http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/07/court-documents-report-mistreatment-at-spa-world-in-virginia-104749.html

This should come as a suprise to absolutely no one who has been to this place.
Maybe Spa World will get closed down for a while and we can expect a few parking spots to finally become available.

Who here knew we had the country's largest Asian-style spa resort right here in Fairfax?

Kind of sad when allegations are published like it has been proven. I was thinking the same thing when someone put the same allegations here. Maybe next week, someone will put a link about something new.

Spa World is still the nicest thing about Centreville. The allegations will be cleared up, people will move on and we can get back to enjoying the beauty of the place that finally put Centreville on the map.

This "investigation" didn't start until Spa World turned away a transgender. I don't care about Spa World but this seems awfully suspicious considering the way the gay mafia operates.

That article contained hearsay and no statement of fact. It contained a police "estimation" of 50 employees underpaid and a huge sum. Again, without any indication of what those estimations are based upon.
Those "court documents" that are purportedly the under-girding of the story seems extremely week. That bridge won't stand.

Court documents allege prostitution, slavery at Spa World in Va.
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/07/court-documents-report-mistreatment-at-spa-world-in-virginia-104749.html#ixzz36tG9yhun

CENTREVILLE, Va. (WJLA) - It is advertised as the largest Asian-style spa and resort in the country, offering massages, body scrubs, and leisure.

Continue reading

But according to court documents, Spa World has created horrific conditions for employees.

One victim tells Fairfax County investigators that he was recruited late last year as a body scrubber from San Francisco with promises of big money. But upon arrival, a manager immediately confiscated his luggage and shoes, and told him he was not allowed to leave the establishment. He also says that he was also forced to sleep on the floor.

In addition to allegations of prostitution at Spa World, victims – primarily Chinese and Korean nationals – report many examples of not being paid for their work.

In all, authorities estimate more than 50 victims are owed more than $500,000.

Victims were reportedly instructed not to talk to authorities, and some employees are allegedly instructed to hide in a “secret room” located on the second level of the establishment when inspectors come to the facility.

The owner named in court papers is Sang Lee, who was interviewed by ABC 7 last year after a transgender woman filed a complaint after claiming she was abruptly kicked out of Spa World.

We were told Lee was not in today when we visited the establishment, but we did discuss the allegations with manager KJ Park.

"It's not true," he told ABC7. "I go around and there's literally nothing like that going on..."

Meanwhile, near the Centreville spa, the reports of not paying workers are not sitting well at all with the public.

Go here to watch the news story:
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/07/court-documents-report-mistreatment-at-spa-world-in-virginia-104749.html#ixzz36tGDJH00

This is exactly what I was talking about. There's not a single statement of fact in this article. Only vague references to hearsay and unsubstantiated assertions.

This man's name has been dragged through the mud by WJLA


More info Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Court documents allege prostitution, slavery at
> Spa World in Va.
> http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/07/court-documen
> ts-report-mistreatment-at-spa-world-in-virginia-10
> 4749.html#ixzz36tG9yhun
> ...
> But according to court documents, Spa World has
> created horrific conditions for employees.

What kind of court documents? No mention of charges anywhere.

> One victim tells Fairfax County investigators that
> he was recruited late last year as a body scrubber
> from San Francisco with promises of big money. But
> upon arrival, a manager immediately confiscated
> his luggage and shoes, and told him he was not
> allowed to leave the establishment. He also says
> that he was also forced to sleep on the floor.

Sounds hard to prove any of that.

> In all, authorities estimate more than 50 victims
> are owed more than $500,000.

"Estimate"? "More than 50"? Great police work there and I smell BS. Defrauding 50 people of $10k each is no joke and pretty hard to hide. Were there business records to back ANY of this up? Why didn't these employees sue for promised wages?

> Victims were reportedly instructed not to talk ...

Hearsay.

> The owner named in court papers is Sang Lee, who
> was interviewed by ABC 7 last year after a
> transgender woman filed a complaint after claiming
> she was abruptly kicked out of Spa World.

Really nice job naming him WJLA. I don't know how you can sleep at night.

> Meanwhile, near the Centreville spa, the reports
> of not paying workers are not sitting well at all
> with the public.

Really? Who? Anyone who's the least bit skeptical hasn't been given enough info to form an opinion here.

How do we find the court papers?
They said Fairfax County Court.

At Spa World, Questions of “Abduction” and “Willful Refusal to Pay Wages”
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2014/07/08/at-spa-world-questions-of-abduction-and-willful-refusal-to-pay-wages/

The people giving you massages and fresh towels in between your bubble teas at Spa World, court records show, might not be getting paid, and some might not be able to leave.

