Woman, 57, who opened massage parlour in S'pore, aided foreign prostitutes & earned over S$35,000, gets 10 months' jail

A 57-year-old woman in Singapore was sentenced to 10 months' jail and fined S$47,000 for facilitating prostitution activities involving two foreign women and collecting at least S$35,000 in commissions.

The woman, Liu Zhengxiang, pleaded guilty to three charges in court, including offences under the Women's Charter and the Massage Establishments Act, Shin Min Daily News reported on Nov. 2.

Took provocative photos of women and advertised them online

Citing court documents, Shin Min reported that between August 2023 and March 2025, Liu operated a massage parlour on the ground floor of an apartment building along Upper Serangoon Road.

She also rented a two-bedroom unit in the same building, which she used as a brothel.

In October 2024, a 41-year-old Thai woman, referred to as "A", came to Singapore through a Thai intermediary to work as a prostitute.

Liu, who acted as her boss, not only took provocative photos of her, but also advertised them on adult websites to attract clients.

For these services, A paid Liu a monthly "advertising fee" of S$350.

Liu also managed A's client appointments and took about 60 per cent commission from each transaction.

Between Oct. 10, 2024, to Feb. 11, 2025, Liu received at least S$30,000 from A's earnings.

In November 2024, a 41-year-old Chinese woman, referred to as "B", began working at Liu's massage parlour on a commission basis.

Upon learning that some of the therapists provided sexual services, B asked about the details with Liu.

In response, Liu told her that she would earn a higher income if she was willing to provide such services.

After B agreed, Liu took her photos, advertised her online, and received at least S$5,000 from B's prostitution earnings.

Tried to destroy evidence

Shin Min reported that on Feb. 11, B arranged to meet a 42-year-old man at his apartment for paid sexual services amounting to S$200.

However, police raided the unit during the encounter, arresting both individuals on the spot.

Investigations led police to Liu's massage parlour, which was found to be involved in the prostitution.

Unable to reach both A and B, Liu instructed her sister-in-law to check on them.

When the sister-in-law arrived and saw the police officers, she immediately alerted Liu, but was subsequently arrested for working without a permit.

After learning of the arrests, Liu discarded two mobile phones that she used to contact clients and coordinate prostitution activities in an attempt to evade the law.

Liu previously fined

According to Shin Min, court documents showed that though Liu's massage parlour was exempt from licensing, it was prohibited from offering services in private booths.

However, authorities found that there were rows of massage beds separated by floor-length curtains on the premises.

On Feb. 26, it was confirmed that massage services were indeed being provided in those private spaces.

It was also revealed that Liu had previously been fined twice for violating the law with regards to operating a massage parlour.

During mitigation, Liu expressed deep remorse for her actions and assured the judge that she would not reoffend.

She requested a one-month deferment of her sentence to allow her to handle matters concerning the store and her employees, which the court approved.

Liu will begin serving her sentence on Dec. 1.

Top photos via Canva and Shin Min Daily News