A 51-year-old man was fined S$8,500 after a masseuse in the massage parlour he set up offered sexual services.

As the proprietor of the business, Chan Kok Wai (transliteration) was charged with violating the Massage Establishments Act, Shin Min Daily News reported.

He pleaded guilty on Jun. 3.

What happened

The accused operated a massage parlour, Simplicity Wellness, at Citigate Residence along Rangoon Road between March 2022 and March 2023.

One of the masseuses in the massage parlour had advertised online that she provided sexual services.

The masseuse, whose alias was "Eve", put up an advertisement for her services, which was noted by the police.

A police officer who went undercover made an appointment with her via text message to arrange for a meeting at the massage parlour at around 3pm on Dec. 9, 2022.

Eve, a 46-year-old local woman, told the undercover police that the S$100 price for her services was for a 60-minute full-body Thai massage, which included a "happy ending", which is a colloquial term for the provision of sexual services.

When she and the undercover police officer met in real life, he asked again in person if the S$100 price was inclusive of sexual services, and she confirmed it.

She also said any other services required were up for discussion later on.

When the raid occurred at around 3:30pm, the masseuse said she would refund the S$100 to the police officer and even asked him to lie to the enforcement officers that he was only there for a normal massage.

The masseuse was arrested on the same day.

Her case is still ongoing.

The accused's role

Investigations revealed that Chan would visit the massage parlour every week, but allowed his employees to oversee the running of the joint.

He also did not ensure that his employees did not provide illegal services.

Chan claimed in court on Monday that he was unaware that his employees provided sexual services.

However, the prosecution pointed out that as early as August 2022, the police had raided the defendant's massage parlour, but he still did not ensure that his employees did not violate the law.

Chan had previously opened a massage parlour before and was fined S$6,000 in May 2022, Shin Min reported.

The accused asked for leniency during sentencing, arguing that he should not be imprisoned as his parents were in their 80s, he has two sons, and his wife was not earning much

He also said he has ceased operating massage parlours completely.

Top photo via Google Maps & Shin Min Daily News