Las Vegas Massage Parlor Owner Arrested, Accused Of Operating Illegal Brothel

A Las Vegas woman is accused of running a suspected illegal brothel out of a massage parlor after police conducted an undercover operation on the business.

Cuixiao Ma, 37, whom police identified as the business license holder of Oasis Spa, was arrested Wednesday. She is facing charges of advancing prostitution and living off the earnings of a prostitute, according to police records cited by 8 News Now.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department launched an investigation into Ma and Oasis Spa, which is located on Tropicana Avenue in Las Vegas, in May 2022 after receiving a tip accusing the spa of "offering various sex services in exchange for money," documents said.

During that month, police said they cited an unnamed female employee for allegedly soliciting or engaging in prostitution, Fox 5 Vegas reported, citing an arrest report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

The same then occurred again on July 7, according to the report.

In September 2022, officers served a letter to the business to inform them that prostitution is illegal, police said. The owners of the business, including Ma, never responded to authorities.

Police then conducted an undercover sting at the spa on Jan. 26.

An undercover officer went into the spa and asked for a massage. Upon laying on a massage table, one of the female employees allegedly asked the officer if he wanted a "good massage," police said.

The undercover officer then asked the woman how much it would cost to have sex. They allegedly both agreed to the price of $270, according to the arrest report.

Not long after, other police officers entered the building and detained three people.

When cops searched the premises, they found roughly $3,170 in cash, condoms and other sex-related items, according to the report.

Ma was arrested Wednesday outside an elementary school, police said. She admitted to officers that she was the owner of the spa but claimed that she was not involved with the day-to-day operations.

Ma denied knowing about any prostitution inside the establishment.

Judge Rebecca Saxe released Ma Friday on her own recognizance and did not set bail. Ma is set to return to court on March 2.

Brothels are legal in some Nevada counties, but they are not legal in Las Vegas and Clark County. The arrest of Ma is the latest in a string of brothel-related stings in the Las Vegas valley.