Escort and massage services have become a booming industry in the United States, attracting women from all over the world. There are about 9,000 illicit massage parlors in the country. The epicenter of these businesses is Flushing, Queens. Women from China and other Asian countries arrive in New York through Kennedy International Airport and are sent to other states. The women are recruited through social media sites and Chinese-language newspapers in CityVibe .

There have been reports of human trafficking. In December, 36 people were convicted in a case in Minnesota. The case involved an elaborate sex trafficking organization that shuttled women from Bangkok to the US. These people then forced the women to perform sex acts and work at massage parlors until the ring’s debts were paid. The traffickers used bogus massage school diplomas to entice the women, charging up to $40k per session.