I was trapped in a suspected brothel. The city just shut it down for good

The city is shutting down a Tenderloin massage parlor-cum-brothel months after suing its owners for selling sex there. It’s a business I knew from one of the most bizarre experiences of my reporting career.

City Attorney David Chiu sued Empire Spa in July and announced Tuesday that his office had reached a settlement with the owner, Ricky Lee, who must pay the city $200,000. He is banned from owning, managing, or working at a massage or personal services business in California for 10 years.

The settlement also fines the property owners $75,000 and prohibits the use of the property as a massage parlor or spa for a decade…

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