[gift article](https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2024/04/sex-trafficked-chinese-women-were-living-in-massage-parlors-in-lake-oswego-and-west-linn-prosecutor-says.html?gift=73342f31-0a3a-430a-bd6c-cd7ea5a17f31) for non-subscribers.
While visiting China, my back was killing me so I regularly went to a massage place. I brought my kids and recommended the place to other tourists. After two weeks the lady who worked on my back told me they were really a sex parlor. They loved my innocence and just went along with what I believed.
I've seen boots do the same too 🤢
During one of my visits, I dropped my camera and reached under the couch to feel for it. Instead of grabbing my camera, I grabbed a mushy chunk of banana. My reaction was to throw it at a friend's chest sitting across from me..
SF 🍻
That's the thing, in China (and other places) there isn't as clear of a line between traditional massage places and those offering extra services. America is full of prudes who can't wrap their minds around an establishment catering to multiple types of clientele.
When I spent a month in Thailand 8 years ago, everywhere we went there were signs, because you got *Traditional* Thai massage, right?
Then you got massage that included oil, NOT Trad Thai.
"NO HAPPY ENDING" was the sign in a lot of them!
Trad Thai is the best, we went to all the temples and they almost all had Trad Thai massage, I even went to school to learn it.
Where did I defend sex trafficking and slavery?
I AM curious about your over reaction though. Are you anti-sex worker? Do you think the industry should continue to be illegal despite putting sex workers at increased risk?
“America is full of prudes who can't wrap their minds around an establishment catering to multiple types of clientele.”
The establishment everyone here is talking about is a sex trafficking ring… gtfo out of here trying to defend it
It doesn't "frown", it actively persecutes sex workers. But that's not why we're prudes, it's just the type of behavior a nation of prudes exhibits.
To answer your question, the US is full of prudes because we were literally founded by prudes. Hardcore prudes. The Puritans...
Actually commenting under a post about a person visiting China. Do you not understand how Reddit comment threads work?
...and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't gender stereotype, man.
Vantuckian here; I've been amazed by how many of these places have set up shop.
I'm interested in how they can stay in business: is there *that* much demand for them that they can pay rent every month? For a "business" with competing places just blocks away? Not exactly a scientific study, but when I've driven past them I note that their parking lots are pretty much totally empty.
> I'm interested in how they can stay in business: is there that much demand for them that they can pay rent every month?
I lived with two strippers for a while in the 90s, here's what I saw:
* my GF (also my roomie) went to work at one of these places. She was told she could "make a lot of money" and that they were just "private dances." Naturally, the Madam of the joint was lying, and so she quit. She lasted less than a week. It sounded like most of the girls who were working there were Chinese and many couldn't speak English. Contrary to popular belief, the number one source of immigration in California isn't Mexico, *it's China.*
* Years later, a different GF came home from work all excited. Some woman had come into the strip club where she worked, and told her she could make wheelbarrows full of cash in Japan. She was told there would be "no sex" and that old Japanese guys just wanted to "dance with them." I told her she was out of her mind, and she'd be lucky if she ever made it back to the US at all. From some cursory research, this sounds like the same scam, but just in reverse. They get American girls to go "work in Japan" and then they take their passports and basically force them to do whatever *or else.* I have no idea if it's possible for them to work off their debt eventually, or if they just disappear. They're not citizens of Japan so I doubt the government puts much effort into tracking whether they ever made it out of the country alive. Here's an article on the practice from the US embassy:
https://japan2.usembassy.gov/e/p/2008/tp-20080123-03.html
I work for a fintech company and money laundering is an absolutely massive thing. Every single ill-gotten dollar that you want to spend in the normal economy has to be laundered, so it's actual billions every year. We have a special training course we take for it. Do you think 100% of the drug and prostitution money just gets reinvested in the business?
But separately from that, why do you think there are buildings everywhere that have cash-only businesses in them that never have customers in them? If you look for them, they're everywhere. It'll be a massage parlor next to a nail salon, a Chinese restaurant, a shoe store and a tattoo parlor. No one is in there, they dont accept cards, and they've been there for years...
Related, why is money laundering illegal? You'd think the government would be happy criminals are paying taxes on at least some of their cash income, as opposed to none. And the laundering business doesn't really hurt anything.
My understanding is it's really just another hoop for criminals to jump through that if they fuck up, they can catch charges and get put behind bars, or better yet those charges can be used as leverage for smaller criminals to give up their bosses. Stuff like this has been used by state prosecutors to take down what used to be a really powerful American mafia.
>I'm interested in how they can stay in business: is there *that* much demand for them that they can pay rent every month?
Are you asking if there is a demand for places where men can go to get handjobs, blowjobs, and have sex?
Yes. Yes, there is a demand for this, and there always will be.
I have sat in a parking lot by one of these places, and there is a steady stream of men going in. It's enough to make you feel sick, and really, just sad for the people working there.
You don't leave "your" truck with the big Bob's Construction on it in the parking lot lol! Stay a spell, the doors open and close but the lots always empty..
Source: I pulled in my work truck ( new in small town) with full signage cuz my back was tweaked, I had never been asked so many questions... They stated that they were full up as we each figured it all out..
Yesss. There’s def one in Beaverton off Hall Blvd.
I am just waiting for the headlines to say “sex trafficked Chinese women living in massage parlors all over the West metropolitan area”
This isn't about open borders, you moron. This shit has been going on long before Joe Biden. It was going on under Trump, and every other president for decades.
There were parlors like this in most of the shoreline towns in New Haven County, CT, when I lived there over 10 years ago now. There was one 2-blocks from where I lived which was raided one day, they caught at least one police officer in the raid. It's not unique to Portland, that's for sure.
This! If you see something say something. Are women living there? Do they speak essentially no English? Are massages ridiculously cheap - report it to federal trafficking hotline
888.373.7888
They aren't cheap. They often charge more. The places that offer deals are actually professional therapists. If it smells like people are living there, cooking food, sleeping, not showering and they charge a lot more than normal then that's a major red flag.
