BOTHELL, Wash. — Despite the protests and denials from parlor owners, law enforcement across the Puget Sound region isn’t buying it anymore. Massage businesses with covered windows, late-night hours, and a steady stream of male visitors are drawing raids, arrests, and shutdowns from Bothell to Kirkland to Federal Way.
Kristine Moreland has seen what’s behind the covered glass. She runs The More We Love, a Seattle-based nonprofit that provides victim services during human trafficking operations across Seattle and King County. Her team accompanies officers when warrants are served and receives trafficking victims into care in real time.
“The parlor I just walked into had mattresses on the floor and condoms and lube,” Moreland told “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. “There’s no way anybody can tell me that these women aren’t being exploited.”
The More We Love helps trafficking victims rebuild
When the warrants are served, The More We Love is the first point of contact for women walking out of those parlors. Many of them are terrified. Some don’t speak English. They don’t know what comes next.
“I think the thing that is probably the hardest in the moment is the look in the women’s eyes when they are walking towards you and coming out of that space,” Moreland said. “It’s pure terror. They don’t have any idea what is next.”
The More We Love operates a 27-bed shelter for women and children in King County and runs a 24-hour crisis line. Moreland describes the model as “low barrier to enter and high accountability to stay.” The organization creates pathways out of homelessness, addiction, human trafficking, and domestic violence, wrapping recovery services around women and children in crisis every day.
“When we show up differently for them, trust me, they show up differently for themselves,” Moreland said. “When we give them an opportunity to recover, to thrive, to feel loved, when we really wrap around services with them, they transform.”
How to spot a massage parlor trafficking operation
Moreland said the exploitation goes well beyond sexual services. Women are forced to cook, clean, and work extreme hours for almost no pay.
“People want to correlate this to sex trafficking, but there’s also human trafficking,” Moreland said. “These girls are working all kinds of ungodly hours for low pay.”
She pointed to a website that openly lists massage parlors performing sexual acts as an additional service. The site functions as a directory for buyers seeking out these businesses.
She also offered a blunt guide for spotting a problem in your own neighborhood.
“If you drive by a massage parlor and you see that their windows aren’t exposed, and that they are open past business hours, more than likely they are trafficking women,” Moreland said.
Bothell, Federal Way cracking down on massage parlor vice
Kirkland joins a growing list of cities taking action.
Last month, Bothell police shut down five massage parlors during a bust. Investigators said they found used condoms and people actively performing sex acts inside.
In Federal Way, the city council considered an ordinance targeting massage parlor prostitution that would ban these businesses from operating between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., require licenses to be displayed on-site, prohibit cash transactions, and ban alarm systems designed to alert staff to police presence. Federal Way Police Chief Andy Hwang backed the measure, saying his officers have struggled to investigate these businesses.
The council held off on a final vote May 5 after legitimate massage therapists raised concerns that the restrictions could hurt their businesses. The ordinance is still under discussion.
Seattle police announce trafficking plan ahead of World Cup
The urgency is intensifying as Seattle prepares to host six FIFA World Cup matches at Lumen Field this summer. Major international sporting events have historically drawn spikes in commercial sex buying and trafficking.
On Thursday, the Seattle Police Department announced a coordinated plan with the Port of Seattle and the nonprofit Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking to combat trafficking before and during the tournament.
“We are confident, with us working with our partners, we will keep survivors safe and put those responsible for human trafficking behind bars,” SPD Chief Shon Barnes said.
SPD Deputy Chief Andre Sayles said the department’s human trafficking unit has spent more than a year planning operations with local, state, and federal partners and training patrol officers to recognize potential cases.
“We need to protect these women at all costs,” Moreland said, “especially in advance of the FIFA World Cup coming.”
Trafficking survivor turns outreach worker in Seattle
Moreland shared the story of a woman she identified only as Miss Hannah, a trafficking survivor who came through The More We Love’s program. Hannah has been clean and sober for more than eight months and now works security on Capitol Hill. She calls Moreland nearly every day with referrals for others who need help.
“She calls me and says, ‘I know somebody who needs help,’” Moreland said. “That’s what The More We Love is about. It’s about being somebody’s constant.”
More information is available at TheMoreWeLove.org.
This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.