Two salon owners fined for massage licence violations

SINGAPORE - The operator of the Shasa Health & Beauty salon in Orchard Towers was yesterday fined $1,000 for not ensuring that employees do not offer or provide sexual services to customers.

Tan Hock Soon, 53, was also fined an additional S$1,000 for failing to update his client register book as required under the licensing rules for massage establishments.

He pleaded guilty to both offences.

Police officers had checked the massage parlour at 6pm on Dec 13 and found masseuse Zhang Yanqiu massaging Mr Lim Boon Kuan, 48, in one of the rooms.

He told them that about 30 minutes earlier, he had agreed to pay S$45 for a 30-minute massage.

However, five minutes into the session, Ms Zhang offered oral sex for $100 and sexual intercourse for S$150.

Ms Zhang, 39, admitted offering the sexual services, which Mr Lim declined to accept.

No action was taken against Ms Zhang.

Officers also found that the client register book had not been updated with the details of Mr Lim.

Licensing rules require a massage parlour operator to list the personal particulars of every customer before a massage session.

Earlier in the same district court, hair salon owner Ong Chuan Hock, 45, was fined $800 for offering massage services without a licence.

He had been running Louis Classic Salon in Upper Thomson Road.

On July 31 last year, a police check at the establishment at 3.20pm found a woman hairstylist massaging a client.

Ong admitted he had no licence to offer massage services and was charged.

Both he and Tan had committed similar violations in the past. Ong was fined S$500 in 2011, while Tan was fined S$1,000 in March last year.

The maximum fine for each violation is S$1,000.

Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.