Secret Brothels Run Out Of Upper East Side Spas, City Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Two Upper East Side massage parlors are facing action from the city — and possible eviction — amid accusations that their employees performed sex acts for paying customers, according to court documents.

The accusations center on Sun Spa, based on East 78th Street between Second and Third avenues; and Sunshine Body Work, located on East 74th Street just east of First Avenue.

The latter spa first came under the city's scrutiny in September, when a resident called 911 and complained that prostitution was happening in the 74th Street storefront, according to last week's court filing by the city.

Weeks later, on Oct. 14, a female worker at the spa agreed to have sex with an undercover police officer in exchange for $200, according to the city. Employees again agreed to have sex with undercover officers in subsequent visits on Oct. 20 and 28, for $160 and $200, respectively, according to the city.

Meanwhile, a Google search of Sunshine Body Work's phone number done in December by city attorneys revealed a webpage full of "suggestive statements," like "sexy athletic figure w/ curves," "Sexy from head to toe curves" and "Body to body."

In the court documents, filed against the spa's unidentified owners, the city is seeking a court order allowing it to shut down the business for one year and have the sheriff's office clear the space.

An employee who answered the phone at Sunshine Body Work was unable to comment on the city's claims.

Manhattan prosecutors said last year that they would stop prosecuting prostitution and unlicensed massage cases, but the practice remains illegal under state law.

Meanwhile, a few blocks north, Sun Spa first appeared on the city's radar in February 2021, when a resident contacted the NYPD with a prostitution complaint, according to a separate city court filing.

Undercover officers visited the spa twice in the ensuing weeks, soliciting promises for sex acts in exchange for a combined $120, according to the city.

Again, a Google search of Sun Spa's phone number done by a city attorney yielded webpages bearing "explicit photographs of females" and statements like "HOT BODY 2 BODY" and "BEST XXX," the city says. As with the other spa, the city asked a judge to allow it to shut down the business.

Now, months after that initial filing, the landlords of the East 78th Street building have filed their own suit against Sun Spa's unnamed owners, saying that the parlor continues to occupy the storefront despite the city's prostitution suit — and despite owing nearly $21,000 in unpaid rent.

The suit was filed Monday by landlords SW Management, who are asking a judge to issue a warrant allowing them to boot Sun Spa from the premises — as well as an order for the parlor to make good on its rent debt.

A message left for Sun Spa on Tuesday was not immediately returned.

Last fall, the city accused another Upper East Side spa of engaging in sex work — in that case, it was the second-floor spa in a rowhouse near Madison Avenue.

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