CID Massage Workers Push for Safer Conditions as World Cup Approaches

Sali is proud of her skills as a massage parlor worker, using acupressure and other techniques to work out her clients' knots. After eight years in the industry, Sali, who's using a pseudonym for fear of retaliation from her employer, plans to retire. The massage work business, she said through an interpreter, demands long hours, with a typical work day in the industry often running from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m., and sometimes later. Some choose to only work on weekends, which is the busiest time for the massage industry.

Sali is one of a number of massage parlor workers who are involved in improving their working conditions, including counteracting a stereotype perpetuated by law enforcement and the establishment that unlicensed Asian massage workers are trafficked; advocating for a category of massage license that's more accessible' and addressing concerns about increased law enforcement actions toward this industry during the upcoming FIFA soccer game events leading to the international men's soccer championship, the World Cup.

These efforts are taking place as the five-year anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings looms. On March 16, 2021, a man killed eight people at three businesses that offered massage in Atlanta, Georgia. Six of the victims were Asian women. The shooter said he had a sexual addiction and targeted the businesses due to his "temptation." He claimed his actions weren't motivated by race or gender, which U.S. politicians such as Marilyn Strickland and members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, among others, questioned.

"It's been five years since the Atlanta spa shootings, and nothing has changed for Asian women in the massage industry," asserted JM Wong, co-founder of Massage Parlor Organizing Project (MPOP). "We got more hate crime legislation. How is hate crime legislation going to help workers who are already marginalized, vulnerable, and aren't going to call the cops?" Wong continued, "Mainstream Asian nonprofits got money to #StopAsianHate, but that money didn't go to the most vulnerable in our communities, which in this case with the Atlanta spa was clearly Asian immigrant massage workers."

Wong, who grew up in Asia around the massage industry, where their mom worked, started outreach and organizing with this primarily Chinese-speaking community as an intern nine years ago through APICHAYA. They described the industry's workers as "a gendered, transient workforce and predominantly undocumented."

MPOP creates gatherings for conversations about how to prepare for police trafficking raids and talk about horizontal violence, where a worker is attacked by a client. "We're still fighting for basic demands and not getting the kind of support that I think we should be getting if people were really serious about wanting to protect Asian women," Wong said.

MPOP, established in 2018, is run by a handful of organizers and community members who work alongside partner organizations to reach hundreds of workers. It offers English-language learning opportunities and a "midnight supper club," a monthly gathering that provides cooked instant noodles and home-baked goodies in the Chinatown-International District for massage workers to enjoy after work. The supper club was started after a CID massage worker was shot during an armed robbery at a massage parlor in 2024. This program allows organizers to have more eyes on the street around the time massage workers finish their shifts.

Combating Stereotypes

Massage parlor workers face numerous stereotypes, which make them vulnerable to violence and criminalization. Sex work and human trafficking are often associated with these spaces in the media. Wong said the "sex work that's been conducted in parlors isn't definitive, and it doesn't define this industry. All the care work that massage workers do should be valued."

Wong continued, "It's the isolation and criminalization or being forced into the shadows that actually makes people susceptible to trafficking."

Wong said based on what they hear, when a police raid happens under the pretext of anti-trafficking, police go to a business and ask the massage worker questions. Their belongings are often confiscated and any cash they have is taken. They said often, instead of trafficking charges, massage parlor owners and workers are charged with prostitution and/or unlicensed massage. The business is often forced to close.

Wong said workers scramble to make ends meet and may lose their housing, work, and belongings. Because workers don't identify as trafficking victims, their lives are upended without support. Though people are charged for unlicensed work, prosecutors may not file the charges. The justification for the raids is to rescue workers, but they're left more vulnerable and criminalized.

MPOP has voiced concern that the massage worker community faces more vulnerability with upcoming FIFA events. Sali said, "FIFA itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does impact the CID community by bringing potentially more presence from the police and ICE."

More than 700,000 visitors are expected to flood into Washington as FIFA rolls into town for three weeks in June. Hedda McLendon, Seattle FIFA organizing committee senior vice president of legacy operations, said, "Whenever you have events that draw larger crowds, one of the potential risks is there's more human trafficking as part of those events."

Sgt. Patrick Michaud, with the media and communications department at Seattle Police Department, wrote in a statement: "SPD's efforts in human trafficking investigations are designed [around] the concept of treating human trafficking victims as victims, offering them resources and ways to safely remove themselves from dangerous and exploitative situations."

Relaxing Access to Licenses

MPOP is also advocating for a new category of massage licensure for relaxation massage. Wong said both massage workers and employers support this.

"There are many workers who are unlicensed. Unlicensed massage being stigmatized and criminalized causes massage workers to live in a lot of fear," said Wong.

Cindy, another massage worker who's using a pseudonym for fear of losing her job, said through an interpreter that she feels worried performing massage without a license. Lately, Cindy's employer, with whom she has a good relationship, asked her not to greet people in the entry due to fear of license inspection.

Cindy has been working at massage parlors for a few years. She arrived in Seattle in 2022 to be closer to her daughter, who graduated from college in the U.S.

"I'm very satisfied with my conditions in the parlor," she said. Cindy added that she's worked at a few parlors to find the employment environment she likes best. "I enjoy the work. I have a lot of familiar customers, and I feel like my massage actually solves customers' problems."

Sali said the licensure barriers for this community are threefold: acquiring a massage license requires technical knowledge; tests offered only in English; and prohibitive costs, including $250 for a license and $12,000 or more for massage school tuition.

Frank Ameduri, public information officer with the Washington State Department of Health, wrote: "We're working with the Massage Parlor Outreach Project to find solutions, including encouraging them to file a rules petition to change the requirements for licensure."

Sali has hope for changes that ease the work for massage workers. "I want the next generation of massage parlor workers to be able to access massage licenses, so that they can work without worries and support their families."

Sali said she made about $7,000 per month in the past, but more recent competition among parlors has brought down her monthly earnings to $3,000 to $4,000. 

"The massage industry contributes to Seattle's economy by paying business tax. Massage parlor work also supports the community. In the CID, massage rates are lower so they're more accessible for people working in construction, restaurants, and tech workers, so they can relax and be more efficient at work," said Sali.

A vigil in remembrance of the Atlanta Massage Parlor shooting five years ago will be held on Sunday, March 15, at 9 a.m. in Hing Hay Park.