The owner of a Garland massage establishment that was closed in early September by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) for suspected human trafficking has agreed to close the massage establishment and to permanently quit the massage industry in Texas.
TDLR had issued a six-month emergency closure order effective September 3, 2024, for LSP Relax Spa LLC, d/b/a Sen Spa, 1238 Belt Line Road, Suite 350, in Garland for suspected human trafficking. Also covered in the emergency order was the owner of the establishment, Nhon Tinh To.
Without admitting or denying TDLR’s allegations about human trafficking, To signed a settlement agreement on September 6, 2024, agreeing to a permanent license revocation for the massage establishment licensed at the location, as well as a lifelong ban on owning or managing any massage establishments in Texas.
During an initial inspection in April, a TDLR inspector found employees who were wearing sexually provocative clothing, as well as an abundance of condoms. Two of the three employees providing massages were not licensed massage therapists in Texas, and one of them was hiding from the inspector. During a follow-up inspection in August, TDLR staff found an additional unlicensed massage therapist, as well as a small grocery bag full of condoms.
The establishment was also featured on a number of illicit websites describing specific sexual services provided at the location.
HB 3579, passed in the 88th Legislature Regular Session, went into effect Sept. 1, 2023. Under the law, TDLR’s executive director can issue an emergency order halting the operation of any massage establishment if law enforcement or TDLR believes human trafficking is occurring at the establishment.
This order is the sixth emergency order issued by TDLR since the law went into effect.
Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring can contact the National Hotline for Human Trafficking at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733). If the situation is an emergency or you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 911 and alert the authorities.
You can also file a complaint on a TDLR-regulated business that you suspect may be participating in human trafficking.
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