Irmo spa owner agrees to surrender business license after police call spa a ‘brothel’
The owner of an Irmo massage parlor that police accused of operating as a brothel has agreed to surrender her business license.
In return for closing the Spring Foot and Body Massage on Woodrow Street and agreeing not to apply for an Irmo town business license in the future, the town agreed to drop a charge of operating a brothel against Sui Yu Ying, 58.
Irmo police closed down the massage parlor last month after an undercover investigation — sparked by an anonymous complaint of prostitution at the business — discovered sexual activity occurring on the premises, Irmo Police Chief Courtney Dennis told The State. The owner was cited for operating the business as a brothel, a misdemeanor in South Carolina.
Spring Foot and Body Massage was located in a storefront three blocks from Irmo Town Hall, adjacent to a Methodist church and backing up to Irmo Community Park.
The agreement came as Irmo Town Council was set to vote on revoking the spa’s business license on Tuesday. Irmo Town Attorney Jake Moore told the council he, Dennis and the owner’s attorney, Vicki Koutsogiannis, had negotiated the settlement of what Moore called a “bad situation.”
“The matter is basically deemed over from the town’s standpoint,” Moore said. “Everyone understands we have no control over the federal government, immigration or anything else.”
The deal was reached despite a language barrier that required the use of a translation app on a cell phone, the attorneys said. The town council ultimately took no action on the motion to repeal the business license.
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