Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on the Number of Beauty Salons Found to Have Engaged in Vice Activities in the Past Five Years

Question:

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many beauty salons have been found to have engaged in vice activities in the past five years; and (b) whether the Police will close any potential loopholes that allow vice activities to be conducted while the establishments are masquerading as beauty salons, which do not require a massage establishment licence from the Police to operate.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1.   Any business that provides massage services within their premises must be licensed under the Massage Establishments Act 2017, unless they meet the criteria for exemption.

2.   From 2018 to 2021, the Police detected more than 300 cases of vice activities in commercial outlets, including both licensed and unlicensed massage establishments. The operators of these outlets who were found to be involved in the vice activities were taken to task under the Women’s Charter 1961. As vice activities could take place under the guise of any commercial businesses, Police do not track statistics of vice activities in beauty salons specifically.

3.   The Police will continue to keep a close watch on the vice situation in Singapore, and will not hesitate to take the necessary enforcement actions to stamp out vice activities.