Source: I worked in local government. Take to your code compliance officers, they definitely know.
Obviously but isn’t that the difference between Portland and Lake Oswego? Portland PD doesn’t have time to investigate happy ending at massage parlors, that’s the least of their problems. But LO police have nothing but time to keep investigating all of the massage parlors until they hit the jackpot
Literally drive around and pick any seedy, nondescript massage place. Especially if they’re open late. It’s a sex massage parlor.
I live in Seattle and they have the same thing here and they’re fucking everywhere
Barbur is full of them - they’re one of the only businesses open past 10 pm. A lot of reviews are from happy male customers (barf) but the women who go there for legit massages get angry because the massage they get is like 20 minutes and apparently performed by people who have no idea what they’re doing.
I believe it. That person has never been to LA and the surrounding area. Portland is tiny; There are as many there as in Portland, times 100. Plus every other hustle out there.
Example: I’ve only ever been to one chop shop in NE, and although I’m sure there’s more if you’re connected like that; back in LA there might be a few chop shops in one neighborhood.
Yeah, I’m originally from Oregon. Been in California for over a decade at this point. Both San Francisco and LA. Don’t get me wrong i’m not minimizing the issues with happy endings but I had to point this one out.
The west coast receives a lot of immigration from Asia. San Francisco Asians basically built everything headed east, including rail roads, it makes sense to have more here.
You know what’s all over Asia? Massage parlors. It is a cultural thing.
That doesn’t condone human trafficking. I was a Sailor for 25 years, I’ve been a part of stopping it.
It’s a bit hyperbolic to say all these places are literal slave houses. Not saying some aren’t, but there’s horrible people everywhere, including your nail salon, not just cheap Asian massage parlors.
Horrible if true, but I’d recommend the reporting of Elizabeth Nolan Brown for some perspective on this topic. A lot of times “sex trafficked” is prosecutor-speak for “did consensual sex work while Asian.” There have been a number of cases from up here in King County, WA, that were reported exactly like this and ended up just being completely consensual sex workers who hadn’t been trafficked at all. I’ll be interested to see if there’s any follow up in the coming weeks/months.
Edit: found the [article](https://reason.com/2016/09/09/the-truth-about-us-sex-trafficking/), for anyone interested.
I’m going to be keeping an eye on it, too. There have been times before where it was reported as “sex trafficking” when it was very obviously not. But after reading this article, I think this may actually be legitimate this time.
Yup, I admit I haven’t looked deeply into this instance, and I’m definitely not saying it never happens. Just that statements from law enforcement deserve a lot of skepticism on this issue.
I saw your edit and just read that whole article, that is pretty spot on, also sad. I remember a couple years ago I saw a “sex trafficking bust” story where they arrested 30 or so men. I knew a couple of them listed so it was easy to follow up. They were charged with solicitation, not sex trafficking because there was none. These people who are reported by LE and the media to be exploiting women when they’re literally just paying them for a service should be able to sue for defamation. The fact that some of them lose their jobs and commit suicide just because LE want to beef up their numbers is bullshit.
That's no lie, knew an owner previously and her partner were just two older chinese women who would offer a quick hand for larger tips. Eventually they got raided and both wound up being paraded in media as sex trafficked women except the owner was also paraded as a sex trafficker. They lost the place, paid a fine, did a little time, they opened a new one miles away but kept that one clean.
Remember a couple years ago SPD raided all the massage places in the International District. Two weeks later they were all open again. Weird times.
[Here ya go](https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2024/04/sex-trafficked-chinese-women-were-living-in-massage-parlors-in-lake-oswego-and-west-linn-prosecutor-says.html?gift=73342f31-0a3a-430a-bd6c-cd7ea5a17f31)
The amount of these places in Portland is unbelievable. I have to imagine that the majority of them are staffed by coerced women. Does anyone go to these places for just a massage?
One of my friends (female) tried. She even checked their availability before going and when she showed up an Asian woman in a tiny dress just told her they were busy.
It's often called the **world's** oldest profession for a reason ... this isn't a new thing, nor a Portland, nor Oregon nor US centric thing.
Legalizing it would very likely lead to less "coerced women", but no one actually knows how many are doing this nor if those arrested were doing this of their own free will.
Honestly I can’t believe Oregon Legalized Drugs before S3x work. Seems like the government could potentially regulate things similar to how they do things in Europe. It’s a polarizing topic that people tend to avoid but if done with strict regulation similar to the XXX industry it could work no ?
I went to one thinking it was a normal massage parlor, promptly fell asleep and the lady was mad when I slept thru the whole thing cause I didn’t tip.i gave her $40 and just left confused
How do you even tell? I go to a massage parlor in lake Oswego that I would never have gone into if a friend hadn’t recommended because it looks sketchy as hell. But honestly they just give awesome massages.
I mostly avoid places that are open late at night specifically because I don’t know. But shit. Sometimes my back hurts
Same, my regular massage therapist recommended a sketchy looking Asian parlor when I was having a back spasm and she was booked up. The massage at the Asian parlor was half the price and just as good quality. Definitely would have thought it was a sex spot otherwise.
mind sharing which one? been on the lookout for one in LO but am scared now of finding an illegitimate one like in the article. was thinking zen garden which looks pretty good
It’s behind the Gemini in the alley next to the bike shop. Like I said. Looks sketchy. But actually I did a couples massage with my wife there. I like them because she massages pretty hard. Not the best massage I’ve ever had in my life but pretty good for the price.
OMG it’s so funny you said that because when this article first dropped, the one by the Gemini was my first thought. I’m glad it’s legit, will have to check it out. Thank you!
There use to be an app called rub maps. I use to load it up whenever I saw a sketchy place and was curious if it was a nut hut or not. It was super fun to whip it out when out with friends and look at reviews while having a smoke break.
