FBI Questions ‘Nighties,’ Other Practices at Wyandotte Spa

Authorities in Wyandotte say they are working closely with federal authorities after the FBI raided the Wyandotte Wellness Spa last month, but offered few specifics about the exact nature of the probe.

The spa, which recently renewed its license with the city, has been in question for some time, according to local police. Although the sign out front indicates it’s open, the Wyandotte Wellness Spa appears to be closed, the News-Herald reports. 

There have been no reports of illegal activity occurring at the spa, but Police Chief Daniel Grant told Patch Monday that police confirmed women working at the parlor wore “nighties,” which he said aren’t common attire for professional masseuses. At  health spas, professional masseuses are more likely to wear scrubs.

“If I walk in to a massage parlor and the masseuse is wearing questionable attire you have to question what exactly is going on,” Grant said.

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The Wyandotte Wellness Spa offers relaxation and stress relief and is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.  With prices of up to $80 for a 60-minute massage the News-Herald reports that men have posted information online about the services provided, including nude massages and sexual acts.

Through a Freedom of Information Act request, the News-Herald found Flint resident Daniel Robin was issued a certificate of occupancy at the spa’s address in June 2012.

Spa Operator Arrested in Similar Operation

Investigators believe Robin was working closely with a woman named Oksun Hughes, 59 and Kyung Moore, 57. The three were arrested in February and March, accused of running an illegal operation at the Washington Wellness Clinic, about an hour from Wyandotte. They appeared in court on June 2. Hughes admitted to using sites such as backpage.com and craigslist.com to solicit “sex clients,” The Macomb Daily reports.

Nationally, Backpage has come under fire as a place where pimps and other purveyors of prostitution peddle their goods. Another area spa, Lake Spa in Fenton, also came under FBI scrutiny based in part on its backpage.com ad.

The New York Times said in a 2012 report that Backpage accounts for about 70 percent of the prostitution advertising among five web sites carrying such content and earns more than $22 million annually from those ads. That report included information from the National Association of Attorneys General said Backpage, owned by Village Voice Media, is the premier web site for human trafficking in the United States.

In the Washington Wellness Clinic case, Hughes’s job was to maintain the books and also advertise the business. Last Monday Oksun has been charged with using a computer to commit a crime in exchange for the dismissal of two other charges keeping a house of ill fame and prostitution according to the News-Herald.

Moore, who originally had the same charges as Hughes, received an added charge of disorderly person by occupation, a misdemeanor.

“We are working with the FBI closely to help them in anyway possible,” Grant said. “The FBI has everything under control.”

Calls to the Wyandotte Wellness Spa for comment were not returned.