Prostitution doesn't just happen online or on street corners. In a month-long investigation, TV9 found it running out of storefronts here in eastern Iowa. Henline has been working in the field for two years.
It's been plenty of time to hear all the rumors about some of the local parlors offering more than massages. We go to the same functions. None of these places are a part of that. That may be because they're apart of an online underworld. It's there illicit massage businesses have been able to advertise their services for years.
Perhaps the most notorious of these types of sites, one called RubMaps. Operated by a company outside the country in Cyprus, RubMaps calls itself an "erotic massage parlor review" site. It's a place where users can sign in and anonymously post about their experiences-- in gratuitous detail-- at shops across the US. Reviewers even share the physical attributes of their masseuses, a list of sexual acts employees will perform and the fees associated.
The report featured RubMaps, saying the site has more than , unique visitors a month. Even if it gets shut down, just lay low for a couple days and come back,'" said Keyhan. If you throw Iowa into the search bar, you'll find listings all across eastern Iowa, from Dubuque to Iowa City. In Cedar Rapids, hits for 19 different parlors. Not all of them had reviews explicitly mentioning sex acts for money. But, TV9 found at least 10 businesses that had one sexually-explicit message or more.
One of the most recent reviews was written about two weeks ago for a spot called Relax'n Day Spa, off Boyson Rd. The user wrote in vulgar language about his sex for money experience. Through an anonymous profile, TV9 reached out to the user asking him if what he said was true. He responded saying it was and that in order to get the same service "the code word is just put the money out front and hope she likes you. TV9 called Relax'n to get a comment from management about the allegations made online.
