DAVENPORT (AP) — Authorities say six Davenport massage businesses have been shut down because they haven’t complied with the city’s new ordinance on licensing.
Police say no arrests were made Tuesday as a city enforcement team visited the establishments. Officials say complaints have been received about illegal activity occurring inside the businesses. City officials and victims’ rights groups say massage parlors are a common front for human trafficking and illegal sex work.
The ordinance approved in March says massage therapists must be licensed by the state and reflexologists — people who massage feet, ears, hands — must be licensed by the city.
The enforcement team placed code violation notices on the doors of the six massage parlors.