Neighbors upset about massage parlor planned for this Columbia neighborhood
The Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday will consider a special application for a massage parlor to be located in a prominent neighborhood near downtown Columbia.
Yuzhen Zhu has applied for a special exception to permit a massage parlor on Beltline Boulevard near Devine Street. U-Relax Massage would be located at 714 N. Beltline Blvd. next door to Maurice’s Piggy Park Barbecue.
Columbia City Council member Moe Baddourah, who represents the area, said that in light of recent news about massage parlors nationally, residents have concerns.
“We want to get ahead of this,” he said.
The parlor would be near the Shandon, Sherwood Forest, Heathwood and Cross Hill neighborhoods. Residents of those neighborhoods say they plan to attend the 10 a.m. board meeting in the Columbia City Council chambers at city hall, 1737 Main St.
Both the Neighborhood Notice newsletter, which generally covers the area, and the Sherwood Forest Crier newsletter were urging people to attend the meeting.
Zhu, contacted by The State, said she has operated another parlor by the same name at 304A N. Main St. in Mauldin, near Greenville since 2014. Zhu, whose address and phone number on the special permit application are the same as the Mauldin parlor, said she hasn’t had any trouble with the police.
“Never, never,” she said. “We have very good customer reviews.”
A detective with the Mauldin Police Department could not be reached Monday afternoon.
According to the application, the business would be a sole proprietorship with Zhu as the owner. It says the Shanhai, China, native came to New York in February 2012, enrolled in a massage school and completed the federal examination for massage/bodywork therapy
This story was originally published July 8, 2019 at 4:54 PM.