Police in the Tri-Valley continue to use information from a massage parlor rating website in an effort to crack down on businesses that offer more than just a relaxing rubdown.
The website, rubmaps.com, lists local massage parlors along with menus of sexual services the site says are provided in addition to massages by some of the masseuses.
Pleasanton has the highest number of parlors listed in the Tri-Valley with 12. In Dublin, nine are listed. Livermore has three parlors that are rated, Danville has three and San Ramon has eight listed.
Dublin Police officials says they are aware of the site along with several other similar sites.
"We are aware of this website and several others" said Lt. Herb Walters. "We are working with the District Attorney’s Office and other agencies to come up with a plan to best handle this so all involved will be prosecuted and/or deported if it warrants. We have had only a couple complaints from citizens noticing a steady stream of male clientele visiting the establishments. It has mainly been two businesses and that is where we are concentrating our efforts"
Pleasanton Police say they have also used the site as a tool to help catch illegal activity occurring at massage parlors in town.
Sgt. Mark Reimer wrote:
"We have actually used it in the past to help identify suspicious locations and to corroborate what we might personally witness during an investigation. Like everything else on the Internet, some of it might be accurate, but that does not necessarily make it reliable.
"I think the most important thing to remember is that a review (assuming it is a legitimate review) is only accurate for a particular location on a given day. This is because the masseuses regularly move from city to city and from establishment to establishment.
"We have conducted compliance checks at all of the locations listed in Pleasanton. We have found that most of them provide legitimate massage services, but we have issued citations for improper activity at a couple of them. In addition to those listed, there are a few no longer listed because we determined they were consistently providing illegal services. In those cases, we conducted an investigation and the city revoked their massage and/or business permits."
Pleasanton Police Lt. Jeffrey Bretzing says the police department made four arrests for prostitution in 2011, but none of those arrests were related to the massage parlors. No prostitution arrests have been made so far in 2012.
According to Bretzing, the acts that may be occurring in the parlors are generally handled by citations and are sent to the city attorney’s office.
The Pleasanton Municipal Code lists several sections under the subsections "Topless and Bottomless Entertainment" in the "Public Peace, Morals and Welfare" section that may be applicable to the massage parlor activities listed on the website.
The Alameda County district attorney's office hasn't been available for comment about the website.
The listings often offer the masseus' name, description of hair and eye color, age, height and weight, breast size, personal grooming habits along with a list of the sex acts she will reportedly perform or allow.
Rubmaps lists the sex acts and many descriptions in text-style slang acronyms and provides a guide on the site for decoding the slang.
The site, which eventually asks the reader to pay a fee of either $14.95 a month or $99 a year to get more graphic and detailed information, lists information such as forms of payment taken (many list "cash only") and whether there is big-rig parking available nearby.
On a few of the listings, it makes note of other businesses from which someone might be able to see the client walking into the massage parlor.
Many of the parlors listed offer extended hours of operations such as 9 a.m. to 10 p.m and the site allows clients to post a personal review of their experiences. Some of the phone numbers listed for the parlors also show up on a site called "myredbook.com" which is a paid "members only" website that rates escorts, massage, strip clubs and prostitutes.
In October 2011, a rubmaps users reviewed a Dublin parlor:
"Cindy is cute. I am not sure if this place wants explicit reviews, so I am not giving you folks details. Just look at the tip amount and get a clue. Tipping was not discussed. $50/75 minutes as advertised on craigslist."
Not all ratings discuss sex acts and some even profess the legitimacy of the parlor as seen it this rating from January of a Pleasanton parlor from a rubmaps user:
"Strictly legit, walls don't go all the way up. You can hear everything."
Patch tried to call some of the parlors on the websites and all of them contacted either refused any comment or hung up after being asked about being listed on rubmaps. Several of the numbers called had no voice mail set up or rang without any voice mail. Of those who did answer, the call was always taken by a woman who spoke little English.
Rubmaps.com has not returned emails or calls for comment.
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