Cicero, N.Y. — The Lilac Spa in Cicero billed itself as a massage parlor. But it wasn’t exactly a secret that the business offered much more than innocent massages.
A quick Google search nets a description of the spa on a website whose motto is “where fantasy meets reality” that maps and reviews erotic massage parlors:
Erotic massages, priced at $60 per hour. Cash only. No semi-trucks allowed. Open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The parlor sold sex for years out of its offices in the Aldi shopping plaza on Route 31, according to the Cicero Police Department.
Neighbors near the Lilac Spa suspected — and, in some cases, knew — the parlor’s employees were sex workers, police said.
But this week, after a two-month police investigation by two agencies, two spa employees were arrested. The two women, 58 and 59 years old, were charged Tuesday with prostitution in a school zone, a misdemeanor.
The owners of the plaza plan to boot Lilac Spa from the property, said Cicero Police Chief Steve Rotunno. On Wednesday, the spa was closed and a “cease and desist” letter from the plaza’s owner, Aldi Plaza LLC, was taped to the door, ordering the spa to vacate the premises by Friday.
“It has come to our attention that Tenant has been operating in the Premises in violation of laws, ordinances and other requirements of State and local governments,” the letter states. “The allegations against Tenant are severe and felonious and unequivocally violate Section 7 or your Lease. Landlord is treating this matter as an immediate EVENT OF DEFAULT under the Lease.”
A cease and desist letter from the owners of Aldi Plaza in Cicero orders Lilac Spa to vacate the premises.Rick Moriarty | rmoriarty@syracuse.com
The spa was in Suite 16 at 5962 State Route 31.
The women’s customers will not be charged, Rotunno said. They are witnesses to the crimes, he said.
Police started looking into Lilac Spa in April after a resident complained that people were patronizing sex workers at a business close to two schools, Rotunno said. The spa is across the street from Cicero Elementary School and one business away from Cicero-North Syracuse High School.
Cicero police launched an investigation and, working with the State Police, got a warrant to search the business.
Officers searched the parlor on Tuesday. When the two agencies arrived, no one in the area seemed surprised, Rotunno said.
“My biggest take on this is a lot of people knew that this was going on. For whatever reason, they didn’t bother calling the police,” he said. “People clearly knew when we showed up what was going on there.”
The owners of Lilac Spa knew sex was being sold at the parlor, Rotunno said. The investigation into the owners remains open.
A business certificate for the Lilac Spa was filed in April 2017, according to Onondaga County Clerk records. The owner was listed as Fengxia Wei of Flushing, a neighborhood in Queens.
The two spa employees were also charged with unauthorized practice and unlicensed massage, a felony. The Syracuse women were not licensed to give massages, police said.
The women were ticketed and released from custody.
Officers asked anyone with information about other illegal massage parlors to contact their local police department.
Staff writer Samantha House covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach her at shouse@syracuse.com.
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