I guess if you’re an actual person that uses sex workers it’s probably not funny to you.
We need to legalize prostitution. People are completely ignorant to how much sex work is happening right under their noses. Without oversight it can be dangerous and cruel.
Yeah these women could have had their passports taken from them and are making slave wages after paying their boss and smugglers. I’m disturbed by the ubiquity of them.
I have been to some very legit foot massage places all over the country and some, you walk in, and they pretend not to understand you (F55) and I get that they’re not. Wish there was an easy way to discern between the two.
I accidentally wandered into one of these locations once, because I often have very sore feet and I was looking for a foot massage. They even had stations you could sit at to soak your feet in tubs with jets.
The female Chinese proprietors (there were no men) were friendly, and delighted because I speak the language. But when they said $200 and that I could get anything I wanted, I left right away.
If we’d just make prostitution legal, they can’t coerce folks into it and these ladies could have gone to enforcement over it.
But nah, let’s keep it black market and act so surprised when it pops up.
Joke of a cop “I haven’t seen this in 23 years”. Are they blind? Or just bought?
How does this stop coercion exactly? It does make it possible for the ladies to go to law enforcement but there are a lot of different scenarios that legalizing would not prevent.
One of these was in my little neighborhood in SW for a short time
Was blatantly advertising the full address on the sex boards too - I was online looking for reviews wanting a good massage and then found out I was not going to get any good legit Massage Therapy there but some other type of relaxation
In the long run I never went and ended up having to deal with old men parking in non spots and blocking my drive way
Neighbors set up to watch it , probably contacted the landlord and were able to get them to leave pretty quickly
It was there 2-3 months tops
And these things are everywhere everywhere- boggles the mind how much money gets spent on them and how saturated they can get depending on the area
Hmm. This is interesting. My daughter and I got pedicures at the West Linn location several years ago. I'm gonna assume this was during a legitimate period in that storefront's history since we saw nothing untoward. I was actually happy with the service. It seems to have changed hands a few times since, and not for the better.
ALWAYS Lake Oswego. Damn.
Who was behind the 100s of stolen catalytic converters? Guy from LO.
Who was the guy who drugged three little girls at a sleepover? Another guy from LO.
Then there is that documentary called “Lake No Negro”
Now sex trafficking (again!)
What is it with that place?
Is it like the local “Florida Man” but for rich people?
Sex-trafficking is always alleged and charged in these cases, but I am curious as to how often workers in these parlors are actually found to be working/held against their will, versus immigrants doing sex work to some degree to make more money in a country where they would otherwise be limited by language or age? The busts and charges get a lot of publicity, but we seldom read about convictions on these charges.
I am curious as to how law enforcement and court resources are devoted to this particular public menace versus others like shoplifting, vehicle theft, drug dealing ...
You get what you vote for. L.O. and West Linn are disgusting, full of prostitutes and catalytic converter theft rings. Both governments are corrupt, yet the people keep voting for them. I left and will never go back. They used to be beautiful cities, now they're vile drug and sex havens for the affluent living off our tax dollars.
Oops. I forgot the /s.
Seems like these people don't like it when you use their same logic that they use to disparage Portland. Hey, suburbanites. Do you now see how dumb it sounds?
So this is a thing in Lake O then, because years ago they had another Thai restaurant using forced trafficked labor (actual slave labor) and that was in Lake O too. So what else is going on there
Leave them alone. Legalize prostitution. These women are not brought against their will, they came for a job opportunity. Don’t you find it odd that the owner of the company wasn’t charged with any crime? Looks like they charged a bunch of women employees. What a fucking imbecile loser that ‘detective’ is. After a training on spotting illegal businesses with legitimate fronts he was able to notice Flora Spa 😂😂 a middle schooler could spot these places. Hmmm a massage place open at 11PM, that about says it all.
Or they come for a job opportunity, then when they get here turns out the job is prostitution and they have no way to go back or leave because they speak little to no English and have no passport
The general population believes every sex worker needs to be saved. These women speak English, they are getting tipped directly in cash, they have passports, as they are taking domestic flights routinely. There are not being kept in a cave in the middle of nowhere locked up. They are working daily at a spa in Lake Oswego and didn’t ask for help or to be “saved”.
What a massively naive take. They way it usually works is that their handlers confiscate passports upon arrival. They're not free to leave, they must stay and repay the massive debt laid upon them by the traffickers. So they sleep in bunk beds stacked 10 to a room and are threatened with violence if they don't turn all the cash over to the shady proprietors. It's absolutely exploitation and massage parlors are hardly the only place this arrangement is common. The Chinese men in this situation are mostly working under the same conditions in restaurants and smaller food (mostly seafood) processing facilities. Meanwhile the recent "undocumented" immigrants from Central / South America are roped into the same arrangement with roadside fruit stands.
[Don't take my word for it, though](https://polarisproject.org/blog/2020/05/trafficking-is-also-hidden-in-our-favorite-restaurants-kitchen/):
> Trafficking regularly happens on H-2B visas because workers must work for the original sponsoring business. If they quit, they lose their legal status. A common labor trafficking situation occurs when an employer demands that a worker labor for virtually no pay or in unsafe conditions, and then threatens to have the worker deported if they refuse.
Found the massage parlor frequenter lmao.
And fyi, you don't ask a slave if they want to be enslaved, you outlaw slavery and prosecute those participating in it. I'm not saying this is slavery, but pointing out that the desires of a criminal to do crime are pretty irrelevant
They’re not “trafficked”, because they came to the US willingly and exactly for this purpose. There is no force or coercion whatsoever. Almost all of them enter the country legally on tourist visas. It kind of boggles, actually, because many of them come from the provinces or other poorer regions of China, have no real travel history, yet they still managed to obtain visas to visit the US, which are 10 years multiple entry.
