Police raid open-concept massage parlours, 5 arrested for allegedly offering sexual services
The police raids took place ahead of new rules coming into effect in the second half of the year, when open-concept massage operators will have to be licensed.
Two women working in an open-concept massage parlour in a shopping centre in Boon Lay were arrested during a police raid on Jun 4, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
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SINGAPORE: Five women were arrested and three massage parlour operators are under investigation after police raids in Jurong and Boon Lay on Thursday (Jun 4).
Two of the outlets operate as open-concept massage parlours, which are not allowed to have partitions, but they were found with curtains and private rooms.
Such establishments currently do not need licences, but that is set to change in the second half of the year.
The five women, aged between 36 and 51, were arrested for allegedly offering sexual services. The three operators are being investigated for breaching regulations.
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On Thursday, officers from Jurong Police Division conducted raids against vice-related activities at three massage parlours – one in a shopping centre and two at the shophouses in Jurong and Boon Lay areas.
The raids are part of the division’s efforts to clamp down on illicit activities, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a news release on Friday.
These raids took place ahead of new rules kicking in the second half of the year, when open-concept massage parlours will require licences.
Such massage parlours have been exempted from licensing since 2018, and have to comply with conditions such as registering with the police and ensuring that there are no rooms, partitions or cubicles in their premises that would allow massages in private.
RAIDS
On Thursday afternoon, members of the media observed two police raids on open-concept massage parlours in Boon Lay and Jurong West.
During the first raid, journalists were brought to a massage parlour in a shopping centre in Boon Lay at about 2pm. The exact locations of the enforcement operations cannot be identified due to police investigations.
Six women were sitting on either ends of the shop and all kept their heads down to shield their faces after the police officers spoke with them.
Two of the women were accused of offering sexual services to customers with curtains drawn. This breaches the requirement for open-concept massage parlours.
The women were later escorted into a police van.
The police then raided a second massage parlour, this time at a shophouse tucked within a Housing and Development Board (HDB) estate in Jurong West.
Here, another two women were found to have allegedly offered sexual services.
The massage parlour, which is also open-concept, had four private rooms, each equipped with a massage bed and a small, transparent shower cubicle.
A third raid was also conducted at another HDB estate in Jurong.
At the end of the raids on Thursday afternoon, Assistant Commissioner of Police Sergius Wat said the tightened framework later this year will help clamp down on unlawful activities.
“We will not tolerate the use of massage establishments for illegal activities,” said ACP Wat, who is commander of the Jurong Police Division.
“Offenders will be dealt with firmly in accordance with the law.”
The police announced the new regulatory framework in April after they observed a rise in vice-related activities and infringements of exemption conditions in open-concept massage parlours.
There has also been a steady increase in public unhappiness because of the “number of open-concept massage establishments and the social disamenities they create”, said the police then.
At present, massage establishments are grouped into two licence categories. Category 1 licences are granted to those that operate in HDB shophouses, shopping centres and hotels, while Category 2 licences are for shops located away from residential areas, schools and places of worship.
Under the new rules, the current exemption for open-concept massage parlours will be removed and replaced by a new Category 3 licence.
These businesses will be subject to more stringent licensing, including the requirement to obtain the relevant land-use approval from HDB or the Urban Redevelopment Authority before the premises can be used as an open-concept massage parlour.
Operators must also comply with licensing conditions, including the requirement not to set up rooms, partitions or cubicles within the massage establishment, the police said.
“The police will continue to conduct regular enforcement checks on massage establishments and will take strict enforcement action to stamp out illegal activities,” SPF said on Friday.
Source: CNA/ng
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