DOI: 10.3886/icpsr39387
title: Asian Women Working in Massage Parlors in New York City and Los Angeles County, 2014-2016
title: Archival Version

description: Media coverage has highlighted raids, mass arrests, and undercover stings of illicit massage parlors in United States cities and suburbs. This study defines "illicit," as a sub-set of massage parlors that purport to operate as legal businesses but where sexual services are illegally bought and sold. Although some media accounts have highlighted linkages between illicit massage parlors, human trafficking, and the fact that many of the workers are Asian immigrant women, the daily experiences of workers in illicit massage parlors are rarely reported from their own perspectives. To fill this gap in knowledge, researchers interviewed 116 Chinese and Korean women who reported that they had provided sexual services in a massage parlor setting in New York City or Los Angeles County. This data collection includes anonymized responses from these women about their demographic background, path to working in massage parlors, working conditions, social networks, sexual health and access to healthcare, victimization by clients and managers, and trust in law enforcement.
description: The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of Asian immigrant women working in illicit massage parlors. Researchers aimed to add to a limited body of existing research by answering the following questions:

What are the pathways for Chinese and Korean immigrant women into the illicit massage parlor sector in New York City and Los Angeles County?
In what ways is work in this sector exploitative and stigmatizing, or not?
What is the role of law enforcement and criminalization in shaping the conditions of labor?
What are the prospects for economic advancement for women who work in illicit massage parlors?
description: A sample of 116 Chinese and Korean massage parlor workers participated in 60 to 90-minute interviews about their experiences. Interviews were conducted by trained bilingual interviewers in Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) and Korean, and all participants were compensated with a $100 cash incentive.
Although the original study design called for the audio recording of each interview, most participants declined to be recorded. As a result, interview data is based on notes taken by the interviewers, not direct quotes from participants.
description: This study includes 168 variables documenting the lives and experiences of the participants. Demographic variables include age, race/ethnicity, languages spoken, relationship status, whether the participant has children, living situation, and place of birth. Survey variables about lived experiences include questions about employment, provision of sexual services, use and availability of protection (condoms, etc.), understanding of HIV risks, history of sexually transmitted diseases or infections, support from managers, and coercion by managers and/or clients.
description: Researchers recruited participants using convenience sampling through ads in ethnic newspapers, online ads, direct recruitment at massage parlors, referrals from social service providers, and recruitment at courthouses.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Asian Women Working in Massage Parlors in New York City and Los Angeles County, 2014-2016
description: Chinese and Korean adult women who provided sexual services in a massage parlor setting in Los Angeles County or New York City on at least one occasion in the past.. Smallest Geographic Unit: Neighborhood
description: face-to-face interview