Selling Sex in Honolulu: Police Use Massage License Law Against Prostitutes
Editor’s Note: This story is part of our ongoing coverage of the Honolulu Police Department’s enforcement of prostitution laws. Read our related coverage:
When Civil Beat started examining how the Honolulu Police Department handles prostitution, it found many massage parlors were unlicensed.
Law enforcement says that massage parlors can be used as fronts for prostitution and can be linked to human trafficking.
On Nov. 23, we reported that at least eight massage parlors that were open for business in Honolulu had no record of a license to practice, which is required by law.
Two weeks after we published our story, it seems police began paying more attention to whether massage parlors were properly licensed. A police spokeswoman didn’t respond to questions for this article.
The department’s daily arrest log shows officers began charging some women with both prostitution and massaging without a license or failing to display that license.
On Dec. 6, a woman was arrested for prostitution and massaging without a license, pursuant to . This was the first time since Civil Beat began monitoring prostitution arrests in July that police had charged an accused prostitute with additional offenses related to massage licensing.
Through the end of March, five more women have been arrested for both prostitution and massaging without a license or not displaying their massage license.