The popular Korean spa in Centreville, Va., is the subject of a police investigation into accusations of nonpayment of wages, slave-like labor conditions, and prostitution, according to court papers first reported by Jeff Goldberg of WJLA-TV. Detectives from Fairfax County’s new human trafficking unit conducted a search of Spa World last Wednesday and seized files and electronic records. Police haven't yet filed any charges against Spa World owners, though the search warrant lists "abduction" and "willful refusal to pay wages" as potential criminal offenses under investigation.

An affidavit for the search warrant obtained from Fairfax Circuit Court reveals that the investigation began in December 2013, when a Spa World employee contacted police over nonpayment of wages. Since then, the human trafficking unit has interviewed several other alleged victims, who may be owed a total of up to $500,000 in back pay.

One 60-year-old Korean worker told authorities that a Spa World manager recruited him from San Francisco as a body scrubber, a popular exfoliation treatment called ddaemiri, which Spa World offers in its bathing areas. Court records show the man says that upon arriving in Centreville, that manager confiscated his shoes and luggage. He was not allowed to leave the Spa World premises and was forced to sleep on the floor, he told police. He was later moved to an apartment owned by Spa World, the affidavit says, which he shared with other employees and for which he paid rent to his boss, though others cited in court records say some workers live at Spa World in an unfurnished room on the second floor and also pay rent. A coworker and roommate of his, a woman in her 60s, told police a manager confiscated her ID when she arrived from New Jersey to take the job. Several employees say in the affidavit that they were told to put fraudulent information on employment applications and instructed to not talk to law enforcement; during inspections of the premises, some employees were hidden in a “secret room” on the second floor.

Several of the alleged victims told police of not being paid at all for their first month’s work, having 15 percent or more of their subsequent wages withheld (being told the owner was opening another business and would pay them back, but never did), having paychecks bounce, and in the case of one worker, being forced to pay her boss $2,400 in cash to be allowed to quit, payment her boss claimed was for rent, court records show. They also describe being denied lunch breaks or any kind of leave for illness or injury, despite the heavy physical demands of body scrubbing and massage work, which was largely relegated to Chinese nationals (many of them ethnic Koreans), with Korean nationals at the front desk and Latino employees assigned to custodial work, the affidavit says. The body scrubber said that other Spa World employees, who are undocumented immigrants, are not paid for their work at all, describing them as “slaves.” The body scrubber also claims that prostitution occurs on the premises, though no alleged victims of sex trafficking were interviewed in the affidavit.

Spa World owner Sang K. Lee didn't respond to multiple requests for comment. Fairfax County pollce wouldn't comment, either, saying the case is still an active investigation.

This isn't the first controversy to hit Spa World. In 2013, shortly after a Washington City Paper cover story on what claims to be the country’s largest jjimjilbang and its dazzling array of baths, saunas, food, and beauty services, the Fairfax Times reported on a transgender woman who had filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau after being ejected from the spa. The customer, Riya Suising, said management told her they had received complaints from other customers who had objected to sharing the bathing area with her, apparently due to her more masculine appearance (bathing areas are nude and sex-segregated): “They told me I was not welcome there and to leave because I looked a little different,” she told the Times. The outrage, however, kicked into high gear when Lee, the owner, responded to the BBB complaint by saying, “It is our policy to not accept any kinds of abnormal sexual oriented customers to our facility such as homosexuals, or transgender(s).” Lee added, “Also, for the safety and the comfort of young children at Spa World, we strongly forbid any abnormal sexual behaviors and orientation in our facility. Despite the controversial issue of homosexuality and transgender, it is our policy to not accept them.”

If there was such a policy, this was news to Spa World’s many gay customers, with whom the business had until then been enormously popular (as evinced by the many craigslist personal ads originating there), apparently to the ignorance of Spa World management. Many expressed outrage and called for boycotts. But Spa World quickly backtracked, with a different spokesperson, James Lee, saying there was no ban on gay or trans customers, only a ban on sexual activity (a strange clarification, since Suising wasn't engaging in sexual activity on the premises), and chalking it up to “a small miscommunication" due to a language barrier.

That dispute didn't result in any civil or criminal complaints, as discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender identity is perfectly legal in Virginia. But Spa World has faced other legal troubles since day one. When it opened in 2008, Spa World put on a promotion in which it invited senior citizens to enjoy its baths and saunas for free. More than 600 seniors showed up. One of them, an elderly Korean woman, drowned in the bathing area on opening day. Her daughter and husband sued Spa World, alleging the business was responsible for her death since the pool she was in was heated to more than 104 degrees, in violation of Fairfax County water regulation ordinances. The lawsuit was settled in 2010 for $250,000.

