4 massage shops accused of human trafficking shut down in Kennewick
.JPEG "The 39-year-old owner of the Dream Spa in Kennewick was arrested on suspicion of prostitution and the business was closed in a police raid.")
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- Police closed four Kennewick massage businesses after tips uncovered trafficking.
- Three owners cited; one owner arrested after detectives witnessed activity.
- Investigators offered aid to victims; three of seven women accepted help on site.
Four massage businesses were shut down Tuesday in Kennewick after police claim they were engaging in human trafficking.
Investigators, acting on complaints from the public, went to the businesses and discovered the women were selling sexual services, Commander Ryan Kelly told the Tri-City Herald.
Detectives went to the businesses undercover. They left when they were offered sexual services, then other officers raided the businesses.
The owners of three businesses were found inside, including one who was offering the services herself, said police.
All four businesses were closed, and three owners were cited for permitting prostitution. The fourth owner Aiping Zhao, 39, at Dream Spa, was arrested for prostitution.
The locations involved included:
• R Massage at 418 N. Kellogg St.
• Sunrise Massage Spa at 200 N. Volland St.
• Sunrise Massage at 121 Vista Way
• Dream Spa at 5612 W. Clearwater Ave.
The trafficked women at the businesses were offered support services. Three of the seven women accepted assistance, said police.
Officials say the women trafficked at massage businesses often are forced to live at the retail sites. They are left inside with the supplies but without the means to escape.
There are ongoing investigations into human trafficking on a statewide level, but the city is limited in what it can do, say local officials. Often the businesses swap owners and managers, and then reopen.
Ongoing allegations
In the case of the Dream Spa, this is the second time the location has been shut down.
It operated under the same name in the same location in 2023 when police raided the shop.
It was one of several massage parlors that police have shut down in recent years that started with a Chelan County investigation of a massage business in Kennewick.
Later, Kennewick investigators accompanied Department of Health inspectors as they checked six sites. Four were allegedly found to be engaged in human trafficking. The other two had license violations.
Connected to the investigation, former Kennewick Mayor Bill McKay resigned in November 2023 after admitting to police that he paid for sexual services at local massage parlors. A Pierce County prosecutor declined to file charges, concluding there was not enough evidence he committed a crime.
City officials have since created new codes aimed at giving the police more power to shut down massage businesses operating illegally.
Kennewick police have said that it’s difficult to prove “customers” are engaged in human trafficking unless they admit to it or are caught exchanging money for sex.
“Customers who engage in criminal activity at these establishments contribute to the exploitation of vulnerable individuals and risk arrest,” said a police department post on Facebook.
City officials say they have been enforcing the regulations that were put into place in 2023. But Kelly said, the businesses follow the rules to pass the initial inspection but in some cases have allegedly engaged in human trafficking.
City police conducted a similar sting in February 2025, shutting down three businesses and issuing citations.
“We’re trying to make it difficult for these businesses to operate, to put a damper on human trafficking,” Kelly said.
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 4:37 PM.