Massage Parlors Aren't Whore Houses Any More

Controversy over massage parlors in Palo Alto has arisen again recently, an issue that supposedly was buried more than 30 years ago. As was true in the 1970s, some massage parlors such as offer standard massage treatments and have never been accused of being a den of prostitution. 

Then there are the others, such as two in Redwood City and one in San Mateo where women were arrested recently for offering services well beyond massage. Several years ago there were similar arrests at a “massage parlor” in Los Altos at 5100 El Camino. Any city can find itself hosting whore houses masquerading as massage parlors.

To understand how bad it can get, you must know about what happened here in the mid-1970s. Massage parlors started popping up all over town in 1974.  By 1976 there were 19 of them, nine between Arastradero and Matadero along El Camino and six by California and El Camino.

Many were staffed by prostitutes from places like the Mustang Ranch near Reno. They were joined by other places featuring sex toys, nude dancing and nude art and the x-rated Copenhagen Theater showing very raw films at 3898 El Camino where Papa John’s Pizza is now.

Crime went up, local women were getting propositioned along El Camino, retail vacancies in the area soared and legitimate businesses suffered. It was a real mess.

One of the most impacted areas was El Camino and Matadero, with four massage parlors within half a block. “Masseuses” wearing just G-strings and transparent tops would patronize a taco stand formerly on the Creekside Inn property. In December 1976 police raided almost all of the massage parlors, arrested prostitutes and pimps plus a few johns, and closed all 17 illegitimate massage parlors. 

The Council passed ordinances in May 1976 restricting massage parlors to no closer than 250 feet from residential or school zones, no closer than 1200 feet from each other, operating hours from 9 AM to 11 PM, and requiring use permits and certification of masseuses.  Records of customer names and what treatments they had also were required. This ordinance was used in 1990 to close an adult bookstore in the 3700 block of El Camino.

Changes in State law in September 2009 overrode parts of the Palo Alto massage regulations, so our laws need updating. The current version of the massage regulation ordinance no longer has the location limits, instead emphasizing training and certification of masseuses and keeping records of customers.  These requirements have raised objections from the legal massage parlors operating here.  They have reasons for concern.

Operations like Happy Feet, where customers are treated in a common area and remain fully clothed except for their feet, don’t seem at risk of being prostitution dens.  Places like this probably should be in a different category and not be required to have masseuses certified, but some training verification seems reasonable. 

The limits on location should be re-instated, perhaps allowing a very few massage parlors by special use permit within 250 feet of residential zones but no closer than 500 feet of schools, with a separation of at least 1,200 feet between massage parlors.

Requiring records of customers seems pointless. The whore houses posing as massage parlors were run out of town in 1976 without checking customer records.