Massage and beauty parlours take over Yuhua Place, residents and shop owners uneasy
Residents and business owners in Yuhua have raised concerns over a surge of massage and beauty parlours at Yuhua Place, citing an imbalanced tenant mix and its impact on foot traffic.
A recent Straits Times article found that beauty and wellness parlours make up nearly half of the businesses there, with some occupying both the first and second floors of their units.
Food and beverage (F&B) outlets account for about 15 per cent of the units, while the rest comprise services such as tuition centres and clinics.
When Shin Min Daily News visited the area on a weekday morning, female massage parlour staff were seen trying to attract customers. Some younger male residents were spotted slowing down as they walked past, looking at the women.
Madam Liang (transliteration), who has been running a hair salon at Yuhua Place for 20 years, told Shin Min that the situation worsens at night, with female parlour staff everywhere and older men loitering around, making the area unsightly.
“I don’t like that massage parlours are everywhere here. But they can afford to pay high rental fees, so some landlords will rent to them,” Mdm Liang said.
A landlord who declined to be named said some massage businesses have offered to pay a monthly rent of $10,000.
However, unwilling to tarnish the image of the area, she turned them down. “If I rent out both the first and second floors of a unit, the monthly rent is $15,000. But I’d rather not rent it out to (the massage parlours).”
Businesses say environment affected
Some shop owners said the presence of massage parlours has contributed to a rowdy atmosphere, discouraging residents from visiting the area and affecting business.
Provision shop owner Mr Li (transliteration), 47, told Shin Min that fights occasionally break out.
“Many residents are unwilling to walk by because they see so many massage parlours here. I’ve also seen a woman fight with a female employee of a massage parlour,” Mr Li said. “At night, drunk customers would leave rubbish everywhere. It’s disruptive.”
Mr Hong (transliteration), an 80-year-old hardware store owner, said: “Rent is very expensive now. And with more people shopping online, it’s already difficult for businesses like ours to survive. These questionable businesses make it even harder to operate.”
Tighter regulations expected
In a Facebook post uploaded on Feb 3, Xie Yao Quan, the Member of Parliament for Jurong Central Single Member Constituency (SMC), said he welcomed plans to tighten regulations on massage parlour licensing.
Stricter rules targeting massage parlours and salons linked to vice activities are expected to be announced in the upcoming months, The Straits Times reported in February.
Currently, operators of massage establishments must obtain a licence under the Massage Establishments Act. However, beauty and hair salons that do not offer massage services — as well as open-concept massage establishments — are exempt.
Vice operators are known to register their businesses as beauty salons and hair salons to avoid scrutiny.
“We are determined to restore neighbourhood centres like Yuhua Place into spaces that residents feel safe to move through and look forward to visiting,” Mr Xie wrote.
“This will be a multi-year effort. But we will not let up. And we will bring the fight to the bad apples. Unwholesome activities have no place in our neighbourhoods.”
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