FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — The Fort Bend County Attorney's Office has new rules prohibiting massage parlors in the county, according to attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson.
Attorney Smith-Lawson said commissioners banned the parlors on Tuesday, stating that they are illegal businesses that promote crimes like human trafficking and prostitution.
"These businesses exploit innocent human trafficking victims through force, fraud and coercion to perform illegal sexual acts," said Smith-Lawson. "Many of these victims include minors/children under the age of 17."
The Commissioners Court made a clear separation between "massage parlors" and "massage establishments." According to them, massage parlors are establishments that allow any of the following:
- a nude person massaging a customer
- a person having sexual contact with a customer for payment
- a clothed person giving massages with the intent to arouse or gratify a customer's sexual desire
Attorney Smith-Lawson said the regulations do not apply to businesses that are officially defined as "massage establishments."
She also said the county will do its part to fight human trafficking.
"We want parlor operators to hear us loud and clear," she said. "The County Attorney's Office believes these Regulations are for the best interests of Fort Bend County and for the safety and well-being of our community."
Editor's Note: The following video was uploaded in Nov. 2018.
