QUEENS — Several Forest Hills massage parlors that are under investigation after residents expressed concern about illegal activities have closed in recent weeks, locals and police sources said.
At least one such "spa” located on Metropolitan Avenue was recently closed by court order, while two nearby parlors also appear to be closed and emptied.
A notice stating that K.I.M. Spa at 97-16 Metropolitan Ave., between 69th Avenue and 69th Road, was closed by court order on June 10 was still visible in its window on Tuesday night. There was also a notice from the landlord dated June 20 stating that the spa violated its lease by using the “premises for obscene or pornographic or any sort of commercial sex establishment.”
The shutdown comes on the heels of several arrests made within the area covered by the 112th Precinct, which includes Forest Hills and Rego Park, as well as the 104th Precinct, which encompasses Ridgewood and Glendale.
On May 19, Capt. Mark Wachter, commanding officer of the 104th Precinct, posted on the precinct's community council Facebook page that “the Queens North Vice Team arrested 5 females last night for unlicensed massage/ prostitution within the confines of the 104/112 pct.”
“We will continue to actively address these locations based on community complaints,” Wachter added.
In January, a worker was also arrested at the Harmony Spa, located at 104-14 Metropolitan Ave. between 72nd Avenue and 71st Drive, one of the spas that now appears to be closed.
Law enforcement sources told DNAinfo New York that in several cases, workers there offered undercover officers sexual favors in exchange for money.
The third recently closed spa was located at 100-35 Metropolitan Ave., at 70th Drive. There are no longer any signs with its name in the windows.
“I’m happy that these very public establishments are closed,” JP Freeley, a local resident who raised the issue at a Community Board 6 meeting in February, said Wednesday. “You don’t want illegal establishments in the neighborhood for a reason.”
Freeley worried, however, that the parlors may soon reappear in the neighborhood in "less obvious locations," making them harder to track.
