Late-Night “Massage” Seekers May Soon Be Out of Luck

City supervisors to vote on new rules meant to curtail brothel business

San Francisco has a long and storied history of sex trading, but San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and City Supervisor Carmen Chu want to shut down houses of ill repute that pretend to be massage parlors.

Estimates put the number of brothels fronting as massage parlors as high as 50. (If you'd like to know where they are, just scan the back pages of your favorite alternative weekly.)

Complaints about the businesses are generally from neighbors who object to the foot traffic at all hours, from anti-prostitution activists, and from the occassional person just looking for an actual massage who gets more than they bargained for.

Although try explaining that last one to your significant other. "Really, honey, I went in for a shiatsu and..."

The proposed regulations would mandate that massage businesses close between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and penalties for operating without a license, after hours, or with unlicensed staff would become criminal infractions.

A vote will be held today by the city's Land Use and Economic Development Committee, with a vote by the full Board of Supervisors required to pass the bill into law.

Photo by Flickr user Pargon.

Jackson West loves a good massage, but is too cheap to ever spring for the "full release."

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