Twenty massage therapists in Bellevue face fraud charges after a nine-month long investigation that a number of massage therapists had obtained their licenses using counterfeit credentials, according to the Bellevue Police Department.
The investigations .
The most recent arrests and citations were made Thursday, according to Bellevue Police spokesman Officer Seth Tyler.
Police spokeswoman Officer Carla Iafrate told Bellevue Patch last month that the investigation targeted individuals with improper licenses, not businesses, although some of the businesses did close after the arrests.
The Bellevue Police vice division has been investigating since September, when it received information from the Washington State Department of Health and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that a number of regional massage practitioner’s licenses had been obtained fraudulently.
The Bellevue Police Department reported that the therapists used suspected counterfeit credentials when applying to the Washington State Department of Health for a license to practice massage therapy.
According to the Bellevue police department, the people suspected claimed to have gone to school in China for the credentials, but they would have been unable to receive the listed massage training in China during the times listed on the applications.
Bellevue Police officers conducted a check of several massage parlors in the city of Bellevue on May 24, resulting in the arrest of 10 individuals and the citation of three, according to the Bellevue police department.
Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection provided Mandarin translators during the arrests, the Bellevue police reported.
The investigation is ongoing.
Affected Massage Parlors
Massage therapists who face charges after the fraud investigation worked for the following massage parlors. However, many of the following businesses also employed therapists with legitimate licenses.
Lotus Herbal Spa
Chi Energy Spa
Sunflower Spa
Hao Spa
Jin Health Spa
Lavender Spa
Sapphire Spa
Kings Spa or Able Spa or Massage Spa
A-one Spa
Hao Spa
Aloha Spa (now called Lavender Spa)
-- List provided by the
In fact, I now teach an ethics class here at an eastside massage school to Chinese massage students who are making an effort to get their license the right way. The school is the first here in state to offer an English as a Second Language program of this nature and it's hoped that this will offer a means by which these students can bring their skills here in an appropriate manner. This is the first group to go through the program and I was touched and impressed by their commitment to the program. Don't throw everyone in the same box with all of this, but be clear that there are those who are working the system to their own advantage.
Would the naysayers prefer that all these people working to make a living be begging at your nearest onramp? Are you really so insecure that youre applauding their unemployment? Thats just thinly veiled racism. If you are secure in your skills you have what it takes. Be proud of yourselves for going through the process here, but dont be so arrogant as to assume that your way is the only correct way to have learned.
Helen, and Nabil are not all together wrong in regards to the value of eastern bodywork, and like many indutries the market often dictates where consumers go. I know many licensed massage practitioners who have sub-par massage skills, and often times they end up out of the industry because they simply can not generate the following to allow their business to succeed. That's pretty true of many occupations in a predominately capitalist society. However, although most of the rules regarding licensing here in the US are intended to protect consumers, they can also serve as a means to protect workers as well. Illicit business operators who employ unlicensed practitioners know that they have the upper hand and a common practice is to work the women through force, fraud or coercian, all of which are elements involved in human trafficking. It is not just the forced sale of sexual services that defines the crime of human trafficking, just like farm workers who are kept, and confined in bunk houses, working for nearly nothing to the profit of the farmer, many of these unlicensed women commonly live in the back of the business and earn very little for their twelve hour days. Granted begging along the side of the road may seem worse, but I have seen worse in regards to how some of these women are treated. (to be continued)
Finding a trained, licensed, and skilled massage practitioner is often a challenge, I too have to wade through some practitioners to find someone worthwhile from time to time. And yes, I do enjoy Thai Massage, Tuina and other forms of Asian bodywork, in a sense it's like choosing a good restaurant to me at times. After all, who wants to eat at McDonalds (Massage Envy) when you can have delicious cuisine that's better for you. None the less, I want to know that the kitchen is clean, and that the workers are paid a fair wage and treated with respect and dignity before I hand my money over to the business owner. I would suggest that you try services such as the American Massage Therapy Association "therapist finder" service on their website, or use services such as yelp.com. Just keep in mind that most states offer licensing these days and have websites that can provide you the ability to do credential searches. Beyond this, I really think consumers of all services should not be afraid to ask questions, whether you are getting a massage or getting your car tuned up. As for both, the true test will come when you are driving away, and hopefully driving away with a clear conscience that you haven't just turned money over to someone with the ethical conscience of a 19th century southern slave holder.
As a side note, well over 75% of the people involved in prostitution and/or human trafficking using massage for a cover involve people of Asian ethnicity. Nobody is being harsh about an ethnicity, but rather the actions that are being chosen. We don't want massage as a front for prostitution/human trafficking no matter what ethnicity is involved.
That isn't to say that people of an Asian ethnicity are all operating fronts for prostitution. Some come over from other countries and have been trained, are very skilled at their craft, hang a shingle and believe they are legal because that is how it is done in their country. Those cases are handled differently. There are schools that help people in such situations go through the process of obtaining their WA state license. Most of the time not much of anything is required of them to do so other than filling out the paperwork and submitting documentation to DOH. I hope that clears up any misunderstandings that seem to be happening. Nobody is "insecure" about their work and trying to elbow out competition. Heck.... massage therapists often refer clients to one another because there are so many different techniques and modalities! In the massage community we typically don't see each other as competition, but rather as colleagues.
Jalene: Thanks for those good points, and definitely there are plenty of cases nationwide where massage parlors have been a front for human trafficking and other unethical practices. However, I'm being careful and am going to stick to discussing the charges that are being brought forward in these cases. I agree with you and think it would be unfortunate if someone were to read this article and assume that *all* Asian massage establishments are unethical, when that's definitely not the case. That's why I felt it was important to list the ones where a massage therapist was accused of breaking the law.
I would suggest that local and state attorney general should contact the Polaris Project and get technical assistance in drafting appropriate legislation and looking at what other states are doing to combat this very serious problem. It is not only adding to the criminal element but it is detracting from the tax base and we all know that taxpayers feel overburdened now. It is a public safety concern when unlicensed and untrained individuals attempt to muddle their way through a therapy session. Consumers are entitled to have someone trained who can help, not hurt. For example, can you imagine the damage that could result from someone walking/cracking your back if you actually had a herniated disc and the "therapist" had no training to recognize such possibilities?? Legitimate and properly licensed massage therapists are welcome in ANY community, but not those that are fronts for prostitution or potential permanent injuries.