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Greenburgh officials are looking to shut down a Hartsdale massage parlor, Forest Yin Spa, where an unlicensed masseuse was charged with prostitution. Wochit

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Greenburgh officials are seeking to shut down the Forest Yin Spa, 100 No. Central Park Ave. in Hartsdale, after a prostitution arrest there in July.(Photo: Jorge Fitz-Gibbon/The Journal News)Buy Photo


Greenburgh officials are looking to shut down a Hartsdale massage parlor where an unlicensed masseuse was charged with prostitution.

The Greenburgh Town Board is weighing the proposal, which seeks to revoke the license of the Forest Yin Spa at 100 N. Central Park Ave. — the target of an undercover investigation that led to the charges against the masseuse.

It would be the latest parlor to be shuttered by the town, which has padlocked more than a half dozen establishments since the town passed a local law in 2015 to ensure that the parlors offer nothing but state-licensed massages.

"We adopted a law to address this issue," Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner said. "It's a quality of life issue. We want to make sure that if there’s a masseuse, that they’re licensed and they’re complying with state law."

The proposal before the Town Board, the subject of a Monday night public hearing, is based on a recommendation from Greenburgh Police Chief Chris McNerney to close the parlor.

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McNerney said an undercover officer was sent into the parlor on July 19 and paid $50 for a 30-minute massage. In a letter to the Town Board, McNerney said the masseuse then "did agree to engage in sexual conduct with the undercover officer for an additional $50 fee and accepted said fee."

The 47-year-old masseuse was charged with prostitution, a misdemeanor, and Forest Yin was charged with violating the town's massage parlor law and state education law. The state Education Department issues professional licenses, including for massage parlors.

McNerney said two of the four masseuses working at the parlor during the undercover investigation did not have valid licenses.

The parlor has been a sore point for the Hartsdale Neighbors Association, a local civic group that has been pushing to have the business shut down.

Charming Spa on Central Park Avenue was one of seven parlors shut down in a 2013 sweep by Greenburgh police. The town later passed a law regulating the businesses. (Photo: File photo)


"This particular establishment, even though they’ve been caught and there are infractions against them, they’re not stopping their operations," said Jason Muldoon, the association's co-founder. "It backs up to a resident area. There are single-family homes within spitting distance."

The parlor is within a short walk of two schools, two churches and is on the same block as a daycare center.

"When you put all that together, it’s a bit of a black spot in what is a very youth, family-oriented neighborhood," Muldoon said. "You start to bring in these creepy and undesirable elements into the community.”

Employees at the Forest Yin Spa declined to comment. A representative of the spa did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

The town has targeted questionable practices at local massage parlors for years. In April, police shut down Spa 114 on South Central Park Avenue for unlicensed operation and prostitution. Police had shut down a different spa at the same addresses in 2015.

In that sweep, six parlors were closed by police and 11 employees were arrested. In 2013, police raids shut down seven parlors and led to 19 arrests.

Twitter: @jfitzgibbon

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