Risqué Massage Parlor Ad Upsets Minooka Residents

A Minooka massage parlor promising "new feeling" and "new Japanese girls, Korean girls, Chinese girls" in an advertisement has some residents upset the business is in town and suspicious that it's doing a bit more than advertised. 

Washington Spa, located at 524 W. Mondamin St. in Minooka, features five scantily clad women in its advertisement, which also publicizes a grand opening and says the place is under new management. 

Patch readers took to our Facebook page to voice concerns over the advertisement, and the village is now monitoring the spa. The advertisement in question could possibly violate state code, but that would be a matter for the state to decide once a complaint is received. 

Village Administrator Dan Duffy said the village inspected the spa in mid-October and did not find anything illegal. It also had the correct licensing from the state, Duffy said. 

"Right now we are monitoring the situation and working with the police department," Duffy said. "If there are any activities going on that people may have been in contact with that they deem illegal, alert us and our authorities. But until that happens, all we have to go off is this marketing material and the opinions of others."

A call to Washington Spa was answered by a woman who said "hello," but did not identify the business. She said the owner was not available and she would not take down contact information for the owner to contact Patch.  

There's no website readily available for the business, but Backpages.com lists it under the categories "Adult Entertainment" and "Body Rubs," and it also features more women in bikinis. 

Although Duffy said there was nothing illegal found happening at the spa, the Illinois code on massage parlors does state that parlors must not distribute "advertising matter that depicts ... masseurs or masseuses dressed in any manner other than that prescribed in Section 8-3-13(D)."

That section of the code states that all employees "shall be clean and wear opaque (not translucent and not transparent) outer garments covering the sexual areas." It also states that anyone administering a massage must be "clad from the shoulders to the knee by a robe, smock, or other opaque garment." 

According to the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulations, a complaint must be filed with the state before an investigation into any wrongdoing will occur. The state doesn't comment on any pending investigations. To file a complaint, go to the IDFPR website. 

What do you think? Is this advertisement out of line?