77% of Long Islanders want crackdown on illicit massage spas, new poll shows

The vast majority of Long Islanders want local officials to ramp up enforcement on illicit massage spas and the landlords who house them, the latest Newsday/Siena University poll shows.

The poll released this week shows 77% of Long Islanders want to see that happen.

Yet neither Nassau nor Suffolk legislators have passed bills to regulate the issue. This comes even as local police have arrested more than 400 spa workers in recent years for prostitution-related crimes at businesses that reopen hours later or crop back up down the block. And county detectives are not arresting men who experts say fuel demand for this sex trade, according to a Newsday investigation.

"My first reaction was, my God, well, who’s going to say they’re in favor of prostitution?" said Don Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute. "You don’t often get 77% on anything, so ... it makes you think there’s overwhelming agreement."

Illicit massage spas are tucked into every corner of Long Island. They’re hidden in plain sight next to girl’s dance studios and concealed inside large medical office buildings. For every Starbucks in New York, there are almost two illicit spas, according to the anti-trafficking nonprofit The Network.

Local Republicans and Conservatives have less tolerance on the issue, with about 85% supporting stricter enforcement, the poll shows. Young people were less adamant, with 44% of those between the ages of 18 and 34 opposing action or saying they didn’t know. Overall, 12% of Long Islanders said they would oppose more government action and 11% said they didn’t know or refused to answer.

"Prostitution is more of a perceived problem and an enemy of the social fabric to conservatives," Levy said. Though, the conservative lean was slightly surprising, Levy said, because "a more classic conservative position is that government should intrude less in our lives."

The poll was conducted Sept. 11-17, among 411 likely voters in Suffolk and Nassau. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.7 percentage points, meaning the answer to any question can vary that much.

While neither county has passed any laws addressing the issue, some Long Island towns go after property owners who allow prostitution on their premises. In Huntington, landlords can be fined up to $25,000 and get 15 days in jail for repeat offenses. The Village of Farmingdale has a similar measure, and the City of New Rochelle and the Town of Greenburgh in Westchester County do, too.

Half-a-billion-dollar industry

Newsday has reported extensively on illicit massage spas in its series Sex Next Door. The stories prompted Nassau Legis. Viviana Russell (D-Westbury) and the Democratic minority caucus to craft a bill last month that could be the strictest enforcement of New York’s $500 million-a-year illicit spa industry.

Russell’s bill proposed hefty fines on business owners, ranging from $1,000 and $25,000, and recommended that the county take legal action against landlords who house spas with multiple violations. It would also require business owners to show they pay their employees and that no one lives at the spas overnight.

The Nassau Legislature’s Republican majority leader, Howard Kopel, of Lawrence, left the bill off the legislative calendar earlier this month and did not call for a vote. Russell said she requested a meeting with him to no avail.

Kopel wrote in a statement to Newsday that he was working to improve issues with the bill and its impact on nail salons, and planned to send an amended version to Democrats "in the coming days."

"We will move the legislation forward when the best path forward has been settled," he wrote.

Of the 78 bills introduced by Democrats since 2022, eight were brought to the floor by Republican majority leaders, according to a Democratic spokesman. Most of the eight were proposals to rename roads in memoriam.

In an interview with Newsday last week, Kopel said, "When you’re in the minority, you have the luxury of throwing bombs without responsibility. ... You could make proposals, say all kinds of things, something that would be a total budget buster ... [the bills] are poorly drafted, they’re unserious. They’re looking for publicity. They’re looking for stories in Newsday."

Quality of life issue

The illicit spa trade has rattled some of Long Island’s political corners. Notably, Suffolk County Clerk Vincent Puleo, former vice chairman of the county’s Conservative Party, owns a St. James strip mall where his longtime friend reportedly ran an illicit massage spa. Puleo shut the spa down following Newsday’s story.

Suffolk legislators have not introduced any legislation, but say they are looking into it. Republican Legis. Chad Lennon, of Rocky Point, said in an email he was researching possible bills.

Legis. Greg Doroski (D-Jamesport) told Newsday he plans to sponsor a bill to regulate illicit massage spas. Doroski, who serves on the Suffolk Legislature’s public safety committee, said he did not know the extent of the problem until he read Newsday’s stories.

"Sex trafficking is a huge issue, directly linked to these illicit foot spas ... and at minimum, it’s a quality-of-life issue for neighbors, as well," he said.

He said he hopes to get bipartisan support for a law that could tighten licensing requirements and increase enforcement through the county’s Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs.

"This is absolutely something we should crack down on," Doroski said.