Los Angeles prosecutors said Tuesday they hope a civil lawsuit will take down two San Fernando Valley massage parlors they accused of being fronts for prostitution and human trafficking rings. The Blue Moon massage spa at Balboa Blvd. The Blue Moon massage spa at Ventura Blvd. City Attorney Mike Feuer said his office filed the lawsuit against the wife and husband owners of Blue Moon Relax spas in Lake Balboa and Tarzana, as well as the landlord of the strip malls where both are located.
But customers of nearby businesses said they saw women fleeing out the back door of the spa that afternoon as news vans clustered in the parking lot. At around 2 p. The workers also said the owners were always friendly with them. A receptionist at the Blue Moon Relax spa on Tuesday said the owners were not available for comment. According to the complaint, vice and nuisance abatement investigations into the Lake Balboa spa began in , just after the location first opened.
He did not know whether the arrests were of sex workers or supervisors. The complaint listed Kedi Enterprises, Inc. A search of California business listings shows Ding registered the company in La Habra in In , the company moved to Lake Balboa. Both husband and wife were at one of the spas on the day that LAPD officers showed up to make a prostitution-related arrest, the complaint said. It did not specify when that happened. Feuer says LAPD has conducted several vice investigations at both locations and made 14 prostitution-related arrests.
I cannot put a camera inside the massage room. Isaac Hakim, the sole landlord for both the Lake Balboa and Tarzana strip malls where the two Blue Moon Relax spas are located, was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. But prosecutors did not detail what level of knowledge they believe Hakim had about the alleged prostitution ring. Hakim was not immediately available for comment. A receptionist at his office in Beverly Hills said he would be away for several weeks. Detective Todd Booth said he believed there were at least 15 women working at the spas.
The immigration status of the women was not known. Martinez said she was especially incensed knowing the Lake Balboa location was just across the street from several schools.
