Prostitution, 'erotic services' allegations close Asian Spa Massage in East El Paso

Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times
·3 min read

The El Paso County Attorney's Office has shut down another massage parlor in East El Paso on allegations of prostitution and employing unlicensed massage therapists following an undercover police vice investigation.

Asian Spa Massage was closed last week by a temporary court order accusing it of being a nuisance on allegations of repeatedly violating the law by "providing erotic services," employing unlicensed massage therapists and other illegal activity, the county attorney's office said.

Asian Spa Massage is located in the Vista Del Sol retail strip, which includes a pizza shop, a psychic and other mom-and-pop shops, at 1212 N. Yarbrough Drive next to Vista Del Sol Drive.

"We will not tolerate businesses that engage in illegal activities and become a nuisance to residents of El Paso," County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal said in a statement. "The closure of Asian Spa Massage sends a clear message that such establishments will face severe consequences for their actions."

Asian Spa Massage, at 1212 N. Yarbrough Drive in East El Paso, was closed by a temporary court order last week for allegedly violating the law by providing erotic services, employing unlicensed massage therapists and other illegal activity.
Asian Spa Massage, at 1212 N. Yarbrough Drive in East El Paso, was closed by a temporary court order last week for allegedly violating the law by providing erotic services, employing unlicensed massage therapists and other illegal activity.

The temporary restraining order shuttering the business was approved on Thursday, Nov. 9, by Judge Sergio Enriquez of the 448th District Court. A hearing on Monday, Nov. 20, will determine if the order becomes a preliminary injunction that will keep the establishment closed.

The owners and operators of Asian Spa Massage are listed as Deng Quiling and Bao Guo So. They could not be reached for comment.

In a separate case earlier this month, Chen Massage, located in a shopping center at 11890 Vista Del Sol Drive near Zaragoza Road, was shut down by a court order obtained by the county attorney's office amid nuisance allegations.

'Erotic reviews,' prostitution allegations at El Paso massage parlor

During the investigation, three Chinese-speaking women with California identification cards were found by investigators at Asian Spa Massage, according to documents in the temporary restraint order file. Investigators suspect that at least two employees lived at the parlor. The women did not have valid Texas massage therapist licenses.

Dating back to 2020, customers on "erotic review" websites described receiving sexual services at the parlor ranging in price from $40 to $100, according to documents filed with the temporary restraining order.

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Investigations of the parlor date back to an undercover operation in 2020, though court documents show that the scrutiny intensified this summer.

In July, investigators with the county attorney's Nuisance Abatement Team and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation began conducting surveillance of the parlor, watching its all-male clientele.

More: South-Central El Paso bar closed after county attorney alleges habitual criminal activity

Since July, El Paso police vice officers posing as customers visited the parlor on four occasions, resulting in cases of prostitution and receiving massages from unlicensed therapists, documents stated.

The most recent undercover operation was on Oct. 18, when a vice detective allegedly solicited a massage from an unlicensed therapist and an offer for sexual manual gratification for $40, according to documents.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: East El Paso massage parlor closes due to allegations of prostitution