LEWES, Del.- Sussex County is once again the focus of another prostitution sting.
Delaware State Police said Wednesday that workers from a massage parlor in Lewes were arrested after trying to offer sex acts to undercover police for money.
These recent prostitution busts have stigmatized the massage industry in parts of Delaware.
Millville has gone so far as to ban massage parlors from opening in town and other towns are considering doing the same; all due to businesses such as Best Quality Spa allegedly dishing out more than what's advertised.
Police say complaints were made about possible prostitution at Best Quality, an unsuspecting business from the outside located off Coastal Highway.
A black screen covering the glass front door bars those from the outside to peek inside; all of the window blinds are drawn; two security cameras flank the front door. Yet even with all of these security measures in place, the workers didn't see their own arrest coming.
Nearly a year ago in Rehoboth Beach, two spa owners were also arrested for prostitution as were their clients for soliciting sex for money.
Prostitution sting operations also occurred in Dover, Claymont and most recently Seaford, all netting arrests of workers who have mainly originated from one city in New York.
The Best Quality workers come from Flushing, N.Y., an area that a 2010 Rutgers University study discovered to be a pipeline for massage parlors, prostitution and immigrant workers from parts of Asia.
Dr. Richard Appleby has had an osteology practice located two buildings south of Best Quality for nearly 20 years. Appleby's practice also offers massage therapy but he says his office is a strictly medical providers
"What I do is I look for areas of restriction in the body, things that aren't working as well as they are supposed to," said Appleby. "Massage fits in particularly when people have a lot of muscular tension and things like that, or facial tightness."
Appleby said it shouldn't be so easy for people to open a massage business without clearing the necessary hurdles.
"It's difficult for a lot of us professionals to get licenses to practice," he said. "We have to maintain certification and this and that. So it's a little disconcerting that something like this can get a business license and open up. Where's the oversight?"
Both women were charged with prostitution and are being held on $1,000 secured bail at the Delores J. Baylor Women's Correctional Institution.
