S’pore woman claims masseur at JB spa touched her inappropriately, asked to exchange contact details

A woman in Singapore visited a spa in Johor Bahru for a relaxing massage, only to leave feeling disturbed.

The woman, Elle (not her real name) told Mothership she had visited a Spa in JB on Jun. 27, 2026, with a friend.

She was assigned to a masseur who allegedly touched her inappropriately during the 90-minutes-long massage.

The same spa had recently made the news following feedback from a Singaporean family, who claimed that a man allegedly opened the doors of their private rooms while they were lying partially undressed inside.

A second man also apparently kept wanting to enter one of their rooms to retrieve a pillow.

According to Elle, who later spoke to the family, this second man was the same masseur whom she encountered.

Changed to full body massage

Elle told Mothership that she visited the spa for the first time on the evening of Jun. 27.

While she had initially booked a foot and shoulder massage, the masseur commented that her body was "very stiff" and suggested switching to a full-body massage.

He apparently told Elle that he was trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

"As I had previously undergone tui na massage in Singapore and found it effective, his suggestion seemed reasonable," she said.

She was then moved to a private room, though her clothes remained on, as is customary during a TCM massage.

Elle said the man seemed friendly initially, and that his massage technique was good.

But as the session progressed, his conduct began to make her "increasingly uncomfortable".

Made inappropriate remarks

During the stretching exercises of the massage, the man allegedly moved Elle's hands in a way that caused her fingertips to come into contact with what she felt was his "genital area".

Elle added that the area felt "hard".

"At first, I wondered whether it might have been accidental. However, it happened repeatedly, and he also began making inappropriate remarks and asking personal questions," she said.

The man allegedly commented on her skin tone and looks, and even enquired about her relationships.

"At one point, he said something along the lines of hoping that he could 'satisfy' me," Elle said, adding that this caused her to feel "alarmed".

Touched inappropriately

During the massage, Elle said the masseur also got extremely close to her crotch while pressing and stretching her legs.

While he appeared to treat the touches as accidental, Elle said she felt "very uncomfortable and suspicious" of his intentions in the context of his earlier actions and comments.

However, Elle said she did not dare to stop the massage and leave, as everything could still be attributed as "accidental" touches.

The point of confirmation came when the 90-minute massage eventually went beyond the stipulated time, and the masseur allegedly said he wanted to "spend more time" with her.

He also asked to exchange contact details with her on WeChat.

Called spa later on

Elle said she and her friend had to rush back to Singapore and only gave their feedback to the spa via a phone call later that night.

However, as a man answered the phone, Elle said she did not feel comfortable discussing the incident with him, so she decided to call the next day.

A female receptionist answered the second time and told Elle that she would raise the matter with her boss.

Elle then subsequently spoke to the spa’s manager and recounted the entire incident.

According to Elle, the spa manager apparently first said he would fine the masseur for his inappropriate behaviour.

When Elle insisted that it was a "serious matter" and that a fine was "not an adequate response", he then apparently said that the masseur would be dismissed.

Thinking that he would be dismissed as promised, she decided not to pursue the matter further and was also doubtful that making a police report in Johor Bahru would "lead anywhere".

Later on, Elle came across Google reviews that appeared to indicate that the masseur was still working at the spa.

She also saw the news involving the Singaporean family on Aug. 31 and decided to go back to the spa on Sep. 2 to question the manager about the masseur.

Manager took pity on him

On Sep. 2, Elle again spoke to the manager.

He said he had fired the masseur but allowed him to return after approximately one month.

He allegedly told Elle that he "took pity" on the masseur after being told that the masseur’s wife was hospitalised and that he needed money.

This was contrary to what the masseur had told Elle, as he had said that he was single.

Elle also noted that there have been Google reviews referring to the same masseur from around two months ago, despite the manager's claims that the man was dismissed for a period of time.

Concerns

Elle acknowledged that, taken individually, some of the incidents during the massage might have been dismissed as accidental or inappropriate remarks.

However, considering everything that happened, Elle felt that his conduct "crossed professional boundaries".

While she was refunded for the session, she noted that the masseur was ultimately allowed to return.

This was corroborated further by the Singaporean family, whom Elle got in touch with.

The family had posted on Facebook about their experience with the spa on Aug. 31.

One of the family members, Ang, told Mothership that the masseur Elle encountered was the same man who attempted to enter his sister-in-law's VIP massage room looking for a pillow.

He confirmed this after seeing a picture of the man that Elle had taken.

Before this, another man had allegedly opened the doors of various private massage rooms, including Ang's and his family's, looking for a driver of a vehicle parked outside.

Ang said he and his family were partially undressed for the massage and were caught by surprise at the intrusion.

They have since made a police report in Johor Bahru.

Ang added that he made the Facebook post as he wanted to raise awareness of such practices at the spa and seek accountability from the establishment.

Spa confirms masseur fired

When Mothership spoke to the spa on Sep. 10, they said the masseur in question has since been let go.

Police investigations in JB are ongoing, according to Ang on Sep. 11, though he noted that the investigating officer has stopped responding to them.