State police and prosecutor urge licensure to curb illicit massage parlors and protect victims

Montpelier — State police and a county prosecutor told the Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee on Feb. 4 that illicit massage establishments in Vermont operate as organized, cash-driven enterprises that frequently exploit female workers and that licensure of massage professionals and businesses would give regulators a practical way to hold operators accountable.

Lieutenant Michael Steuben of the Vermont State Police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation described the parlors’ common features — blacked‑out storefronts, cropped advertising photos and a reliance on seclusion and privacy — and outlined the business model, victim profile and enforcement obstacles. "They're extremely profitable," Steuben said, and he estimated that a smaller parlor could take in "over a half million dollars" in cash. He told the…