A massage parlor is again open for business at the same Dupont Circle location that has housed previous “spas” that were raided and shut down by the city, which claimed they were brothels.
DuPont Circle Therapy Men’s Spa is now open on the fourth floor of 1333 Connecticut Ave., a commercial retail space that has been targeted since spring 2008 when D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles sued to close Supra Spa, citing police raids and prostitution-related arrests.
In November 2008, Kawk agreed to shut down the spa. But property owner George Thanos signed a new lease a month later with a new owner, who opened VIP Therapy, according to court documents.
That new lease was signed as Thanos was fighting a lawsuit filed by Nickles claiming the property owner had repeatedly rented to massage parlors despite having been informed by city officials that they were operating as brothels.The case is headed for a bench trial on Nov. 18.
In July, authorities raided and closed VIP Therapy. Three women were charged with solicitation for the purposes of prostitution and a fourth was charged with running a house of prostitution, court documents reveal. Now operating in the space is DuPont Circle Therapy Men’s Spa.
Sources with knowledge of the raids say when police entered the parlor they found that the women who worked there lived in a back room where they slept on mats and their belongings were stored in small lockers. The parlor’s manager lived in a separate bedroom in the back. Each of the several massage rooms housed a single bed with a full-length mirror on the opposite wall.
When contacted Thursday a woman who answered the phone there said they offer massage sessions for $70 an hour. “Tip is separate,” she said.
“In light of Mr. Thanos’ lack of oversight over the property, the District is concerned that the property will continue to be used to facilitate further prostitution-related activities,” an assistant attorney general wrote in court documents.
The District wants Thanos to renovate the space for a new commercial use. The city is also asking that Thanos be made to repay D.C. for the $25,000 it has spent on the case and the $40,000 he has collected in rent since the lawsuit was filed against him September 2008.
Thanos’ attorney, Athan Tsimpedes, said Thursday that the government is “bullying” his client. The harassment, he said, has hampered Thanos’ ability to manage his property.
“They’re mudslinging,” Tsimpedes said. “They think they’re doing God’s work.”
