Worried that illicit massage parlors – which provide more than a relaxing rubdown – could make inroads in Bristol, city councilors said Tuesday they plan to push through a new law that would impose stiff regulation.
“We’re trying to limit the criminal element,” said Dale Clift, who was recently appointed as city attorney.
City officials privately pointed to activities that internet discussion boards claim are taking place at Star Spa Acupressure on North Street as one of the driving forces for cracking the whip now.
“We’ve got to do something before” more sex-oriented shops open in town, said city Councilor Mike Rimcoski.
Detective Sgt. Christopher Lennon said he proposed the legislation a year ago after a massive crackdown in Waterbury led him to worry that fake massage purveyors might try their luck in Bristol next.
He said his request wasn’t spurred by concern about any shops in Bristol, merely the possibility that some might move to town.
“It was mostly a preemptive issue,” Lennon said.
Nothing much happened on Lennon’s request until Ordinance Committee members took up the measure this spring.
Several city officials said they are aware of rumors of illicit activities taking place at the Star Spa, a shop that an online poster calling himself Sinergy69 said gave him “a rubdown that damn near knocked me out,” followed by significantly more.
He might find it a little harder to pay for less than therapeutic massage if councilors pushi through the statute they’re eyeing.
Clift said the key feature of the ordinance used in Waterbury was a requirement that massage parlors get a permit from the police, which includes fingerprinting employees and taking pictures to make sure they don’t have criminal backgrounds.
The provision makes it much easier to shut someplace down if a crime is committed, Clift said.
The ordinance doesn’t apply to massage therapists who are licensed by the state, medical offices and other clearly reputable establishments, officials said.
“We don’t want to criminalize massage therapy,” said city Councilor Craig Minor, who chairs the Ordinance Committee.
City Councilor Kevin McCauley said that just forcing people who want to open a massage parlor to apply to the police will scare many of them off.
An ordinance could be passed by mid-July.
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
10 comments:
Give me a break McCauley and Minor.
Anyone can tell a legitimate message therapy establishment from one of these asian whorehouses.
You people are full of it.
70.00??? Damn cost of gas has touched everything.
we have alot bigger problems then going after these places who cares? hey if these shops are paying their taxes then leave them alone. oh right this is bristol the council does'nt leave anyone alone.
City officials privately pointed to activities that...
If they said it privately then why is it in the paper? Now it's public.
My point is - now that the spa has a "heads up" will this hinder any investigation that the police are doing?
could someone please explain "...manual finish..."
I was told by the police that there is no specific investigation going on of any particular establishment.
McCauley is just looking to put his name on something! What has he done since he's been Councilman....other than working on keeping Fed. Hill clean!?
Just one of the boy's the union has in there pocket!!
April 30, 2008 8:16 AM:
Are you that naive?
Good Idea .....
Let's create a LAW to prosecute someone guilty of a RUMOR while we let the teachers determine if a fellow teacher has done anything wrong by having sex with a student and keep the civil authorities completely out of it .
ya just gotta love Bristol and it's unions .
HEY !!!!! Maybe the massage parlors should join the municipal workers unoin and clean up the whole issue immediately w/o the fuss of new laws .
It took them long enough to figure it out don't you think. The signs were there from the beginning, especially after all the details came out about the parlors operating in Waterbury were busted. In waterbury it was reported that they would "BUS" the girls, usually of Asian descent, in from New York in vans. Well when this place here on Rt6 opened up there was always a white cargo van parked next to the building. Not to mention how many legitimate massage therapy places are open until 2am on weekends.
I know Steve Collins was told by the Bristol Police that there weren't any on going investigations in to the allegations against this business, however I have talked with a few officers that are friends of mine who told me it is well known among the department what is going on there but they don't have evidence to prove it.
As far as another poster on here said with just letting the business stay as long as they pay taxes, than why don't we let drug dealers keep doing business as long as they pay taxes. What these girls are doing is called prostitution, which is illegal. It only hurts our community to let it stay in business. Before you know it Bristol will look a lot like Waterbury with one of these places in every strip mall. It should have been stopped long ago, but at least now it seems our city Gov't may finally do something about it. Lets hope so.
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