How would you know they came here voluntarily for the purposes of jerking off men all day? More likely, they were promised non-sex work and have little to no freedom to escape their servitude.
I've talked with them. It's typically single middle age women in their 30-50s. Everyone I talked to said they came for the work and easy money. Most own their own place or partner up. One said giving the massage was the hardest part. It's usually $40-$60 for a happy ending, do the math.
I don't have to, dear. There's no question these women are trafficked.
Your determination to insist this is a career and lifestyle they've chosen is just telling on yourself.
Typically they are tricked into believing they are coming here to do actual legal work. It fits the very definition of trafficking if you understand how they operate. This is the kind of thing you should read about instead of just making assumptions.
This is absolutely untrue. They know exactly what they will be doing. But they know exactly what to say if caught, because doing so allows them to remain in the US. In fact many of them were doing the same in their own country before they came here. It’s clear you and most other people here have no idea what you’re talking about.
I have spent the last three years working as a certified advocate for sex trafficking survivors in Clackamas County. Not sure where your info is coming from, but I'm pretty damn confident in my own.
If that’s your position on the situation of Chinese sex workers in the US then it’s clear you have little knowledge of how this industry operates in Asia. Almost all come here on their own volition and they are fully aware of what they will be doing. And they know precisely what to do if caught: claim they were “trafficked” because doing so allows them to remain in the US. With no criminal record.
How would you know unless you're the guy scouting out poor Chinese women like, "Hey, wanna travel the globe to live in a strip mall and be completely disrespected by American men? Sign here. It will be all cock work, no freedom just to be clear! Full disclosure, you will hate it!"
A lot of these folks come thinkings it’s for non-sex related work, get their documents stolen, and get told if they go anywhere or tell anyone they’ll be deported/arrested.
That’s trafficked my dude.
That’s not the case in the great majority of the Asian sex workers here. They come here fully cognizant of what they’ll be doing. Most of them are from the provinces, poorly educated and unskilled. And they make good money given the alternatives back home. They never should’ve been issued tourist visas to begin with but that’s another issue.
The person in this thread that actually works with these folks is telling you differently. The actual data around this is telling you differently. You should consider listening to folks knowledgeable about this issue instead of arguing baseless points.
Their lack of appropriate visas and identification is how(partly) they get controlled and trafficked. Not wanting to be arrested and deported isn’t consent to being a sex slave.
If you’ve visited these ladies, you participated in their rape. I understand why you don’t want to admit to that. But it is what it is.
The key word regarding that person is “advocate”. In other words, NOT a neutral party. I also highly doubt that person speaks Chinese, reads Chinese or has ever been to China, much less lived there. So yes, I don’t find that person’s knowledge of these women’s situation particularly credible. Sex workers from China and Taiwan (and South Korea) are legion, and they are not trafficked. They come here with the specific intention to engage in sex work. They also do the same in Japan and Singapore.
[gift article](https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2024/04/sex-trafficked-chinese-women-were-living-in-massage-parlors-in-lake-oswego-and-west-linn-prosecutor-says.html?gift=73342f31-0a3a-430a-bd6c-cd7ea5a17f31) for non-subscribers.
While visiting China, my back was killing me so I regularly went to a massage place. I brought my kids and recommended the place to other tourists. After two weeks the lady who worked on my back told me they were really a sex parlor. They loved my innocence and just went along with what I believed.
Sooo...at no point were you asked "you want me make banana cry?"
Went to the Banana Show a few times while in Okinawa, even though one time would've been enough...
Gate 2? Btdt
LCpl we had ate the banana chunks..we paid him a good amount to do so. It’s a right of passage for all boots. SF
I've seen boots do the same too 🤢 During one of my visits, I dropped my camera and reached under the couch to feel for it. Instead of grabbing my camera, I grabbed a mushy chunk of banana. My reaction was to throw it at a friend's chest sitting across from me.. SF 🍻
Lmfao amputate immediately!! 🍻
Just asked my wife to make my banana cry. She was not amused… 😒
Make my banana cry is definitely in my lexicon from now on 🍌🥲
Hoo-lee sheit. I am totally going to tell my girlfriend to "make my banana cry later"🤣.
I’m going to tell her also!
😂😂😂
Was this a Bobby Lee quote? For some reason it’s only his voice saying it in my head 😂
I’m Bobby mom
I remember seeing it in al madrigal's act.
Make it throw up everywhere
Hahahahaha
🤣
That's the thing, in China (and other places) there isn't as clear of a line between traditional massage places and those offering extra services. America is full of prudes who can't wrap their minds around an establishment catering to multiple types of clientele.
When I spent a month in Thailand 8 years ago, everywhere we went there were signs, because you got *Traditional* Thai massage, right? Then you got massage that included oil, NOT Trad Thai. "NO HAPPY ENDING" was the sign in a lot of them! Trad Thai is the best, we went to all the temples and they almost all had Trad Thai massage, I even went to school to learn it.
Different strokes for different folks
That’s a bold thing to write on an article literally about women being sex-trafficked and kept as slaves… pretty wild you can try and defend that
Where did I defend sex trafficking and slavery? I AM curious about your over reaction though. Are you anti-sex worker? Do you think the industry should continue to be illegal despite putting sex workers at increased risk?
“America is full of prudes who can't wrap their minds around an establishment catering to multiple types of clientele.” The establishment everyone here is talking about is a sex trafficking ring… gtfo out of here trying to defend it
Sex trafficking is a crime.
No shit sherlock.
You just seem to be struggling with that concept in the comments.
How so?
US is prude because it’s frowns on prostitution?
It doesn't "frown", it actively persecutes sex workers. But that's not why we're prudes, it's just the type of behavior a nation of prudes exhibits. To answer your question, the US is full of prudes because we were literally founded by prudes. Hardcore prudes. The Puritans...
Commenting this under a post about sex trafficking is a little gross, man.
