Lacey police are cracking down on illegal activity at several massage businesses

LACEY, Wash. Lacey police are taking action to shut down businesses that double as fronts for prostitution and human trafficking.

Officials said seven businesses in Lacey are suspected of offering more than just massages. Police Chief Robert Almada said these businesses did not have the proper licenses and certifications and received several complaints from community members about illegal activities.

“The community has started looking for legitimate services and realized that this place is probably doing prostitution and other types of activities, and that’s not what they want to get,” Almada said.

Almada said they have been investigating these companies over the past year and found evidence of what took place behind closed doors.

“There were people who didn’t seem to know how to do real massages. They had employees dressed in lingerie, they had some unconventional tipping requests, and their hours were unusual,” he added.

During a city council meeting Tuesday, Almada and other council members discussed the problems with the current ordinance regarding permits, certification and operating hours. Now they are in the process of making changes.

“They must have the correct certifications. They would not be allowed to employ minors at the location, and their hours would be set in this ordinance so they cannot be open all night,” Almada said.

Almada said the changes require these licenses to be present and visible on the wall or in the facilities. He added that this would tarnish the reputation of other massage parlors trying to help the community.

“We want them to be able to operate and not be tarnished by the specter of these illegitimate businesses, and quite frankly, we have people who are looking for these services, and they’re surprised when they realize they’re not getting the services they need . thought they would get it,” he said.

Officials said they continue to investigate and work to address more of this illegal activity.

The City Council is expected to vote on the amended ordinance later this month.