AUSTIN – The owner of a Houston massage establishment that was closed in late May by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) for suspected human trafficking has agreed to close all eight massage establishments that he owns and to permanently quit the massage industry.
TDLR had issued an emergency closure order on May 30 against Hsin Wei Chen and Foot Reflexology Star. It was the first emergency closure ordered by TDLR under authority granted by House Bill 3579, authored by Rep. Ben Bumgarner and sponsored by Sen. Phil King, and passed by the 88th Texas Legislature.
“This emergency closure and the resulting settlement order should be a signal to human traffickers that we now have the tools to root out these destructive crimes against vulnerable people,” said Courtney Arbour, TDLR executive director. “Multiple teams across TDLR worked together to accomplish this outcome, and we’ll continue to work with our local law enforcement partners to bring these crimes to light and take action.”
Under the law, which went into effect on Sept. 1, 2023, TDLR’s executive director can issue an emergency order halting the operation of any massage establishment if law enforcement or TDLR believes human trafficking is occurring at the establishment.
During a recent inspection, TDLR inspectors found reasonable cause that human trafficking could be happening at the establishment, located at 10801 Spring Cypress Road, Suite 12. An inspector saw several indicators that are usually present when human trafficking is occurring in a massage establishment. The owner of the establishment has had a previous enforcement case with TDLR involving similar conduct.
After the emergency closure order, Chen signed a settlement agreement that revokes his massage therapist license as well as these massage establishment licenses:
- Foot Reflexology Star, 10801 Spring Cypress Rd., Ste. 12, Houston
- Sunny Foot Massage, 10950 FM 1960 W., Ste. B, Houston
- L&P Massage LLC, 2808 Hwy 6 S., Ste. IA, Houston
- A Massage d/b/a A Reflexology Massage LLC, 2570 I-10 E, Beaumont
- Heavenly Massage LLC d/b/a Heavenly Massage, 12989 Bellaire Blvd, Ste. 7 A, Houston
- Everlasting Bliss d/b/a Heavenly Massage, 12989 Bellaire Blvd, Ste. 7 A, Houston
- Ivy Massage, 1780 N. Major Dr., Beaumont
- Ly Massage, 17802 W. Little York Rd., Ste. D, Houston
The settlement order stipulates that Chen may not own or manage a massage establishment or work as a massage therapist or massage therapy instructor in Texas for the rest of his lifetime.
If Chen is found to be owning or operating a massage establishment or working as a massage therapist in Texas, TDLR could assess additional penalties against him.
Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring can contact the National Hotline for Human Trafficking at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733). If the situation is an emergency or you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 911 and alert the authorities.
You can also file a complaint on a TDLR-regulated business that you suspect may be participating in human trafficking.