Whether or not they ultimately face criminal charges, Spa World faces other allegations similar to the Fairfax County police investigation. Last month, one former Spa World employee who worked as a locker room attendant brought a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against the business under the Fair Labor Standards Act for nonpayment of overtime. It’s unclear if that employee is one of the alleged victims in the criminal investigation, as they are not named in court records. Some of the employees interviewed in the criminal case had filed unpaid wage complaints to the U.S. Department of Labor. After they did that, they claim in the police affidavit, Spa World owner Sang Lee withheld all wages to all the employees who complained as punishment.

Illustration of Spa World customer uniform by Carey Jordan
Attachments:

I'm going to continue to go to Spa World. Where else can I prance naked in front of strangers and get scrot-scrub from an old man?

This is just Republican nonsense to hold down the little man!

Spaaaaaaah.. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Spa World is still the nicest thing about
> Centreville. The allegations will be cleared up,
> people will move on and we can get back to
> enjoying the beauty of the place that finally put
> Centreville on the map.


You must be Sang Lee, nobody else would be so stupid to say this. Take your Whore House and head back to Korea or whatever shit hole you crawled out of. This place will be shut down and turned back into a gym or grocery store. Centreville doesn't need this Bullshit, plenty of nice places ready to take its place.

Yet more information Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> [More of the Same Rumors and Baseless Accusations]

Even more rumors and unsubstantiated allegations. The article even admits that the "slavery" and "prostitution" claims are unfounded.
"The body scrubber also claims that prostitution occurs on the premises, though no alleged victims of sex trafficking were interviewed in the affidavit."

Give me a break.

The owner has clearly made some powerful enemies around here and this farce is clearly the price he has to pay. He'll get his name dragged through the mud and the lazy Fairfax County government will end up getting something on the back-end of this affair so they eventually lay off.

I've never been to this place and it's not my scene so I'm pretty sure I never will, but this is a huge production made up over very little evidence.

Ewwwww. I went there and loved the different treatment rooms, but something just seemed a bit off to me. I wasn't comfortable to strip down and go into the pool...grew up in the area and no way would risk running into anyone I knew. Call me what ya want, just don't have a desire to prance around with my kitty cat roaming free for all to see. HAHA but honestly, it just has that oddness to it I couldn't pinpoint. Now I get it. Gosh, I've been to a brothel LOL

Didn't Ovechkin and Nicky Backstrom used to frequent that place?

I've never been, and the only people I know who have been are Koreans or Eastern Europeans. None of my American born or Western European friends will set foot in the place, and I am smart enough to not need to ask why.

ehGy4 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've never been, and the only people I know who
> have been are Koreans or Eastern Europeans. None
> of my American born or Western European friends
> will set foot in the place, and I am smart enough
> to not need to ask why.


Are you a tranny?

Whatever, I liked it and saw nothing fucked up there. I've been twice. Your other American friends don't go because they are frightened of being naked, which is a little awkward and I felt the same way at first, but hey, it's your body. It seemed like a family establishment, there were children with their mothers in the women's pool- maybe the men's pool is a crazy hooker smorgasbord, but that sounds like bs to me. I can't comment on the employment stuff, although people seemed happy.

I've been to spa world a few times. Mostly guys showing off their dicks to other guys. Never had any sex there or been offered any. I was there one day when the health department shut them down for high bacteria levels in the hot tubs. Kind of gross since you could end up with a rash. They gave everyone a "free pass". $40.00 is kind of steep just to use the tubs and sauna but it helps weed out the bums.

Oh well, I'll still go. Maybe next week!

It's all hearsay. Seems more of a gay pickup joint.

I am a straight, white guy who loves Spa World. I've never seen anything inappropriate there. I hope these allegations are untrue.

I'm laughing at the folks in this thread that can't handle same sex nudity.

White people love the ethnic korean spa world and love asians more than browner minorities but they just need to talk to a salvadorean immigrant when they look down their nose and they will tell them the atrocities and abuse they have to put up with by their fresh off the boat asian bosses.

