Customer allegedly tells masseuse in People's Park: 'If you don't do dirty stuff, you might as well close shop'
"If you don't do the dirty stuff, you might as well not do business."
That's what some customers have brazenly told legitimate massage parlours in People's Park Centre, insiders alleged.
After a lull during the Covid-19 pandemic, insiders claim that sex massage parlours at People's Park Centre have made a comeback over the past two years, with more than 30 such establishments now believed to be operating there.
Before the pandemic, sex massage parlours at People's Park Centre were said to be a common sight. Scantily clad women were frequently seen standing along the corridors openly soliciting customers and competing for business.
At the time, some beauty salons allegedly even used "drinking breast milk" as a sales gimmick, causing the building to resemble a red-light district and drawing complaints from other businesses.
These activities subsided during the pandemic.
However, according to insider info received by Shin Min Daily News, such operations began resurfacing from 2022 onwards. While their methods are said to be less overt than before, the number of massage parlours operating in People's Park Centre is believed to have surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
When Shin Min reporters visited the building in November, they observed that such establishments appeared to be operating on almost every floor.
A legitimate massage business owner, who declined to be named, told reporters that the proliferation of massage parlours offering sexual services has inevitably tarnished the reputation of the wider massage industry.
The business owner said two of his female employees had complained that customers frequently asked if they offered "special services". When rejected, some customers allegedly mocked them for not being business-savvy with some even saying: "If you don't do the dirty stuff, you might as well close shop."
He added that while such customers usually do not return, some who come back would repeat the same requests for "special services", which he described as a form of sexual harassment towards his employees.
"There was once a customer who came several times and kept asking if my staff offered special services. On one occasion, he even claimed he had won the lottery and said he could pay a high price to sleep with them," he claimed.
"We were really at a loss."
The operator added that although enforcement officers do carry out raids from time to time, some unlicensed massage establishments resume operations soon after.
"They (the women offering sex massages) have their own communication networks. Once one place gets raided, the others immediately shut down," said the business owner.
"There are simply too many massage parlours here for the authorities to clamp down on all of them at once."
