Surrey has shut down 18 illegal massage parlours in the last 18 months.
Surrey's crime reduction team has been working at putting the errant body rub parlours out of business over the past year-and-a-half, and has managed to shut them down at a rate of one per month.
The city has been cancelling licences at the businesses that had been permitted under the category of aestheticians, which includes stores such as nail studios.
That makes body massage an illegal use under the city's permit laws.
"They were across the city," said Coun. Barinder Rasode, chair of the city's public safety and crime reduction committees.
Surrey only grants permits for massage therapy clinics to professionals who are licensed through the Massage Therapists Association.
Illegal body rub parlours had been operating in the city for some time, but Surrey only recently learned they weren't properly permitted.
"When we became aware of them, and when we became aware of a way we were able to shut them down, we did," Rasode said. "We are a city of families, we have a licensing department that is based on our bylaws, and we don't welcome any business that's doing illegal activity."
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