Prove It Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is exactly what I was talking about. There's
> not a single statement of fact in this article.
> Only vague references to hearsay and
> unsubstantiated assertions.
>
> This man's name has been dragged through the mud
> by WJLA
>
>
> More info Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Court documents allege prostitution, slavery at
> > Spa World in Va.
> >
> http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/07/court-documen
>
> >
> ts-report-mistreatment-at-spa-world-in-virginia-10
>
> > 4749.html#ixzz36tG9yhun
> > ...
> > But according to court documents, Spa World has
> > created horrific conditions for employees.
>
> What kind of court documents? No mention of
> charges anywhere.
>
> > One victim tells Fairfax County investigators
> that
> > he was recruited late last year as a body
> scrubber
> > from San Francisco with promises of big money.
> But
> > upon arrival, a manager immediately confiscated
> > his luggage and shoes, and told him he was not
> > allowed to leave the establishment. He also
> says
> > that he was also forced to sleep on the floor.
>
> Sounds hard to prove any of that.
>
> > In all, authorities estimate more than 50
> victims
> > are owed more than $500,000.
>
> "Estimate"? "More than 50"? Great police work
> there and I smell BS. Defrauding 50 people of
> $10k each is no joke and pretty hard to hide.
> Were there business records to back ANY of this
> up? Why didn't these employees sue for promised
> wages?
>
> > Victims were reportedly instructed not to talk
> ...
>
> Hearsay.
>
> > The owner named in court papers is Sang Lee,
> who
> > was interviewed by ABC 7 last year after a
> > transgender woman filed a complaint after
> claiming
> > she was abruptly kicked out of Spa World.
>
> Really nice job naming him WJLA. I don't know how
> you can sleep at night.
>
> > Meanwhile, near the Centreville spa, the
> reports
> > of not paying workers are not sitting well at
> all
> > with the public.
>
> Really? Who? Anyone who's the least bit skeptical
> hasn't been given enough info to form an opinion
> here.

I've been around a lot of sleazy forums and i've never read a report about prostitution at Spa World. Never. There has been the "friend of a friend said this or that." But never first person account of any sex there. That said, I don't know what kind of gay meeting place it might be. But, sex can happen anywhere, including church basements. It seems the media are just putting any negative speculation out there



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2014 07:26PM by Priapus.

I am not surprised at this news. I read "Sex Among Allies Military Prostitution in U.S.-Korea Relations." by Katharine H.S. Moon

Ref:
3 women arrested in prostitution sting at Limestone County spa on May 29, 2014
http://blog.al.com/breaking/2014/05/3_women_arrested_in_prostituti.html

DA works to close Anderson County spa under nuisance law after prostitution srrests on May 02 , 2014
http://www.wate.com/story/25415005/anderson-county-spa-closed-under-nuisance-law-after-prostitution-arrests

Annandale massage parlor Peach Therapy was a full service brothel in heart of Fairfax County. Is it still? on Oct 12, 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/annandale-massage-parlor-peach-therapy-was-a-full-service-brothel-in-heart-of-fairfax-county-is-it-still/2012/10/29/95303d2e-1f26-11e2-ba31-3083ca97c314_blog.html

NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/28/nyregion/oldest-profession-s-newest-home-korean-prostitutes-doing-desperate-business.html

Ex-Prostitutes Say South Korea and U.S. Enabled Sex Trade Near Bases
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/world/asia/08korea.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Flesh trade is human rights problem.

Massage Parlor Owner Pleads Guilty to Prostitution Ring Charges

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Massage-Parlor-Owner-Pleads-Guilty-to-Prostituion-Ring-Charges-175828181.html

Annandale massage parlor Peach Therapy was a full service brothel in heart of Fairfax County. Is it still?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/annandale-massage-parlor-peach-therapy-was-a-full-service-brothel-in-heart-of-fairfax-county-is-it-still/2012/10/29/95303d2e-1f26-11e2-ba31-3083ca97c314_blog.html

Seven Korean women arrested on prostitution charges in South Carolina

http://www.koreatimesus.com/?p=14100

Two charged in Annandale prostitution ring
Federal agents found lists of customer names, prosecutors say

http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20121102/NEWS/711029872/1076/news&source=RSS&template=fairfaxTimes

Police: High-end drug and prostitution ring busted on Super Bowl week

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/30/us/super-bowl-prostitution-drug-ring/

Prostitution in South Korea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_South_Korea

...a bunch of 50 yo Korean ladies giving handjobs does not equal an abducted 19 yo, chained to a basement radiator. This is another huge grab for federal enforcement money, all 'for the children' of course.

neva go bak Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ewwwww. I went there and loved the different
> treatment rooms, but something just seemed a bit
> off to me. I wasn't comfortable to strip down and
> go into the pool...grew up in the area and no way
> would risk running into anyone I knew. Call me
> what ya want, just don't have a desire to prance
> around with my kitty cat roaming free for all to
> see. HAHA but honestly, it just has that oddness
> to it I couldn't pinpoint. Now I get it. Gosh,
> I've been to a brothel LOL


^^ trailer trash

I've been to Spa World with friends and really enjoyed it. I'm not Korean or Eastern European. Actually, on the Sunday I was there I saw very few Koreans. The place was clean and the staff was very friendly. The restaurant was very good too. Not sure about the allegations. I can't imagine they are all true give the high profile that it has. Too bad it's in Centerville. I'd really like it closer to DC. dealing with 66 sucks.

