The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) has closed a North Texas massage parlor due to suspected human trafficking activities.

According to an October 2 press release from the TDLR, Tao Spa in Denton and its owner, Xiaohang Chen, are under a six-month emergency closure order effective September 30, 2024. The order prohibits operations at the spa and prevents both parties from running another massage establishment at this location for six months.

The release further states that Tao Spa did not possess the required TDLR massage establishment license. The six-month shutdown followed an inspection by TDLR inspectors and the Denton County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) conducted in mid-September.

The inspector noted that neither employee present was licensed as a massage therapist. Both employees were reportedly dressed provocatively, and an ATM was found in the middle of the business premises.

State House Bill 3579, passed by Texas lawmakers and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in 2023, empowers TDLR’s executive director to issue an emergency order closing any massage business suspected by law enforcement or TDLR of engaging in human trafficking.