The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation just handed down the death penalty—business edition—to a chain of massage parlors across the state, including one right here in Lubbock. Tongfuxin LLC and Tongfu LLC (because nothing says “totally legitimate business” like having two almost identical shell companies) have been slapped with lifetime bans from ever working in the massage industry again.
The crackdown comes after investigators linked the parlors—operated by Ruiying Lian, Hongcui Hao, and Tianli Wang—to human trafficking and illicit ads that were a little less “tension relief” and a little more “Craigslist personals.” The Lubbock location? Best Foot Spa on South University, which, shocker, wasn’t just about reflexology.
The state says all eight locations, from Amarillo to Midland to Cleburne, showed signs of trafficking. But here’s the kicker: as of this week, Best Foot Spa is still open, just “under new management.” Translation: slap a fresh name on the sign and hope the neighbors forget.
Only in Lubbock can a massage parlor get busted for trafficking, banned for life, and still be taking walk-ins the next afternoon. Who needs regulation when you’ve got a Sharpie and a new business license application?
