Some people think massage parlor owners and workers are rich. They hear stories of cash confiscated by authorities and million dollar homes and assume these people are rich. In general, they are not. In general, they are dreamers and very hard working people, and they also tend to spend a lot, just like other hrad working dreamers. I have known a few massage parlor owners and I can tell you they usually overbuy expensive homes so they are forced to make payments (and thus save some money). If they didn't take on a $4,000 per month mortage, for example, they would save ZERO money each month. But forced to make that mortgage (one that regular people would think was absurdly foolish) they work exra hard, take risks that need to be taken, and even justify their activities a little (have to make the mortgage). If it works then after 10 years or so they own a subtsantial chunk of a million dollar house. If it doens't work (and it usually doesn't work) they are forced to bail out of that big house, and use the $50-$100k equity to... start another massage parlor.
They aso drive nice cars. You know why? Because if they drove a clunker they would not get respect from the massage parlor workers. Just as a basketbal coach has to make millions in order to command authority among his multi-illion dollar players, the madame has to drive an expensive car to show she is about more than just this shitty little massage parlor. That car is always mortgaged, just as the house it, and I've seen plenty of them get reposessed by creditors over the years.
So the next time you see a report of a massage parlor owner claiming she has no money, believe it. She probably doesn't. Strippers have more money than massage parlor girls, and they take less risk. It's just the way it is.
Norwalk Massage Parlor Madame Sentenced
A madame from the 2006 round up of Korean massage parlor owners and their human trafficking network resulted in this madame getting 15 months in federal prison. The judge said because she was still running another massage parlor (and got busted there, too) he feels no need for leniency. I am willing to be she had no money and lots of debt after that first bust, and no choice but sew 10 hours a day in a factory for $7 per hour or open another massage parlor. Now she's broke, and they busted her for driving girls across state lines to work in "funny" massage.
I can't disagree with the judge, but it still seems odd that our society will arrest a woman for providing safe comfort for our men to get a little hand attention, but set free rapists and child molesters.
