Dubai stops new licences for massage parlours

Licences for new massage parlours in Dubai are being withheld after many were found to be running illegal activities, it was reported on Monday.

No new licences will be issued after 25 massage parlours were fined between AED2,000 ($540) and AED10,000 after inspectors found some operating in residential areas and allowing women to massage men, UAE daily The National reported.

It said inspectors also found materials used for sexual activities, such as condoms and two parlours were shut down as a result.

During their recent round of inspections, officers from the Dubai Economic Department (DED) visited 34 massage businesses, the paper reported.

Omar Bushahab, the DED’s chief officer of commercial compliance and consumer protection, told the paper no new licences would be issued.

“We have already stopped such activities. There will be no more new massage centres in Dubai,” he said. “We found some centres were charging AED800 for an hour. You can imagine what service they were offering for such high charges.”