Utah lawmakers are looking to tackle what appears to be a growing problem in the Beehive State — illicit massage businesses.

Posing as legitimate massage or bodywork establishments, illicit massage businesses are fronts for prostitution, often engaging in human trafficking, money laundering and tax evasion. The numbers vary depending on the source, but officials believe Utah has more than 100 active, illicit massage businesses in the state.

Mick Spilker, a section chief with the Utah Attorney General’s Office, pointed to a subscriber-based website for people to find and review illegal massage operations — according to the website, Utah had 363 massage parlors listed, with 199 of them currently active. Salt Lake County had the most, with 48.

Spilker spoke to lawmakers last week during an Organized Crime Subcommittee meeting.

“Holy crap, 199 current listings for different parlors in the state? This is not a minor thing happening. This is right under your nose, this is right next to you,” said Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden, who chairs the committee.

The Utah Department of Commerce had similar numbers, suggesting there are about 150 illicit massage businesses in the state. Nationwide, Utah ranked 22nd for the state with the most businesses — high population states, like California, Texas and New York, had the most.

But based on the number of illicit massage businesses per adult male resident (the most frequent patrons), Utah ranked 17th.

“That gives you a snippet of how many of these parlors we’re dealing with. They’re always popping up, too,” Spilker told the committee. “They’re popping up pretty much daily or weekly.”

According to data from the department, in 2020 there were 96 known illicit massage businesses in Utah; by 2021, there were 111; by 2022, there were 128; and by 2023, there were 147.

And as the industry grows, so do its techniques for dodging law enforcement. Often, it can be hard to prosecute the owner of the business, as the women working there operate like “contract employees,” which can sometimes shield the proprietor from liability. Businesses ensure there are only two or three women working, making it harder for law enforcement to prove they’re being exploited.

Spilker said in one instance, an illicit massage business paid someone to file public record requests for police reports, and leave positive Google reviews, claiming there was no illegal activity.

Straw buyers are also common, where someone with no connection to the business is listed as the owner in an attempt to circumvent authorities. Illicit massage businesses are typically part of a network, with different storefronts run by the same people.

So while law enforcement can intervene and make arrests, it can be difficult to actually kill the business. Often the same owners will rebrand, find new workers and open new storefronts.

These operations can be lucrative. It can usually cost around $60, sometimes as much as $100, to simply walk in the door, said Spilker. According to one investigation, the owner of an illicit massage business was making more than $700,000 each year.

As for a legislative solution? Both Spilker and officials with the Department of Commerce said imposing stricter regulations on massage businesses could be a start, including requiring anyone who applies for a business license to interview with law enforcement, undergo background checks and sign an attestation that they will not engage in any illegal activity. That could curb the straw buyer problem, officials said.

“For a legitimate massage business, that’s very easy to do. It requires very little, they would pay a bit in registration. The legit massage businesses we talked with said ‘we’re happy to have you take our money if you’re going to use it to shut down the illicit massage businesses,'” said Jeff Shumway, director of the state’s Office of Professional Licensure Review.

Other solutions include creating a database to keep track of massage therapists, increasing penalties for “Johns” (slang for someone who solicits prostitution), and laws that make it easier to temporarily close down an illicit massage business so authorities can review its license.

Shumway pointed to Aurora, Colorado, as a case study in how to push back against the industry. There, city officials created new hoops to obtain a massage business license, while also making it easier to revoke. Once the license has been revoked for illicit activity, the location cannot be leased for any kind of massage business.

“You’re essentially shutting down that location permanently, regardless of how they rename it or reincorporate,” said Shumway.

Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.