‘Uncomfortable’ massage leads man to sue masseur for sexual abuse

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A 34-year-old man is suing a spa parlor in Chelsea, Manhattan, New York for giving him a massage that made him feel uncomfortable.

Ronnie Arnau filed a lawsuit at the Manhattan Supreme Court against the upscale Living Fresh Men’s Spa. He also filed charges against masseur Pei Tian for forcible touching and sexual abuse, as reported by the New York Post on Monday, Nov. 19.

In the lawsuit, Arnau and his husband visited the spa to get a massage and facial. He then laid down on a table, wearing only a towel to start the session.

Tian started to give “what appeared to be a normal massage,” as stated in Arnau’s complaint. Ten minutes into the massage, Tian focused massaging “exclusively on Arnau’s buttocks for an inordinate amount of time, making Arnau very uncomfortable.”

The lawsuit also stated that Tian “moved his fingers below Arnau’s buttocks and began caressing his privates.” Arnau said he “completely froze”, and the masseur threw off his towel and made him turn over.

“At that point, having shaken off his initial state of shock, Arnau abruptly rose from the massage table and demanded that Tian leave the room,” the court papers said. Arnau called authorities, who responded and arrested Tian on the scene.

Arnau said the spa owners know about their business’ illicit massage, but are not doing anything about it. His lawsuit also seeks damages, which are unspecified in the report.

The spa owners of the establishment are yet to comment about the lawsuit, as of writing. Katrina Hallare/JB

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