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But the two illegal aliens balked when instructed to hop in the shower with a client and massage his genitalia, for $60 in cash, or $65 on a credit card.
In a fit of anger, the spa manager drove them around, screaming and calling them derogatory names, and threatening to turn them in to the police and immigration authorities. Finally, the boss hit one woman with a set of keys.
So, the two women ran away and told police of their plight.
Indeed, the Swan Day Spa was a front for a brothel, and the three people who ran it were arrested in Nevada and Pennsylvania yesterday.
"Simply stated, forced labor is modern-day slavery," said John Kelleghan, special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.)
The two-year ICE probe was part of a federal mandate to crack down on human trafficking, and prevent the exploitation of others through forced labor.
In a six-count indictment returned on July 16, spa owner William J. Strunk, 68, of Las Vegas, manager Chun Yong Madden, 54, also known as Kimberly "Kim" Suemi, and John G. Evans Jr., 63, both of Parkesburg, Chester County, were charged with conspiracy related to operating the brothel.
Strunk and Madden also were charged with using a facility in interstate commerce and interstate travel in the aid of racketeering.
Madden also was charged with forced labor. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and forfeiture. Madden could face an additional 20 years and a $250,000 fine.
The Swan Day Spa was located inside an old beige stucco building with brown siding and shared an asphalt lot with an abandoned Meineke repair shop.
A neon sign in a second-floor window announced that the spa was open; a red arrow on the front of the building directed visitors to a weather-beaten wooden staircase along the side of the building.
Several windows on the second floor were covered with old blankets and, curiously, small paintings of dinosaurs and teddy bears.
In 2005, Strunk leased the second floor of the building, and allegedly hired Madden to manage the day-to-day affairs of the brothel. Evans drove the women to and from the brothel.
Strunk also rented a nearby apartment, where prostitutes lived until they moved to the next brothel.
After the two Chinese women, identified as Y.Y.Z. and J.H., fled on May 5, 2006, they met with police on May 9, 2006. Police notified ICE agents.
After interviewing the women, ICE agents raided the spa the next day to find out if other women were victims of forced labor, according to Brian Michael, assistant special agent in charge of ICE here.
"What often happens with brothel cases, the victims think they are going to do one thing," such as model, waitress, or work on a farm, he added. Then, "they find out they have to provide sexual services and they're trapped as a victim," he added.
The difference between an illegal alien, who comes here to work, and those subjected to human trafficking is that the latter are victims of forced labor, fraud or coercion, he added.
"We don't deport victims because they are illegal aliens," said Michael. They are protected, given temporary visas to assist with the prosecution and assisted by non-governmental organizations.
The government uses the funds from the illegal businesses shut down to support them.
In Swan Day Spa, the prostitutes had to be available to service customers 12 hours a day, six days a week between the spring of 2005 and the fall of 2007, when Strunk headed the business, and from Thursdays to Sunday from the fall of 2007 through last January, when Madden and Evans took over, authorities charge.
The prostitutes were paid $15 per customer from the "house fee" of $60 or $65, plus tips, according to the indictment.
Strunk opened accounts at Sovereign Bank, where cash and credit-card transactions were deposited, totalling $195,881. ICE agents tracked transactions by Strunk and Madden from Berwyn to Dallas, Texas, Omaha, Neb., Hagerstown, Md., and Sunrise, Fla.
From these accounts, Strunk, Madden and Evans made withdrawals for their personal benefit and to run the prostitution business, authorities said.
The indictment only cited three financial transactions from customers: $65 from "ML" on Dec. 14, 2005; $65 from "JR" on March 29, 2006; and $75 from "PD" on May 10, 2006.
The brothel's visitors and employees kept a low profile, but didn't go unnoticed, said Chris Cardamone, the manager of Phil's Famous Pizza of Berwyn, located next door to the spa.
"You would see more lunchtime traffic," Cardamone said. "Men and women would park across the street and walk over.
"I'm just surprised that it's in our area. You wouldn't think that it would happen in the suburbs. We have a lot of families, a lot of kids," Cardamone said.
Dave Vogelsong, a bartender at nearby Casey's Ale House, said he remembered ICE agents raiding the spa several months ago.
"I thought they were closed, to tell you the truth," he said. *
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