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Roswell council denies appeal of massage-establishment license after police sting
Summary
The City Council unanimously denied an appeal by the owner of Shoe Chi / Tao Spa after police said an undercover investigation found an employee massaging a patron without a state massage license and alleged sexualized contact. Staff cited inaccurate application answers as part of the denial.
The Roswell City Council unanimously denied an appeal Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, of the city’s decision to deny a massage-establishment license for Shoe Chi Foot Massage, also operating as Tao Spa, at 2850 Holcomb Bridge Road, Suite A130.
Chief Jim Conroy presented the case to council and cited Roswell City Ordinance sections 10-13-10 (revocation of license) and 10-13-5(d)(2) (massage-establishment license required). Conroy said the applicant, identified in the city materials as Han Zhan Xu (alternatively transcribed in the record), and her application contained false answers about staffing: the application listed only the owner as an employee while investigators found at least one other worker present.
Conroy read excerpts from police reports. Investigators delivered licensing paperwork in December 2023 and noted a second female—identified as Shu Quinn Shu—on site, holding an expired Roswell work permit but not a Georgia massage license. In a subsequent undercover investigation in November 2024, a plainclothes officer paid for a one-hour massage. Conroy said the reports allege the undercover officer was massaged on both front and back, that sexualized touching of the groin occurred during the session, and that Shu later grabbed the undercover officer’s genitals; the city’s narrative states an arrest/transport followed and cash seized during a search warrant.
On those bases—false statements on the license application and the law-enforcement findings—staff recommended denial of the appeal. Attorney Michael Pugliese, representing the applicant, asked council to consider a more restrictive oversight regime that would allow the business to continue under strict conditions, saying the owner had operated in Roswell since 2017 and that the episode involved an employee and not an ongoing pattern of willful misconduct by the owner.
Council Member Sarah Beeson moved to deny the appeal; Council Member Lee Hills seconded. By show of hands, the motion passed unanimously 6–0.
Clarifying details: staff said the denial was based on both the false answers on the application and the criminal investigative findings. The police reports are identified in the record as Roswell Police case numbers 2312-00198 (ordinance check and December 2023 contact) and 241-000-991 (investigation and undercover transaction in November 2024). The city attorney confirmed staff recommendation to deny the appeal.
The council’s action was a final administrative denial at the meeting; the record does not show additional disciplinary steps or conditions placed on the business beyond the denial.
