Posted March 26, Reviewed by Devon Frye. All three were listed in Rubmaps, an erotic review site that allows users to search for and review illicit massage parlors. The industry is thought to be the second-largest offender when it comes to human trafficking. Only escort services have a larger number of calls for help from people who are being sex-trafficked. There are almost 10, illegal massage parlors in the U.
Unfortunately, illegal massage parlors take advantage of this ambiguity. Years ago, the sexual activity that goes on in an illegal massage parlor would usually be obtained in a red-light district brothel. Today, these businesses operate out in the open, next to legitimate businesses. The public relations efforts of the illegal massage industry are in some ways reminiscent of the tobacco industry back in the s and s. But is there nothing wrong with what goes on in massage parlors?
Take a look at what life is frequently like for women who work there. The woman in the following example is a composite of what has frequently happened to those who work in massage parlors, based on information compiled by Polaris and other organizations.
While still in her home country, she answered an ad, probably on the Internet, that promised her a well-paying job in the hospitality industry in the United States. The ad played on her dreams of making a good life in America, the land of opportunity. To pay these costs, she probably used up any savings she had, and maybe she borrowed money from her parents and relatives. Or so she was told.
However, once in the United States, her dreams became a nightmare. The easy, lucrative job she was expecting to have in a hotel or restaurant turned out to be working in a massage parlor. She quickly discovered that her job was to have sex with customers as often as 10 times a day or more. Typically, her trafficker takes away her passport and other identifying documents.
