Town Of Babylon Shuts Down 4 Illegal Massage Parlors

TOWN OF BABYLON, NY - The Town of Babylon will be cracking down on illegal massages in the area, officials announced during a press conference Wednesday.

During the event, supervisor Rich Schaffer stated the Town’s Quality of Life Taskforce, in conjunction with the Suffolk County Police Department, conducted a series of investigative operations last week on illegal massage parlors located in the Town.

As a result, a total of four parlors were shut down.

The Smile Wellness Spa in Amityville was shut down after two employees were arrested for prostitution.

The other three locations were closed for various violations, including workers operating without a massage license. Officials also found an alarming number of safety hazards at the facilities, including the absence of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, blocked emergency exits and major electrical hazards.

In total, the Town issued 38 violations and summonses.

"This is about shutting down the bad guys who give this industry a bad name, to make sure the law-abiding small businesses can thrive," Babylon councilman Terence McSweeney, head of the Town’s Public Safety Committee, said. "Let me absolutely clear. We are here today to send a strong message to would-be illegal massage parlors, we’re coming after you. We won’t tolerate illegal activity, not in the Town of Babylon."

Two local massage establishment owners, Marla Kaplan and Gregg Schilling, spoke about the bad rap illegal parlors give their businesses.

Kaplan, spoke about the dangerous situations her therapists are put in by clients expecting more than a normal massage.

Schilling spoke about his positive experience opening a massage establishment in the Town of Babylon.

Watch a video from the press conference below: