You’ve read on our pages about the scourge of illegal spas in Dallas. These are storefronts that claim to be massage parlors with valid state licenses but actually sell women for sex. The women are often immigrants from Asia and Latin America who were lured to the United States for jobs but then recruited or forced into the sex trade.
This isn’t a problem unique to Dallas. These human trafficking fronts are found in suburbs and cities across Texas. The process of enforcing state licensing regulations can be lengthy and result in anything from a warning letter to license revocation. Police investigations are resource-intensive and can take months. That’s why cities like Lewisville have been pushing for legislation over the past year to make it easier for state regulators to shut down these businesses.
This bill did not attract much attention in a contentious legislative session, but it is worth highlighting as an example of constructive, bipartisan policymaking. The bill, House Bill 3579, authorizes the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to issue emergency orders to close a massage parlor if law enforcement officials or regulators suspect human trafficking. The bill also contains provisions that allow cities to impose certain restrictions on massage parlors or establishments that have a history of arrests or sanctions.
State regulators are already using the new law to crack down on suspect businesses. A spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation said the agency has issued emergency orders to shut down five businesses since the law went into effect in September. Those orders affected two businesses near Houston and Beaumont, two in Austin and one in San Antonio.
The agency said in July it would close San Massage Spa in San Antonio for six months because state inspectors found signs of human trafficking during a June inspection. State officials said they found employees in provocative clothing, a container of used condoms and items that indicated people were living in the business. Inspectors said counseling paperwork was not required for clients before performing massage therapy.
No massage parlors have yet been closed in North Texas due to the new state law, but a TDLR spokeswoman said more emergency closures are expected.
Lewisville Mayor TJ Gilmore was in Austin last year to advocate for better enforcement against illegal spas. He said that until there was a substantive enforcement action, the massage business had a new owner and new staff, although it continued to engage in suspicious activity.
“You would have to go through the whole game again,” he said.
We previously reported on Dallas police’s intensive investigation into illegal spas. Dallas Deputy Police Chief Michael Igo told us his department has a good relationship with state regulators and that he doesn’t expect the state’s new enforcement powers under HB 3579 to hamper police investigations.
“We see it as an additional tool,” Igo said.
Lawmakers should continue to look for ways to strengthen enforcement. For example, the practice of applying pressure to the hands and feet but not other parts of the body, known as reflexology, is not regulated. Foot reflexology businesses are therefore not regulated by the TDLR, although some of them engage in sex trafficking.
A 2023 bill by state Rep. Angie Chen Button (R-Garland) would have closed this loophole, but failed to gain approval.
In Dallas and other places, law enforcement treats sex workers as victims, not criminals. Police and prosecutors have created rehabilitation programs for these victims. But those who exploit girls and women deserve nothing less than the full force of the law.
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