JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Four women at a massage parlor were arrested last week on prostitution charges, according to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office records.
On Jan. 27, arrest reports show, different undercover detectives with JSO’s Vice Unit went to New Star Massage on Baymeadows Road, where they paid $70 upfront for an hourlong massage. According to JSO, undercover detectives arrested four women accused of offering sex acts, some ranging between $100 to $200. Police said one woman inappropriately touched a detective without warning.
Because the prostitution charges are misdemeanors, News4JAX has omitted the names of the women from this story.
Two of the woman arrested are also charged with massaging without a license — which is also a misdemeanor charge.
The open sign was on at New Star Massage on Thursday afternoon. When News4JAX pulled out our camera, the open sign turned off and no one answered the door.
A man, who wants to remain anonymous, works nearby. He said customers have told him about the activity inside the massage parlor.
“You can see now my parking lot is empty, but all the time, they have a full parking lot,” he said.
The man said this wasn’t the first undercover bust at the business. Records show at least one woman was arrested on a prostitution charge in October, but the charge was eventually dropped.
“I’m surprised to see them open again,” the man said.
Records also show one of the women was arrested on a prostitution charge at a different massage parlor in 2018. That charge was dropped.
Four women were arrested the same day police made two other prostitution arrests on Jan. 27 at a different Duval County massage parlor.
The owner and an employee of Ocean Massage in Atlantic Beach were arrested, according to an arrest report from the Atlantic Beach Police Department.
The arrest report states an undercover officer went to the massage parlor and agreed to pay $160 for an hourlong massage with two women.
According to the report, the officer said he was led into a massage room, where a woman performed a sex act. The report states a second person walked in and also began performing a sex act.