Federal Way responds to massage businesses selling sex

Published 9:54 pm Saturday, April 25, 2026

Editor’s note: This story contains graphic sexual content.

Driving through Federal Way on Pacific Highway, one might notice massage business after massage business, many illuminated by neon “massage” and “open” signs that stay on well past the workday and into the night.

The Federal Way Police Department has located at least 40 of these massage businesses that are suspected of providing illegal sexual services. Police also believe many of the women providing sexual services at these businesses are being trafficked or held against their will.

But when there is a demand for prostitution, some massage businesses will meet it. The Mirror corresponded with two men who frequent these establishments, and they reported that for an extra fee, they have received sexual services from women.

These prostitution fronts can be found in multiple cities in King County. Recent reports detail a sting operation in Bothell that shut down five of these businesses, for example, while Renton police identified 30 such massage businesses in 2025. Federal Way police are attempting to shut down massage businesses involved in illicit activities. Police also consider the women providing services at these businesses as victims, which is another motivation for a proposed massage business ordinance currently under consideration by city leaders.

Firsthand accounts from ‘customers’

For this report, The Mirror corresponded with two people who have sought and received illicit sexual services from massage businesses in Federal Way.

One man, who said he used to live in Federal Way but now resides in Puyallup, said that he has received sexual services numerous times at local massage businesses, with a range of sexual acts including intercourse with an employee. This man stated that, on top of the price for a full massage, receiving sexual services ranges in price from $50 to $150.

“I have had success on multiple occasions. I would say by now I almost expect to get a happy ending wherever I go,” the man said. “Just what type, depending on what I want.”

This man said that massage businesses offering illicit services usually have a camera outside, neon signs and a locked front door. He said these businesses are “everywhere” in Federal Way, and new ones keep popping up.

He learned how to seek sexual services from massage businesses through tips he found online, and specifically through Reddit communities. Most of the women he has interacted with while seeking sexual services have been Asian, he said, but sometimes the women he interacts with are of other ethnicities.

Regarding whether he has any qualms about the possibility of these women being trafficked or coerced, the man said he doesn’t really think about it.

“I know it happens, but I don’t think about that unless it could be obvious, but I never came across that situation,” he said. “She never felt like she didn’t want to be there.”

Regarding whether he has any worries about legal trouble from seeking sexual services at massage businesses, the man said no. He said one business he went to was shut down sometime after he left, but he doesn’t think about whether he will get in trouble.

Now that he lives in Puyallup, he has found four different businesses that offer sexual services. While he was searching, he was sometimes denied services, but said that he eventually found a business he likes that offers sexual services.

Another man stated that Pacific Highway is the place to look for these massage businesses that provide illicit sexual services. He told The Mirror that through trial and error, he found massage businesses that offered sexual services in Federal Way. He said many businesses will provide a range of services if an additional $100 to $200 is provided.

“It’s on the customer,” he said. “You ask, and they say yes or no. Simple as that.”

Regarding whether he has qualms about the possibility of the women being trafficked or coerced, the second man said he doesn’t believe in his experiences that anyone has ever been a victim of human trafficking. He said he has not seen bruises or signs of abuse on the women.

“It’s literally women who accept a large tip for services they decide,” the second man said. “Clients don’t get to be pushy. You’ll get the cops called on you, as ironic as that may seem. I’ve never seen someone turn down $300 bucks cash in person.”

A ripe location

FWPD Deputy Chief Casey Jones said he believes the city became a ripe location for massage businesses that provide illegal sexual services due to a lack of local ordinances.

Jones said in the past year, the department has made an effort to close these massage businesses, and city leaders have been working on an ordinance to govern a few aspects of how massage businesses must operate. The ordinance is intended to help deter massage businesses that provide illegal sexual services, help officers close these massage businesses, and help differentiate them from legitimate businesses.

The police department conducts undercover operations, collects information from people who inadvertently go to one of these businesses, monitors the businesses, and investigates things such as who owns the property, Jones said.

The goal is not to prosecute the women providing the sexual services at these businesses because the department considers them victims, Jones said. Instead, the department is aiming to shut down the businesses and prosecute whoever is running them. Jones said multiple massage businesses are often managed by the same people, and they could face the charge of promoting prostitution.

Many of the women offering sexual services at these businesses are trafficked to the United States, then are coerced into providing sexual services by having their passports held from them, being forced to pay off debts or other types of extortion.

“Another goal is to help the victims. If they’re involved in this and are being forced into this kind of thing, then we shouldn’t be holding them accountable as suspects,” Jones said. “Those are the victims of the crimes. They’re pawns in this game for people to make money off of them.”

People who seek out and receive sexual services from massage businesses are subject to criminal liability and could be charged with patronizing a prostitute, Jones said. Participants are fueling the demand for these services, he said, which often utilize women who are being trafficked.

“It’s important to get many of these women out of that life, and get them someplace safe,” Jones said.

The public can avoid accidentally ending up in a massage business offering illicit sexual services by not going to places that don’t post their prices or services, are open past midnight, have locked doors, and don’t post their massage licenses, he said.

In the past, the department received a report that a massage business was open at 1 a.m., and a massage therapist was inside the business wearing lingerie.

“Sometimes we get phone calls from people who go to one of these businesses mistakenly thinking that it is legitimate, and they go in there, and there’s maybe some kind of proposition by an unlicensed therapist, and these people realize, whoa, they’re in the wrong kind of place, and get up and leave,” Jones said. “Sometimes the complaints are about, ‘I see cars coming here all day and night, and it’s the middle of the night, and there’s new men coming every 15 minutes,’ kind of thing.”

Proposed massage business ordinance

Currently on the docket for Federal Way City Council to approve is a new massage business ordinance.

Ordinance requirements for massage businesses:

• Each massage therapist must have a massage license, the licenses must be displayed, and the owner, director, manager or other person in charge is responsible for ensuring compliance.

• Businesses are not allowed to operate between 10 p.m. and 5:59 a.m.

• Cash transactions are prohibited.

• During hours of operation, the businesses’ front door may not be locked.

• A list of services offered must be conspicuously posted.

• Internal warning systems that notify the business operator of nearby law enforcement are not permitted on the premises.

At the April 21 Federal Way City Council meeting, the ordinance had its first reading, and it was approved by the council. Next, the ordinance will have its second reading at the May 5 city council meeting, and if approved, will be adopted.