KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An investigation into several Johnson County massage parlors, which are accused of offering illicit services, resulted in six arrests Thursday.
Kelly, who asked 41 Action News not to use her last name or identify where she works, said in the 10 years she's been in the area, so has King's Spa and she's noticed the same type of activity, too.
"It seems that every day there is several male adults coming and going from the establishment next door and they are always guys," she said. "There aren't any females that go in there other than the employees."
Kelly, who lives and works in the area, has a pretty good idea why that is.
"Inappropriate ending massages ...," she said. "Something that they wouldn't advertise."
Six people were arrested in an investigation that spanned two cities and included the execution of multiple search warrants for various businesses and homes. The entire investigation is connected to alleged "illicit massage parlor businesses," according to the Olathe Police Department.
Philip W. Ward, 55, and Lifang Zhang, 56, a man and woman who lived at the same Olathe address, are among those charged.
Both individuals face two counts of promoting sexual relations at two Olathe massage parlors — from June 2018 until Thursday at Lotus Flower Massage, 125 N. Chester St., and from October 2018 until Thursday at Dream Massage, 1483 E. 151st St.
Chaoyong Jiang, 65, of Lenexa is charged with promoting sexual relations from March 2017 to May 2019 at Flower Spa, 2111 E. Crossroads Lane in Olathe.
Bond for all three was set at $100,000.
According to the Johnson County District Attorney's arrest complaint, the trio are are alleged to have been knowingly involved in illegal activity at a business where sexual relations were allegedly being sold or offered for sale.
Leawood police spent the day collected evidence at King's Spa.
"We get comments all the time asking about, 'Well, what's going on over there? It's kind of shady looking. ... They're open until late at night and who gets a massage at 10 o'clock at night, you know?' Well, apparently a lot of guys do," Kelly said. "We've tried to see if maybe we could get a regular massage ... sent a girlfriend in there and she was told no — no appointment — and (they) pushed her out the door."
Kelly and several others in the strip mall where King's Spa is located said a sign that reads, "We on vacation right now, come back soon" has been up for weeks, and it's not the first time.
Nearby employees said that every time the sign goes up, the spa goes dark with no one inside for months. The property is owned by the Tutera Group, which declined a request for comment.
Calls to King's Spa and its owner went straight to voicemail.
On Friday, a fourth person — 65-year-old Joseph Wilhoit — was also charged with promoting sexual relations between Sept. 4 and Nov. 14, 2019, at A + Health. His bond was set at $25,000.
Charges against the other two people arrested have yet to be announced.
