Spa with ‘Wagyu, udon’ raided for prostitution

BUSTED The police said Spa Osaka had the required permits from city hall. —PHOTO COURTESY OF MAKATI POLICE

MANILA, Philippines — The Makati police raided on Tuesday a spa with a Japanese theme where the “wagyu” and “udon” being offered to customers turned out to be women who, for a fee, provided “extra services.”

Arrested in the raid on Spa Osaka, located at the corner of General Luna and Mariano Streets in the red-light district of Barangay Poblacion, was its alleged maintainer, Jeanalyn Fausto. She now faces charges of violating the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.

Three Chinese men who were customers were invited by the police to their headquarters for profiling.

Makati police chief Col. Rogelio Simon said they were able to rescue from the establishment 12 Filipino women in their 20s.

The spa, he added, was a legitimate business that had the required permits from city hall except that sexual services were being offered right at the front desk.

Patrons availing themselves of the extra services, usually Chinese nationals, were charged anywhere from P2,500, P3,500 and P5,500 depending on whether they wanted the “regular” or “top” therapist. The fee included the hour-long use of a room, a shower with the chosen masseuse, followed by a “body-to-body” massage.

The spa also accepted “appointments” and advertised its services online, complete with photos of the masseuses posing seductively in their underwear.

To go with the establishment’s Japanese theme, its “top ladies” were given Japanese names like aoi (blue in Nihongo), Wagyu (Japanese beef), hayashi (hashed beef) and Fumiko. Other masseuses were named uma (horse), kakuni (braised pork), neko (cat) and udon (Japanese noodles).

The police operation was prompted by Mayor Abby Binay’s directive to law enforcers and the Makati Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) to shut down all establishments in the city that were involved in human trafficking and the sex trade.

Since October, the police, through “Oplan Magdalena,” have raided several hotels, condominiums, spas, karaoke bars and even computer shops based on tips and complaints that these were being used as fronts for prostitution.

The Makati BPLO, on the other, has closed since last year 248 establishments, from hotels and spas being used for prostitution, to restaurants and stores exclusively catering to Chinese nationals.