Court: Cities may shut massage parlors over trace sex evidence

The Amsterdam mayor rightly closed down the Azie Massage Center in Rijnstraat after traces of sperm was located, the court in Amsterdam ruled. Following this ruling, a number of Dutch cities are investigating and closing massage parlors who illegally provide their clients with so-called "happy endings". In the case involving the Azie Massage Center in Amsterdam, the court ruled that there are enough indications to prove that sexual services are provided, AT5 reports. This includes traces of sperm, a number of anonymous reports, the fact that massage rooms can be locked from inside and the fact that the employees wear short, suggestive clothing. The court found the owner's claim that the sperm traces came from before she took over unlikely, given that sperm was found in several place, including on a towel and on the floor. Amsterdam started their crack down on dodgy massage parlors late last year. The municipality already closed 8 massage parlors and notified another 8 that they have to close. Parlor Mei Massage on Rozengracht is also taking the municipality to court. Other cities are doing the same. Early last year the municipality of The Hague checked Chinese massage parlors in the city and discovered indications of illegal prostitution in almost all of them, AD reports. Over two years the municipality checked 24 suspicious parlors, closed 16 of them for 6 months and another four indefinitely. In many cases the Netherlands Forensic Institute found traces of semen from several men. The municipality of Utrecht called on the Netherlands Forensic Institute several times last year to look for traces of semen. Several massage parlors were closed. The municipality is taking firm action against this form of illegal prostitution, to reduce disturbances and improve the quality of life in the city. Following the increased supervision on massage parlors in Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, Rotterdam noticed a boom in Chinese massage parlors in the City. The category in which Chinese massage parlors fall increased from 330 to 356 in three months' time. Checks on massage parlors in Rotterdam are less strict.