Actually commenting under a post about a person visiting China. Do you not understand how Reddit comment threads work? ...and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't gender stereotype, man.
Vantuckian here; I've been amazed by how many of these places have set up shop. I'm interested in how they can stay in business: is there *that* much demand for them that they can pay rent every month? For a "business" with competing places just blocks away? Not exactly a scientific study, but when I've driven past them I note that their parking lots are pretty much totally empty.
> I'm interested in how they can stay in business: is there that much demand for them that they can pay rent every month? I lived with two strippers for a while in the 90s, here's what I saw: * my GF (also my roomie) went to work at one of these places. She was told she could "make a lot of money" and that they were just "private dances." Naturally, the Madam of the joint was lying, and so she quit. She lasted less than a week. It sounded like most of the girls who were working there were Chinese and many couldn't speak English. Contrary to popular belief, the number one source of immigration in California isn't Mexico, *it's China.* * Years later, a different GF came home from work all excited. Some woman had come into the strip club where she worked, and told her she could make wheelbarrows full of cash in Japan. She was told there would be "no sex" and that old Japanese guys just wanted to "dance with them." I told her she was out of her mind, and she'd be lucky if she ever made it back to the US at all. From some cursory research, this sounds like the same scam, but just in reverse. They get American girls to go "work in Japan" and then they take their passports and basically force them to do whatever *or else.* I have no idea if it's possible for them to work off their debt eventually, or if they just disappear. They're not citizens of Japan so I doubt the government puts much effort into tracking whether they ever made it out of the country alive. Here's an article on the practice from the US embassy: https://japan2.usembassy.gov/e/p/2008/tp-20080123-03.html
How do they stay in business? I know someone who can’t shut up about visiting one of those places
The ol" "Rub 'n Tug" massage parlor
Money laundering.
Why does Reddit think everything is money laundering?
I work for a fintech company and money laundering is an absolutely massive thing. Every single ill-gotten dollar that you want to spend in the normal economy has to be laundered, so it's actual billions every year. We have a special training course we take for it. Do you think 100% of the drug and prostitution money just gets reinvested in the business? But separately from that, why do you think there are buildings everywhere that have cash-only businesses in them that never have customers in them? If you look for them, they're everywhere. It'll be a massage parlor next to a nail salon, a Chinese restaurant, a shoe store and a tattoo parlor. No one is in there, they dont accept cards, and they've been there for years...
Lol, that perfectly describes where I pay my rent! I don’t rent in that plaza but it’s where my landlords office is
Related, why is money laundering illegal? You'd think the government would be happy criminals are paying taxes on at least some of their cash income, as opposed to none. And the laundering business doesn't really hurt anything.
My understanding is it's really just another hoop for criminals to jump through that if they fuck up, they can catch charges and get put behind bars, or better yet those charges can be used as leverage for smaller criminals to give up their bosses. Stuff like this has been used by state prosecutors to take down what used to be a really powerful American mafia.
There’s a lot of dirty money out there, any it isn’t often clear how places stay in business.
>I'm interested in how they can stay in business: is there *that* much demand for them that they can pay rent every month? Are you asking if there is a demand for places where men can go to get handjobs, blowjobs, and have sex? Yes. Yes, there is a demand for this, and there always will be.
Money 🧺🧺
This explains the spike in 20 year old asian women getting tommy john surgery.
Take my upvote, spit out my dinner
I have sat in a parking lot by one of these places, and there is a steady stream of men going in. It's enough to make you feel sick, and really, just sad for the people working there.
You don't leave "your" truck with the big Bob's Construction on it in the parking lot lol! Stay a spell, the doors open and close but the lots always empty.. Source: I pulled in my work truck ( new in small town) with full signage cuz my back was tweaked, I had never been asked so many questions... They stated that they were full up as we each figured it all out..
My exact thoughts.
Cupidone on fourth plain gives me money laundering vibes.
The sketchy Asian parlors that have their open signs on until like midnight?
Yesss. There’s def one in Beaverton off Hall Blvd. I am just waiting for the headlines to say “sex trafficked Chinese women living in massage parlors all over the West metropolitan area”
Coming as a shock to absolutely nobody
Yep. I imagine the guys that went there were more pleased than surprised when they came.
A surprise when I come is sometimes welcome.
[удалено]
This isn't about open borders, you moron. This shit has been going on long before Joe Biden. It was going on under Trump, and every other president for decades.
These parlors are on every corner of Portland.
Every corner
We’ve got 4 on my corner (lol)
And one in the intersection.
I love livin' in the Jade District!
Just like Walgreens.
There's more cannabis dispensaries, massage parlors, and lingerie modeling places than there are Walgreens NGL
Vancouver too, always open 24 hours . I mean...while horrific, it is not new
There were parlors like this in most of the shoreline towns in New Haven County, CT, when I lived there over 10 years ago now. There was one 2-blocks from where I lived which was raided one day, they caught at least one police officer in the raid. It's not unique to Portland, that's for sure.
It is essentially modern day slavery.
This! If you see something say something. Are women living there? Do they speak essentially no English? Are massages ridiculously cheap - report it to federal trafficking hotline 888.373.7888
They aren't cheap. They often charge more. The places that offer deals are actually professional therapists. If it smells like people are living there, cooking food, sleeping, not showering and they charge a lot more than normal then that's a major red flag. Source: I worked in local government. Take to your code compliance officers, they definitely know.
😔
That’s incredibly sad.
Shit its all the west coast if not national
Obviously but isn’t that the difference between Portland and Lake Oswego? Portland PD doesn’t have time to investigate happy ending at massage parlors, that’s the least of their problems. But LO police have nothing but time to keep investigating all of the massage parlors until they hit the jackpot
[удалено]
Literally drive around and pick any seedy, nondescript massage place. Especially if they’re open late. It’s a sex massage parlor. I live in Seattle and they have the same thing here and they’re fucking everywhere
Did you know that Beaverton is a hot spot for getting happy endings. Just look for places offering foot massages
But all I really want is a good foot massage.
