A woman was arrested on a charge of prostitution in Greenwood this week after turning an hourlong massage into something more, according to the Greenwood Police Department.
Greenwood Assistant Chief Matt Fillenwarth noticed that Golden Spa, 191 U.S. 31, was open without filing any massage permits with the city. The city requires massage parlors to seek a permit from the chief of police.
In order to fine the establishment, officers with the Greenwood Police Department decided to set up an appointment, get a massage, then fine them for operating without the necessary permits to be open, Fillenwarth said.
Instead, the masseuse — Zhi Huang, 44, who was living at the business — gave an undercover officer a massage and then grabbed and rubbed his genitals, police said.
Huang was arrested on a charge of prostitution, and she stayed in Johnson County jail for less than a day. She paid $250 to be released from jail Wednesday afternoon.
Huang and the manager had been living in a back room of the massage parlor, Fillenwarth said. Huang had arrived in Indiana during the past two weeks, after answering an advertisement found in New York to come to the Indianapolis area.
The massage parlor had brand new tables and the storefront looked professional, Fillenwarth said. The parlor was inspected by the Johnson County Health Department and had a permit to operate a business, but Golden Spa also should have had a permit for each masseuse and a massage establishment permit.
The Golden Spa closely resembles other massage parlors that have opened shop in Greenwood within the past few years, Fillenwarth said. The stores appear to be professional, but do not have proper licenses and permits to operate, he said.
Last year, the Greenwood Police Department had to fine another massage parlor on Emerson Avenue for not having the correct permits on file with the city, he said. In the Emerson Avenue spa, a woman had answered an advertisement from Los Angeles to move to Indianapolis, Fillenwarth said.
“We’ve seen this sort of thing before,” Fillenwarth said.
Golden Spa can reopen once it has the proper permits filed, but Fillenwarth said he doesn’t think their permits will be approved. If the storefront opens again without filing permits, then city officials can fine them again and force them to close, Fillenwarth said.
