29-04-2025
Derry shuts down 6 massage parlors
Six massage parlors in Derry were forced to close this month for violations, including one establishment that employed someone with a prostitution conviction in another state, a town official said.
The town ordered Little Tokyo Spa at 127 Rockingham Road, LZ Asian Spa at 34 Manchester Road, Wei Lan Bodywork and Spa at 49 Birch St., and Orange Orange at 37 Crystal Ave. to cease and desist for violating Chapter 56, a town ordinance regulating massage spas.
Two other spas were also ordered to cease and desist — Star Day Spa at 4 Peabody Road Annex and Orange Tree Spa at 92 W. Broadway — which the town says were operating under New Hampshire esthetician licenses and also violated the town ordinance.
Incoming Town Administrator Mike Fowler said the violations varied, but included unlicensed technicians working under a single state license, a technician with a felony prostitution conviction, and explicit advertisements offering services not allowed at massage spas.
Before Derry adopted a new ordinance in 2023, all a massage therapist needed to operate in town was proof of a license through the state's Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. Town leaders decided that wasn't enough and started requiring that licenses with the state be in good standing and their applications were legitimate.
'Well above a common massage'
Fowler said residents reported activity beyond the scope of spas set out by the state and town at several parlors. The town's new licensing process began in March 2024 and after a year, the town's health and code enforcement departments scrutinized the businesses during the renewal process.
What they found was shocking, Fowler said.
'There were some things that started to pop up on six of the locations and we had to take action to issue cease and desist orders on those businesses,' Fowler said.
'The common theme with all six of these locations is that we were finding advertisements, and they all look basically the same, that were essentially solicitations for things well above a common massage.'
He said when officials searched the names of the businesses on the internet, they found 'references with pretty explicit photos and references to services' that are not part of a massage spa license.
Last Thursday, town councilors voted 7-0 to rescind Wei Lan Bodywork and Spa's license after the owner appealed and had been allowed to operate on a temporary basis. The business had recently moved from Manning Street to Birch Street.
Also by a unanimous vote, the Town Council upheld its decision to rescind the license of Orange Orange, run by Yung Cui, at an emergency Saturday morning meeting April 5. Cui had appealed the council's earlier decision, stating she didn't understand the rules when it came to advertising. After further investigation, officials found other violations as well, Fowler said.
Massage parlor ads
Several of the massage parlors have pages on Facebook and review sites such as Yelp. Little Tokyo Spa's Facebook page displayed an ad that included 'New Young Girl & Best Choice … There are sweet and gentle girls here … The girls will give you a unique feeling.' One of the pictures with that post, dated Sept. 18, 2024, included a suggestive picture of a young Asian woman who was not giving a massage.
On Monday afternoon, most of the massage parlors that had their licenses revoked no longer had reviews, pictures or working website addresses on Yelp and other sites, and previous suggestive posts on TikTok were no longer available.
Enforcing the ordinance
Fowler said it's difficult for the health and code enforcement departments in Derry to enforce rules on massage parlors because the ownership of the businesses frequently changes hands and many basically share licenses among several workers.
Fowler said after the meeting upholding the revocation of Orange Orange's license, someone else applied for a license at the location under a different name.
'Since then, we've received a change of use for that location where somebody had come in, another name, another person seeking to reopen under a new ownership structure. So, we're navigating that piece of it. It's been a challenge,' he said.
'It's a shell game that gets played because as soon as you know, we take an action for cease and desist, and two, three, four days later, another person comes up and the business has been sold or allegedly sold to a new owner. And now, they're asking for an application and they have a valid license from the state of New Hampshire.'
Fowler said several establishments have moved from Salem to Derry after being shut down there.
'Derry just happens to be now at the epicenter of this in southern New Hampshire, so we are taking actions within our ordinance,' he said.
The town has cracked down, but Fowler would like to see state regulators take a more active role in investigating business credentials before issuing licenses.
'We have written several inquiries to them, and never received anything back,' Fowler said.
Fowler said he could not comment on whether there are any criminal investigations by the Derry Police