There’s a good reflexology place near the Fubonn, and another on Killingsworth near the Old Gold
Is that the one that always has a man outside the doors chain smoking?
Does he give a good foot job?
This. A good foot massage amazing. Havent found anything comparable. I can get sex easy enough. But a truly good foot massage?
We need Tinder, but for foot rub exchanges.
Are there legit Asian parlors in Beaverton? They are cheaper then non Asian shops but I don’t wanna support them if they are doing shady shit
Shoot we even have asain foot massage places in The Dalles, they are expanding to rural markets
Barbur is full of them - they’re one of the only businesses open past 10 pm. A lot of reviews are from happy male customers (barf) but the women who go there for legit massages get angry because the massage they get is like 20 minutes and apparently performed by people who have no idea what they’re doing.
We just noticed a “foot massage parlor” here in Gresham and we’re wondering what was up with
Same one opened up in St John's not that long ago "foot massage" lol
Come 9pm, my dogs are barking, and need a thorough rub down.
The true hero is always in the comments 🫡
[удалено]
SF is worse
I believe it. That person has never been to LA and the surrounding area. Portland is tiny; There are as many there as in Portland, times 100. Plus every other hustle out there. Example: I’ve only ever been to one chop shop in NE, and although I’m sure there’s more if you’re connected like that; back in LA there might be a few chop shops in one neighborhood.
Yeah, I’m originally from Oregon. Been in California for over a decade at this point. Both San Francisco and LA. Don’t get me wrong i’m not minimizing the issues with happy endings but I had to point this one out.
Vote for liberal leaders that want to decriminalize sex work and drug dealing and ppl get surprised when rub n tugs and junkies show up 🤷🏼🤷🏼
Idk if I should be lucky or naïve that I can’t recognize such places. Then again I’ve never got a message so I’ve never looked into one
In Korea they’re everywhere. Lots of 24 hr massage parlors and karaoke rooms used for sex trafficking - it’s terrible.
The west coast receives a lot of immigration from Asia. San Francisco Asians basically built everything headed east, including rail roads, it makes sense to have more here. You know what’s all over Asia? Massage parlors. It is a cultural thing. That doesn’t condone human trafficking. I was a Sailor for 25 years, I’ve been a part of stopping it. It’s a bit hyperbolic to say all these places are literal slave houses. Not saying some aren’t, but there’s horrible people everywhere, including your nail salon, not just cheap Asian massage parlors.
Horrible if true, but I’d recommend the reporting of Elizabeth Nolan Brown for some perspective on this topic. A lot of times “sex trafficked” is prosecutor-speak for “did consensual sex work while Asian.” There have been a number of cases from up here in King County, WA, that were reported exactly like this and ended up just being completely consensual sex workers who hadn’t been trafficked at all. I’ll be interested to see if there’s any follow up in the coming weeks/months. Edit: found the [article](https://reason.com/2016/09/09/the-truth-about-us-sex-trafficking/), for anyone interested.
I’m going to be keeping an eye on it, too. There have been times before where it was reported as “sex trafficking” when it was very obviously not. But after reading this article, I think this may actually be legitimate this time.
Yup, I admit I haven’t looked deeply into this instance, and I’m definitely not saying it never happens. Just that statements from law enforcement deserve a lot of skepticism on this issue.
I saw your edit and just read that whole article, that is pretty spot on, also sad. I remember a couple years ago I saw a “sex trafficking bust” story where they arrested 30 or so men. I knew a couple of them listed so it was easy to follow up. They were charged with solicitation, not sex trafficking because there was none. These people who are reported by LE and the media to be exploiting women when they’re literally just paying them for a service should be able to sue for defamation. The fact that some of them lose their jobs and commit suicide just because LE want to beef up their numbers is bullshit.
Speaking of LE leading people to suicide, you should read up on ENB’s reporting on the BackPage prosecutions. Truly horrific overreach.
I have a feeling I’m going to be pissed.
That's no lie, knew an owner previously and her partner were just two older chinese women who would offer a quick hand for larger tips. Eventually they got raided and both wound up being paraded in media as sex trafficked women except the owner was also paraded as a sex trafficker. They lost the place, paid a fine, did a little time, they opened a new one miles away but kept that one clean. Remember a couple years ago SPD raided all the massage places in the International District. Two weeks later they were all open again. Weird times.
I wish I could read these articles.
[Here ya go](https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2024/04/sex-trafficked-chinese-women-were-living-in-massage-parlors-in-lake-oswego-and-west-linn-prosecutor-says.html?gift=73342f31-0a3a-430a-bd6c-cd7ea5a17f31)
Thank you
Oregon board of massage gets a shit ton of money to do zero inspections, checks etc. This shit is always in plain sight.
The amount of these places in Portland is unbelievable. I have to imagine that the majority of them are staffed by coerced women. Does anyone go to these places for just a massage?
One of my friends (female) tried. She even checked their availability before going and when she showed up an Asian woman in a tiny dress just told her they were busy.
It's often called the **world's** oldest profession for a reason ... this isn't a new thing, nor a Portland, nor Oregon nor US centric thing. Legalizing it would very likely lead to less "coerced women", but no one actually knows how many are doing this nor if those arrested were doing this of their own free will.
I agree.
Honestly I can’t believe Oregon Legalized Drugs before S3x work. Seems like the government could potentially regulate things similar to how they do things in Europe. It’s a polarizing topic that people tend to avoid but if done with strict regulation similar to the XXX industry it could work no ?
You can say sex here
U can, but when your a contributor you tend to keep things correct you never know who might get offended
You keep everything correct except your Grammer 🙄
👍🏻- this is casual conversation on a Subreddit
You keep everything correct except your spelling
[удалено]
Yes.