Is my Groupon still valid for a BOGO handjob?

Dead thread, but just wanted to say that as a sex industry worker off and on in the area for 9 yrs, I know for a fact that this happens around here all the time. Almost every single asian massage parlour either traffics illegal immigrants in and forces them to "work off their debt" through prostitution or regular jobs. These debts amass upwards from $40,000, and the "pay" they earn to pay it off is about ten percent off what they would actually make. You are a slave, and if u try to leave they threaten to kill family back East, turn u in or punish u without leaving marks. Or they take advantage of people here who need work, traffic them in from other states, take their papers, documents, clothes, shoes, lock them up until they learn to obey. There is a HUGE asian counter-culture all around us, that us Americans are too caught up in our world to even see. There are strictly asian taxi services, food stores, massage brothels, even opium dens. Of course there is the same seperate worlds for Hispanics and Africans as well with similar issues. The world is a bad place and if we wannt to remedy it the first step is get your head out your ass and see whats going on. The average joe doest even fathom the abuse and torture that goes on behind the scenes of the porns they enjoy so much. Just because someone is ACTING as if they are happy and enjoying stuff, doesnt mean they arent being threatened or punished into doing so. The people have to look happy at Spa world, or in porn, or sex trade, how do you think it would affect them if they didn't? Thank you im sorry this was such a long rant.

any recommendations for a good handjob besides Spaworld?

Is there any update to this? Those are some pretty serious allegations and they are pretty detailed / descriptive. This doesn't seem like something that should just go away.

This is probably a dead conversation. Being familiar with the Eastern European culture, I have been enjoying a few trips to Spa World. Staff seem professional and I have never been offered anything inappropriate or illegal. However, recently, there have been some false charges on my credit card. It happened multiple times. I called them and they explained that there is a new credit card machine that "makes mistakes". Hmmm. I will still probably go there, but will use cash this time...

Come on people. Do the math. It does not add up. $40 and I've seen lower discounts. You can't cover the expenses and pay people fairly. They're all probably piled in one house, fed some ramen cooked in that unchlorinated bath water and paid pennies. I work in a similar biz and you can't possibly sustain it without something giving. If you don't mind slave hands and energy then knock yourself out. Investigations don't go anywhere because someone unjustly bitched about their employer unless other red flags came up.

DoTheMath Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Come on people. Do the math. It does not add up.
> $40 and I've seen lower discounts. You can't cover
> the expenses and pay people fairly. They're all
> probably piled in one house, fed some ramen cooked
> in that unchlorinated bath water and paid pennies.
> I work in a similar biz and you can't possibly
> sustain it without something giving. If you don't
> mind slave hands and energy then knock yourself
> out. Investigations don't go anywhere because
> someone unjustly bitched about their employer
> unless other red flags came up.

What math? I'm not saying shady shit isn't going on.. Because I don't know.. And I do find it odd this story just went away.. But not sure how you are figuring the business is unsustainable.

Just because your cheap ass saw a groupon for $35 doesn't mean that's what is being paid by everyone that goes there. Sure some people are paying $35 and some others $150 or $200. How many people to there a day? 50? 100? 150? I have no idea but I bet it's not an insignificant number. If it was 50 people at a blended average of say $80 a person.. That's $4000 a day. I bet they make way more than that though. You can employ a fuck ton of people with money to pay the rent for $4000+ a day.

I am not Korean nor Eastern European and I have been to Spa World many times and I have never had any issues nor have I observed any questionable behaviors. I am female. I have gotten massages there and the style is Shiatsu and you remain under a sheet. The massage is more Thai style in the sense that the massage therapist moves your limbs around. Massages cost extra and are around $100. I have never used coupons or groupon and each massage room has a sign regarding the rules and that the police will be notified if customers attempt to cross any lines into inappropriate behavior.

Whenever I go, I spend most of my time in the various healing rooms. Although I like the steam room, I do not like the various pools, not because of the nudity but because I just do not like soaking in water. I typically do the steam room and then shower and dress to leave.