robert K. Kraft purchased sexual services, are prevalent throughout Georgia. The businesses have set up shop in storefronts in the business districts of several metro Atlanta suburbs, including Decatur, Smyrna, Chamblee, Tucker and Dunwoody. They advertise and are reviewed on websites catering to men looking to purchase sex. Anonymous posters on those sites leave blunt descriptions of the sex acts available, as well as fees charged.

The massage parlors often rely on Chinese women who have been trafficked illegally and who are often reluctant to cooperate with police, law enforcement investigators said. In some cases, court records show evidence that the women were forced or blackmailed into performing sexual services after being lured to the U.S. from China with a promise of legitimate work. They are often not allowed to leave the storefront where they work, and they turn over all the money they earn to the operators of the massage parlors.

While exact figures as to how many illegal massage parlors are operating in Georgia are hard to come by, state lawmakers have been trying for more than a decade to outlaw the businesses. In 2004 and 2005, legislators passed the Georgia Massage Therapy Practice Act, requiring massage therapists to be licensed by the state or hold a valid permit, be at least 18 years old, and be subjected to a background check, among other requirements.

However, according to a report prepared by the Vinings law firm of Freeman, Mathis & Gary in 2010, some massage parlors tried to circumvent the law by allowing the business' owners themselves not be licensed as massage therapists. In 2010, an amendment was added to close that loophole.

Local governments can also regulate other forms of commercial touch outside of the definition of massage or massage therapy. But in the case of the Florida investigation, police only got involved after a health department official noticed suitcases, clothing, hot plates and a store of food during an inspection.

Advertising In The Open

To find clients, the parlors advertise on sites with names like "Rub Maps," "Erotic Monkey" and "City X Guide." Federal authorities shut down one of the biggest advertising sites, Backpage.com, last April, but dozens of other sites have quickly stepped in to fill the void.

On Rub Maps, visitors can find street addresses, phone numbers and hours of operation for the massage parlors, as well as Yelp-like reviews left by customers that outline the types of sexual services offered and the prices paid for additional services. The site also uses a label reading "Reported as Non-Exotic" for legal spas in its search results where sexual services are not for sale.

Under its slogan "Where Fantasy Meets Reality," Rub Maps has reviews for more than 160 "Asian massage parlors" in Georgia, including 53 in Atlanta; 9 in Chamblee; 8 in Smyrna; 3 in Tucker; 3 in Dunwoody; and 2 in Decatur.

Like the day spa Kraft is accused of patronizing, the Georgia massage parlors reviewed online by Patch offer half hour- and hour-long massages for fees ranging from $60 to $80. Clients, according to the reviews, can then negotiate a "tip," code for a fee for sexual services beyond the massage. Those tips can range from $40 to $100, according to the postings on Rub Maps and similar sites.

A National, Human Trafficking Network

In the Florida cases, police said women were rotated through the massage parlors every 10 to 20 days. In some cases, they had their passports taken away. But building such cases is difficult. In Florida, investigators lined up Mandarin interpreters, but only one woman agreed to testify. The cases against the men, as well as women accused of trafficking Florida, is built largely on film of the men paying for and receiving sex acts from the women.

A total of 169 people were arrested during an 11-day, FBI-led human trafficking operation ahead of Super Bowl LIII. The Violent Crimes Against Children/Human Trafficking Program and Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force announced it had also rescued 18 victims of human trafficking, including nine juveniles and nine adults. The effort leading up to Super Bowl Sunday included more than 25 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and District Attorney's Offices, along with seven non-government organizations.

From January 23, 2019 to February 2, 2019, the operation's goal was to raise awareness about sex trafficking by proactively addressing that threat during the Super Bowl and events leading up to the Super Bowl. Of the 169 arrests, 26 people were alleged traffickers and 34 suspects were allegedly people attempting to engage in sex acts with minors. The youngest sex-trafficking victim rescued was 14 years old.

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Patch Editor Dave Copeland contributed to this report.