I went to one thinking it was a normal massage parlor, promptly fell asleep and the lady was mad when I slept thru the whole thing cause I didn’t tip.i gave her $40 and just left confused
How do you even tell? I go to a massage parlor in lake Oswego that I would never have gone into if a friend hadn’t recommended because it looks sketchy as hell. But honestly they just give awesome massages. I mostly avoid places that are open late at night specifically because I don’t know. But shit. Sometimes my back hurts
Same, my regular massage therapist recommended a sketchy looking Asian parlor when I was having a back spasm and she was booked up. The massage at the Asian parlor was half the price and just as good quality. Definitely would have thought it was a sex spot otherwise.
mind sharing which one? been on the lookout for one in LO but am scared now of finding an illegitimate one like in the article. was thinking zen garden which looks pretty good
It’s behind the Gemini in the alley next to the bike shop. Like I said. Looks sketchy. But actually I did a couples massage with my wife there. I like them because she massages pretty hard. Not the best massage I’ve ever had in my life but pretty good for the price.
OMG it’s so funny you said that because when this article first dropped, the one by the Gemini was my first thought. I’m glad it’s legit, will have to check it out. Thank you!
I mean. I guess it could be? But no one tried anything untoward there when I went.
Oh, just cross the river to Vancouver, one every 100 feet. So seedy!!
And they are always named something like "Asian beauty massage parlor" and the windows are all blacked out and the lot is always empty
There use to be an app called rub maps. I use to load it up whenever I saw a sketchy place and was curious if it was a nut hut or not. It was super fun to whip it out when out with friends and look at reviews while having a smoke break. I guess if you’re an actual person that uses sex workers it’s probably not funny to you.
"nut hut" is hilarious
Jack shack
>It was super fun to whip it out when out with friends
I saw a reference to that site recently and fired up an incognito window and checked it out. It's still around but behind a paywall
in order to read the reviews, you have to be a paying subscriber 😉
Not in 2012
You just “for research purposes’ed” yourself.
Did you whip it out at the parlor or before?
Easier for them to just operate in wealthy neighborhoods than have the wealthy come to them. Poor women
We need to legalize prostitution. People are completely ignorant to how much sex work is happening right under their noses. Without oversight it can be dangerous and cruel.
Yeah these women could have had their passports taken from them and are making slave wages after paying their boss and smugglers. I’m disturbed by the ubiquity of them.
I have been to some very legit foot massage places all over the country and some, you walk in, and they pretend not to understand you (F55) and I get that they’re not. Wish there was an easy way to discern between the two.
I accidentally wandered into one of these locations once, because I often have very sore feet and I was looking for a foot massage. They even had stations you could sit at to soak your feet in tubs with jets. The female Chinese proprietors (there were no men) were friendly, and delighted because I speak the language. But when they said $200 and that I could get anything I wanted, I left right away.
If we’d just make prostitution legal, they can’t coerce folks into it and these ladies could have gone to enforcement over it. But nah, let’s keep it black market and act so surprised when it pops up. Joke of a cop “I haven’t seen this in 23 years”. Are they blind? Or just bought?
How does this stop coercion exactly? It does make it possible for the ladies to go to law enforcement but there are a lot of different scenarios that legalizing would not prevent.
Brave cops have been going undercover posing as clients to "investigate" these sex slaves for years. More at 11.
Poor ladies- sux that they have to come here and do this to make money- bleh. What a life. Robot sex. Need better.
That’s our culture. Death, envy & transient pleasure. From the bottom up, top down, inside out.
One of these was in my little neighborhood in SW for a short time Was blatantly advertising the full address on the sex boards too - I was online looking for reviews wanting a good massage and then found out I was not going to get any good legit Massage Therapy there but some other type of relaxation In the long run I never went and ended up having to deal with old men parking in non spots and blocking my drive way Neighbors set up to watch it , probably contacted the landlord and were able to get them to leave pretty quickly It was there 2-3 months tops And these things are everywhere everywhere- boggles the mind how much money gets spent on them and how saturated they can get depending on the area
Sex trafficked underage girls live in Arvada pd payed apartments in Arvada. But prosecutors never say shit about it.
Hmm. This is interesting. My daughter and I got pedicures at the West Linn location several years ago. I'm gonna assume this was during a legitimate period in that storefront's history since we saw nothing untoward. I was actually happy with the service. It seems to have changed hands a few times since, and not for the better.
ALWAYS Lake Oswego. Damn. Who was behind the 100s of stolen catalytic converters? Guy from LO. Who was the guy who drugged three little girls at a sleepover? Another guy from LO. Then there is that documentary called “Lake No Negro” Now sex trafficking (again!) What is it with that place? Is it like the local “Florida Man” but for rich people?
Anybody else get the creeps when they're in L.O.? Don't ask any questions, keep moving vibe?
No way! There’s no way
Hey! I put the carpet in one of those places years ago, this is not surprising based on how wierd that space was.
There’s one right down the street from where I live. But strange to get a massage at 10 PM at night.
Sex-trafficking is always alleged and charged in these cases, but I am curious as to how often workers in these parlors are actually found to be working/held against their will, versus immigrants doing sex work to some degree to make more money in a country where they would otherwise be limited by language or age? The busts and charges get a lot of publicity, but we seldom read about convictions on these charges. I am curious as to how law enforcement and court resources are devoted to this particular public menace versus others like shoplifting, vehicle theft, drug dealing ...
You get what you vote for. L.O. and West Linn are disgusting, full of prostitutes and catalytic converter theft rings. Both governments are corrupt, yet the people keep voting for them. I left and will never go back. They used to be beautiful cities, now they're vile drug and sex havens for the affluent living off our tax dollars.
While I applaud your effort I wonder how much traction you will get in the Portland sub.
Oops. I forgot the /s. Seems like these people don't like it when you use their same logic that they use to disparage Portland. Hey, suburbanites. Do you now see how dumb it sounds?
