Two Kennewick massage businesses were shut down for human trafficking Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation.
The two locations — White Flower Spa at 5612 W. Clearwater Ave. and Blue Ocean Spa at 418 N. Kellogg St. — were closed down and their business licenses are being revoked after search warrants were served.
Both locations were shut down earlier this year while operating under other names. Blue Ocean Spa was Dream Spa, and White Flower Spa was R Massage.
While the location for Blue Ocean Spa is the same, the owner has changed, according to the Washington state Department of Revenue.
Police arrested three women on suspicion of promoting prostitution, Kennewick police said in the Facebook post.
Police didn’t release the names of the suspects, and no one was booked into the Benton County jail on charges related to prostitution by 6:30 p.m.
Officials released the information about the arrest late Thursday afternoon. The Tri-City Herald has reached out for more information.
Detectives worked with community advocates to offer support for the women who may have been trafficked, police said in the post. They didn’t include how many trafficking victims were found in the locations.
The illicit massage parlors usually bring in women from Asian countries, who often have to live in the building while being trafficked. They are left inside with the supplies but without the means to escape, detectives previously told the Herald.
There are ongoing investigations into human trafficking on a statewide level, but the city is limited in what it can do, local officials have said. Often the businesses swap owners and managers, and then reopen.
“These operations are vital not only for enforcing the law, but also for addressing broader community impacts and safeguarding vulnerable individuals often connected to illicit businesses,” police said. Ongoing Locations
Both locations were shut down during a March investigation, and it’s the third time that the Clearwater Avenue location has been shut down.
It operated under the name Dream Spa in the same location in 2023 when police raided the shop.
It was one of several massage parlors that police have shut down in recent years. A surge in enforcement started with a Chelan County investigation of a massage business in Kennewick.
Later, Kennewick investigators accompanied Department of Health inspectors as they checked six sites. Four were allegedly found to be engaging in human trafficking. The other two had license violations.
Connected to the investigation, former Kennewick Mayor Bill McKay resigned in November 2023 after admitting to police that he paid for sexual services at local massage parlors. He claimed he was investigating them. A Pierce County prosecutor declined to file charges, concluding there was not enough evidence he committed a crime.
City officials have since created new codes aimed at giving the police more power to shut down massage businesses operating illegally.
Kennewick police have said that it’s difficult to prove “customers” are engaged in human trafficking unless they admit to it or are caught exchanging money for sex.
“Customers who engage in criminal activity at these establishments contribute to the exploitation of vulnerable individuals and risk arrest,” said a previous police department post on Facebook.
City officials say they have been enforcing the regulations that were put into place in 2023. But officials have said, the businesses follow the rules to pass the initial inspection but in some cases have allegedly engaged in human trafficking.
City police conducted a similar sting in February 2025, shutting down three businesses and issuing citations.
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