Jackson police close 3 massage parlors for allegedly promoting prostitution

JACKSON, Tenn. — Three businesses are closed after the city of Jackson filed a nuisance petition against the massage parlors for allegedly performing illegal acts inside.

According to police, Diamond Massage and Beijing Massage did not have proper licenses from the health department.

“We knew they weren’t licensed,” Jackson City Attorney Lewis Cobb said. “We had some information that they were offering to provide acts of prostitution in exchange for money.”

These shops along with Kinja Spa were shut down Tuesday afternoon after police say their investigation revealed prostitution was happening inside the businesses. According to the petition, these spas engaged in acts of lewdness and promoted prostitution, something investigators uncovered during their undercover operation that started in August of last year.

“It’s a kind of influence we don’t want to be here and we certainty don’t want to let them stay any longer than we have to,” Cobb said.

Cobb says closing these shops is the city’s effort not only to combat this kind of activity but also to address the bigger issue of human trafficking in the state.

“Human trafficking, money laundering, that type of organized multi-city criminal activity we want to prevent from taking roots in our town,” Cobb said.

According to Jackson police, this is still an ongoing investigation. The hearing in Madison County Chancery Court for the massage parlor owners is scheduled for July 12.