Babylon closes 14 massage parlors

Babylon Town announced Monday that it collaborated with Suffolk police to close 14 illegal massage parlors for town code violations.

The massage parlors were located in Copiague, Deer Park, East Farmingdale, North Lindenhurst and West Babylon. Working with Suffolk's First Precinct, the town's Quality of Life Taskforce effectively shut the establishments using building and fire code violations, said Supervisor Steve Bellone. One other business was shut after police filed prostitution charges, he said.

The town began investigating the businesses several months ago, Bellone said, and has issued more than 100 summonses. The town said each violation carries a fine ranging from $250 to $2,000.

Bellone and other officials gathered Monday outside the Happy Smoke Shop on Grand Boulevard in Deer Park. The massage parlor, they said, operated illegally and received seven violations, such as a lack of building permits. The owners, who the town identified as 209 Riverside Drive Corp. in Smithtown, could not be reached for comment.

"Places like this that could easily be missed have been shut down," Bellone said, pointing to clues outside the store seized on by investigators - cameras, a buzzer to get in, windows covered by blinds.

Suffolk Police Lt. Thomas Kelly said investigations of these businesses can be time-consuming and expensive: "This streamlines the process."

Both town and police officials acknowledge illegal massage parlors pop up frequently and owners could easily open up other stores but said they hope this disruption and pressure from the town will drive them out.

"This is the equivalent of going after Capone for tax evasion," Bellone said. "We're shutting down prostitution through town code."

But the manager of one shuttered business, The Lindenhurst Natural Health Center Spa, said her establishment had no prostitution. Tina Zhang said she has gotten all the required permits since the town issued summonses Feb. 3. Still, she said her business, in operation for eight years, has been unable to reopen. "We cannot do anything right now," she said.

Town spokesman Tim Ruggeri said the spa has been cooperating with the town, but still needs a massage license before it can reopen.