Two body works businesses in Watertown had their permits revoked by the Board of Health for violations of the City’s Bodywork Regulations and other local and state regulations. Inspections found evidence of sexual services and employees living at the business.
On Nov. 12, six businesses were found to be in violation of regulations set by the Watertown Board of Health, the Building Department, and the Zoning Department, as well as the Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure. They had a range of violations, and two — Sunflower Spa and Health Hall — appeared before the Board of Health due to the extent of the violations.
Watertown Public Health Director Abbey Myers told the Board of Health that three massages were taking place when inspectors arrived at Sunflower Spa, at 32 Mt. Auburn St. The Health Department representative at the site was Chief Environmental Health Officer and Assistant Public Health Director Lauren Olsen.
“Sexual activity was present. When the Health Department and other inspection staff came in we did have one of the therapists run away,” Myers said. “Three male parties were getting massages and when inspectors went into the room after the male parties left there was a used condom left in the room covered in paper towels. There was also found mouthwash and baby wipes.”
Myers noted that Sunflower Spa was not licensed to give massages by the City or the State, and the Mass. Department of Licensure fined the business $1,000 for the violation.
Inspectors also found multiple beds on the premises, as well as personal items such as cellphones chargers, clothing, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and “an abundance of food.” Myers said those items were evidence of people living on site.
Zijan Chen, owner of Sunflower Spa, said he did not know how the condom got there.
“We have no idea where that is from,” said Chen, who added. “I asked the entire staff and they had no idea where it was from.”
He added that the employees do not live at the business, and that the beds were in a staff break area.
Olsen said that the three employees admitted to living on-site.
“I wanted to share with the Board, we did have all three women admit to living and sleeping and staying overnight,” Olsen said. “They admitted it to myself, our translator that we had on site, the Police Department, the Building Department, and a Zoning Department representative.”
The other hearing was about Health Hall, at 2 Bigelow Ave., where Myers was the Health Department inspector.
In the basement, inspectors found multiple bags containing packages of unused condoms hidden behind unused drywall and concealed under clothing. They also found unused condoms wrapped in plastic wrap, Myers said.
“We found what we believe to be a bag of used condoms. We did not investigate further because we did not have rubber gloves,” Myers said. “Also, multiple bags of personal lubricant in the basement were noted. Also, a box of catheters which were a little concerning. In all the masseuses or therapists clothing we found balls of saran wrap. In addition we found mouthwash in every room in cups and in spray bottles.”
During the inspection, a bed and personal items were found in one room, and two more beds were found in another room, where inspectors also found drawers containing drinks, moisturizers, hair products, and other personal items. In addition, a rice cooker, pots and pans, and a refrigerator containing more food that would be expected for a small business, Myers said.
No representative from Health Hall spoke at the hearing.
Board of Health members Dominic Amirtharaj and Kim Netter voted to revoke the licenses for both Sunflower Spa and Health Hall. Myers said the businesses have the option of appealing the ruling at Waltham District Court.
The Inspections
During the Board of Health meeting, Myers provided more information about the series of inspections of bodywork establishments on Nov. 12. All six of the businesses had their licenses suspended, she said, but for differing reasons.
“All the bodywork permits were suspended due to violations,” Myers said. “Additionally five of the six establishments did not have certificates of occupancy from the Building Department, so there were no assurances that the life safety equipment was working, such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide, emergency lights and things like that.”
Netter asked whether more businesses would be having hearings in front of the Board of Health.
Myers said: “I do see that we may have some other submissions of revocation in the future but we do not have a planned inspection date yet, but they will be forthcoming.”
The Health Department is part of a working group which identified establishments that they were concerned about, Myers said.
Myers told Watertown News there are approximately 20 body works establishments in town, and the Health Department continues to identify additional locations through ongoing efforts and coordination with the State Department of Licensure, Police and other City Departments.
At the meeting, Myers told the Board that there are establishments within Watertown that are doing the right thing, that are permitted, but had other violations.
“One of the establishments that we closed, one of the main reasons was that they didn’t have a certificate of occupancy, but we are working with them and guiding them on the steps to reopen,” Myers said. “So again, we don’t want to stop any legitimate business that wants to do work in Watertown. We will help and guide them through what needs to be done.”
Netter asked whether the two that had hearings had the most egregious violations. Myers said, “Correct.”
Inspectors could not gain entry into one of the businesses, Yuan Tai Spa at 56 North Beacon St., Myers said. The business did not have a massage license filed with the state, so the Health Department issued a cease and desist order.
“Unfortunately we were not able to get in there,” Myers said. “We got there and all the doors were locked. A detective had been sitting outside during our other inspections keeping an eye on the door and saw two females get out of a car with suitcases and go into Yan Tai Spa, as well as male party going to get treatment, I assume, and then they locked all the doors and wouldn’t open up when we knocked.”
The business also did not have a certificate of occupancy, Myers said, and no one from the business has appealed or reached out to the Health Department.
Word appears to have spread about the inspections.
“When we did these (inspections), we did have two different establishments within Watertown that we did not inspect close down. We don’t particularly know why they closed down,” Myers said. “We believe word got around because items were being removed from the establishment. We had a police detail for road work, but he noted that an abundance of items or luggage was being removed from one of the establishments, and one of the staff called me asking if they could reopen when we didn’t shut them down in the first place.”
During the inspections, an advocate from the FBI’s Human Trafficking Task Force accompanied inspectors. When there were women working within the establishment they were taken into separate rooms to give them resources and asked them if they were unsafe or were in a predicament they could not get out of, Myers told the Board. She told Watertown News that she is not sure if any of the employees accepted the FBI’s assistance since the interactions took place privately, away from other inspectors.
Myers said that Watertown’s Public Health Nurse Shuang Shen translated during the inspections, along with two translators from the FBI. She added that Olsen not only conducted inspections, but also helped fill out the paperwork necessary to file the suspensions and cease and desist orders.
“Shout-out to Lauren for working through all that. I couldn’t have done it without her,” Myers said. “Shout-out to Shuang, too.”
Netter said, “Nice work everybody in the Department.”
Amirtharaj agreed, and said the City’s new Body Works Regulations are working, “I’m glad we moved forward with all this months ago. I mean, thinking about it as a possibility is one thing, but then to see it so graphically laid out for us in our community is pretty shocking, to be honest.”
“Yes, it is,” Myers said. “We hear about these stories and different things about this happening, and we don’t think it’s in our community, but it really is. And from the Health Department standpoint, we are here to ensure the safety of the individuals who are working, but also our residents and our patrons of Watertown. And that is our first and foremost goal, to make sure that everyone is safe. So we will be continuing to do this for the foreseeable future, and we will ensure compliance.”
The Board of Health adopted the Body Work Regulations in May 2025, a type of regulation that had not existed previously in Watertown.
“We observed that many surrounding cities and towns had already implemented similar regulations, and that an increasing number of establishments were offering bodywork services in the City,” Myers said to Watertown News. “These were instrumental to us as previously, many of these establishments were unregulated, and there was no oversight. The essence of these regulations is to protect the health and safety of residents, workers, and visitors of Watertown.”