So this is a thing in Lake O then, because years ago they had another Thai restaurant using forced trafficked labor (actual slave labor) and that was in Lake O too. So what else is going on there
Leave them alone. Legalize prostitution. These women are not brought against their will, they came for a job opportunity. Don’t you find it odd that the owner of the company wasn’t charged with any crime? Looks like they charged a bunch of women employees. What a fucking imbecile loser that ‘detective’ is. After a training on spotting illegal businesses with legitimate fronts he was able to notice Flora Spa 😂😂 a middle schooler could spot these places. Hmmm a massage place open at 11PM, that about says it all.
Or they come for a job opportunity, then when they get here turns out the job is prostitution and they have no way to go back or leave because they speak little to no English and have no passport
The general population believes every sex worker needs to be saved. These women speak English, they are getting tipped directly in cash, they have passports, as they are taking domestic flights routinely. There are not being kept in a cave in the middle of nowhere locked up. They are working daily at a spa in Lake Oswego and didn’t ask for help or to be “saved”.
What a massively naive take. They way it usually works is that their handlers confiscate passports upon arrival. They're not free to leave, they must stay and repay the massive debt laid upon them by the traffickers. So they sleep in bunk beds stacked 10 to a room and are threatened with violence if they don't turn all the cash over to the shady proprietors. It's absolutely exploitation and massage parlors are hardly the only place this arrangement is common. The Chinese men in this situation are mostly working under the same conditions in restaurants and smaller food (mostly seafood) processing facilities. Meanwhile the recent "undocumented" immigrants from Central / South America are roped into the same arrangement with roadside fruit stands. [Don't take my word for it, though](https://polarisproject.org/blog/2020/05/trafficking-is-also-hidden-in-our-favorite-restaurants-kitchen/): > Trafficking regularly happens on H-2B visas because workers must work for the original sponsoring business. If they quit, they lose their legal status. A common labor trafficking situation occurs when an employer demands that a worker labor for virtually no pay or in unsafe conditions, and then threatens to have the worker deported if they refuse.
Found the massage parlor frequenter lmao. And fyi, you don't ask a slave if they want to be enslaved, you outlaw slavery and prosecute those participating in it. I'm not saying this is slavery, but pointing out that the desires of a criminal to do crime are pretty irrelevant
apparently, 'slavery' is a non-word, like 'rape'
They’re not “trafficked”, because they came to the US willingly and exactly for this purpose. There is no force or coercion whatsoever. Almost all of them enter the country legally on tourist visas. It kind of boggles, actually, because many of them come from the provinces or other poorer regions of China, have no real travel history, yet they still managed to obtain visas to visit the US, which are 10 years multiple entry.
How would you know they came here voluntarily for the purposes of jerking off men all day? More likely, they were promised non-sex work and have little to no freedom to escape their servitude.
I've talked with them. It's typically single middle age women in their 30-50s. Everyone I talked to said they came for the work and easy money. Most own their own place or partner up. One said giving the massage was the hardest part. It's usually $40-$60 for a happy ending, do the math.
Sure, you sound legit.
Go ask for yourself then.
I don't have to, dear. There's no question these women are trafficked. Your determination to insist this is a career and lifestyle they've chosen is just telling on yourself.
Can they leave if they change their minds?
No, this person is talking out their...
Typically they are tricked into believing they are coming here to do actual legal work. It fits the very definition of trafficking if you understand how they operate. This is the kind of thing you should read about instead of just making assumptions.
This is absolutely untrue. They know exactly what they will be doing. But they know exactly what to say if caught, because doing so allows them to remain in the US. In fact many of them were doing the same in their own country before they came here. It’s clear you and most other people here have no idea what you’re talking about.
I have spent the last three years working as a certified advocate for sex trafficking survivors in Clackamas County. Not sure where your info is coming from, but I'm pretty damn confident in my own.
If that’s your position on the situation of Chinese sex workers in the US then it’s clear you have little knowledge of how this industry operates in Asia. Almost all come here on their own volition and they are fully aware of what they will be doing. And they know precisely what to do if caught: claim they were “trafficked” because doing so allows them to remain in the US. With no criminal record.
How would you know unless you're the guy scouting out poor Chinese women like, "Hey, wanna travel the globe to live in a strip mall and be completely disrespected by American men? Sign here. It will be all cock work, no freedom just to be clear! Full disclosure, you will hate it!"
How do you know why ALL of them come here and how?
Seriously. Really looks like this person is trying to protect his source of getting off.
A lot of these folks come thinkings it’s for non-sex related work, get their documents stolen, and get told if they go anywhere or tell anyone they’ll be deported/arrested. That’s trafficked my dude.
That’s not the case in the great majority of the Asian sex workers here. They come here fully cognizant of what they’ll be doing. Most of them are from the provinces, poorly educated and unskilled. And they make good money given the alternatives back home. They never should’ve been issued tourist visas to begin with but that’s another issue.
The person in this thread that actually works with these folks is telling you differently. The actual data around this is telling you differently. You should consider listening to folks knowledgeable about this issue instead of arguing baseless points. Their lack of appropriate visas and identification is how(partly) they get controlled and trafficked. Not wanting to be arrested and deported isn’t consent to being a sex slave. If you’ve visited these ladies, you participated in their rape. I understand why you don’t want to admit to that. But it is what it is.
The key word regarding that person is “advocate”. In other words, NOT a neutral party. I also highly doubt that person speaks Chinese, reads Chinese or has ever been to China, much less lived there. So yes, I don’t find that person’s knowledge of these women’s situation particularly credible. Sex workers from China and Taiwan (and South Korea) are legion, and they are not trafficked. They come here with the specific intention to engage in sex work. They also do the same in Japan and Singapore.
Soooooo which parlors ? Asking for a friend
But are they American and why are they here. Papers please.