North Strabane business shut down for suspected prostitution activity
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
A North Strabane massage parlor has been shut down after police say employees allegedly performed sexual acts for customers.
Excellence Massage and Spa, at 1000 Park Place, was shuttered Thursday after the North Strabane Police Department “received reports of criminal activity” and conducted “a lengthy investigation,” according to a news release.
The owner of the business, Xiu Ying Chen, 57, and an employee, Yingying Yu, 46, were both arrested. Both are being held in Washington County Jail, Chen on $500,000 bond and Yu on $250,000 bond. A preliminary hearing for both women is set for July 2.
The arrests and the closing of the business are the culmination of an investigation going back to at least 2021 when, according to the criminal complaint, a man who worked at a nearby business contacted North Strabane police and said an employee of Excellence Massage and Spa performed a sex act that he did not request in the course of a massage.
Other men also contacted North Strabane police, saying that employees would, among other things, grope their genitals. One man said an employee was very aggressive about asking for a tip, and was told he was being charged $160 for the massage when the agreed-upon price was $90, court documents state.
The police department launched an undercover investigation in April, according to the complaint. In one visit, one employee was alleged to have asked an officer if she could touch him near his genitals. During another visit, an employee alluded to a sex act, and on a third visit, an employee touched the undercover officer’s genitals, the complaint states.
Chen is being charged with being part of a corrupt organization, promoting an unlawful activity, criminal use of a communications device and promoting prostitution. Yu is being charged with being part of a corrupt organization, prostitution and indecent assault. Both Chen and Yu are listed as living in an apartment on Adios Drive in North Strabane.
The website for Excellence Massage and Spa was still available Friday afternoon, and it stated that “massage experts will do therapeutic and healing massage for your body” and the business hoped to “promote a healthy lifestyle through therapeutic massage and foot reflexology.” The business opened in 2017.
The criminal complaint notes that the massage parlor is located near a day-care facility, a children’s furniture store, doctor’s office and several restaurants.
North Strabane police are asking that anyone with information on any alleged illegal activity taking place at Excellence Massage and Spa to contact them at 724-746-4090 or send an email message to tips@nstpd.com.