Illegal brothel Health Body Massage in Wellington St, St Kilda closed
AN ILLEGAL brothel operating from the ground floor of a residential apartment building in St Kilda has been shut down by police.
Inner East
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AN ILLEGAL brothel operating from the ground floor of a residential apartment building in St Kilda has been shut down by police.
Health Body Massage at 115a Wellington St attracted attention from neighbours soon after it opened in April, Prahran Senior Constable Monica Allen said, and their fears were confirmed when they found seedy images online.
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Racy website pictures showed scantily clad women dressed in lingerie, despite the business posing as a massage parlour, Sen-Constable Allen said.
Its location close to homes and offices made it a top priority for police to gather evidence quickly and get the court order this month to shut it down, she added.
Anyone found entering or leaving the premises could now cop a hefty fine.
The business operator could also face charges and have their assets seized if police could prove they received a significant amount of cash in return for providing seedy sexual favours.
Tell tale signs a massage parlour was more than an innocent day spa included the types of magazines in the foyer and the services offered by staff, Sen-Constable Allen said.
A neon sign in the window, and whether the business exclusively offered massages as opposed to other legitimate beauty or health treatments, could also be dead giveaways, she said, as were the staff uniforms.
“A lot of the time they’re wearing heels and things like that, which is unusual. Racy clothing,” she said.
Common concerns at such businesses often centred around hygiene, the exploitation of staff and human trafficking, she said, though she noted these did not seem to be an issue in this case.
Health Body Massage’s website appeared to have been taken down when the Leader checked last week (October 22).
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