SINGAPORE - The signboard screams Hair Studio in neon lights, and the dimly lit shop has a row of barber chairs and large mirrors.

But the twist is how the hair salon charges for its services - $40 for 30 minutes, and more if you want a massage thrown in.

Dozens of hair salons have mushroomed all over Geylang in the past few months. 

The Straits Times counted at least 15 hair salons within 1km on the main stretch of Geylang Road alone, between Lorong 8 and Lorong 30. 

Across six visits by ST to the area between October and November, suspicions of vice in the establishments were strong.

"Hairstylists" who wait outside their salons would offer hair washes and massages to men who walk by. After brief negotiations, men are led to the back of the salons, behind partitions or thin curtains.

Some of the units operated during the day like legitimate salons, with stylists and barbers.

An ST reporter visited one of the salons for a hair wash on Nov 25.

The reporter was propositioned with additional massage services within two minutes of agreeing to a hair wash for $40.

Once inside, a woman grabbed the reporter's hand and placed it on her bosom.

As she guided the reporter to lie down for the hair wash, a few other women started touching his legs and arms, hoping he would pay more for full-body massages. The services of another woman were offered for $40.

Even after being repeatedly turned down, the women kept trying.

One offered to provide an hour of company in a more private area, whispering in the reporter's ear in Mandarin that she could do "whatever you like" during that time.

She also said she could "look after" him.

The salon the reporter patronised also brazenly touts its massage services on social media.

In one TikTok video, it advertises a "12-hand massage", which sees six women simultaneously massaging a male customer from head to toe.

In another video, it brags that a customer had tipped staff $250 for a supposed haircut. The man in the video was bald.

ST visited another hair salon during the day near Lorong 14. The place was empty, except for two women who nodded when asked if they were hairstylists.

The reporter asked for a haircut, and was immediately pressured into booking both women for a massage at an "early early discount" of $70.

The reporter was shown the back of the salon, where a thin curtain hid a massage bed.

The offer was declined.

Strict laws

Hair salons are not supposed to provide full-body massage services unless explicitly approved to do so by the authorities.

They are not classified as a massage establishment under the Massage Establishments Act.

Under the same law, massage parlours and spas are governed by a strict licensing regime that adds controls on their operations and hours.

Hair salons do not have such restrictions placed on them.

The Act was passed in 2017 after police detected a 40 per cent increase in unlicensed massage establishments between 2013 and 2016. Many of these were found to be a front for vice activities.

Hair salons were deemed to be a lower risk because they did not typically offer full-body massages, and so were exempt from the massage establishment licensing regime.

Among other things, the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department, which oversees the issuing of the massage establishment licence, requires that 80 per cent of employees in massage parlours and spas be certified in beauty therapy services.

Employees must also wear uniforms and be decently dressed. There are no such requirements for hair salons.

When the authorities began clamping down on errant massage parlours and spas, vice operators have in the past pivoted, registering their establishments as beauty salons, which are also exempt from having to obtain a massage establishment licence.

ST previously reported about such beauty salons at Orchard Towers that offered sex and little else. The authorities quickly closed the gap.

One of the largest operations in 2024 saw 102 investigated for their suspected involvement in vice activities following raids at 55 locations around Singapore, including massage parlours, beauty salons, hotels and residential units.

It appears vice operators are now exploiting another gap.

Ungoverned sector

Mr Simon Lee, founder of the Hair and Cosmetology Association (Singapore), said he is aware that hair salons are popping up all over Geylang, with some operating as a front for vice activities.

"These people are clearly just making the front look like a salon, but behind, it is all hanky-panky," he added.

"We have seen a rising number of vice operators swinging to ungoverned sectors like hair salons. We have tried giving feedback to the authorities.

"Many legitimate salons that used to be in Geylang have already moved out," he said.

He added that none of the new salons, which established themselves in the area over the past year, is among the association's member base of over 300 salons and hairdressers.

"Everyone in the industry knows what is happening in Geylang and are staying away. If you are a legitimate salon, you won't be opening up there," he said.

The police told ST they did not detect any vice activities at hair salons during enforcement operations in 2023.

But a spokesman added: "Any errant operator who uses a hair salon as a front for any illegal or unlicensed activities will be subject to enforcement action and dealt with under the relevant laws.

"The police take a zero-tolerance approach towards such activities and will take firm action against those who blatantly disregard the law."

The police added that they will continue to partner the community and members of the public on the information submitted and will take appropriate action against any illegal activities detected.

Mr Lee hopes the authorities can step in soon, even if it means scrutiny and licensing for all hair salons.

"It may be painful for some salons in the short run, but in the long run, it is good," he said.

"Because right now, our industry is being tarnished by these errant operators, and there is nothing much we can do."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.