Ventura County sheriff’s detectives arrested a woman they say was operating brothels disguised as spas.
Detectives began investigating Swan Spa in Thousand Oaks earlier this year after suspecting employees of selling sexual services to customers. The spa’s owner, Amanda Xia, 44, was arrested on November 13 on charges of pimping and money laundering.
Xia owns three other businesses billed as massage and wellness centers, which the Sheriff’s Department says also operate as commercial sex establishments.
“Detectives were able to positively identify several male individuals suspected of purchasing sex for commercial purposes at each of the four locations under investigation,” the department said in a news release.
The other businesses were Star Spa in Newbury Park, Victoria Spa in Lake Forest and Four Seasons Spa in Lake Forest, according to the sheriff’s department.
