Going to get a massage? If you happen to be in the southwestern city of Nanning, that may soon involve handing over your personal information and being recorded by at least four surveillance cameras.

It’s all part of the city’s new campaign targeting massage parlors, which local officials say are often hotbeds of fraud, gambling, and prostitution.

Massage parlors have become targets of enhanced oversight in several parts of China over recent years due to their insalubrious reputation. But Nanning has raised eyebrows across the nation due to the severity of its proposed new massage regulations, which are due to come into force on Nov. 1.

Massage parlors will be designated a “special” industry and subject to a host of strict new rules, many of them relating to tightened surveillance.

Individuals getting a massage between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m., for example, will be required to register their name, address, ID card number, and phone number.

Venues must also install security cameras in areas including entrances, exits, lobbies, and elevators. All video footage should be stored for at least 60 days. The regulations emphasize that no unit or individual is allowed to delete, modify, disseminate or illegally use video surveillance footages, or illegally disclose relevant personal information.

The rules also place a major emphasis on preventing massage parlors from creating hidden spaces where illicit activities might take place. All rooms must be free of screens, partitions, or other barriers that might obstruct a clear view of the entire area.

Private rooms must be fitted with transparent doors and windows, allowing them to be observed from the outside, and must be brightly lit at all times.

Any venue that fails to comply with the regulations could be fined up to 30,000 yuan ($4,200) and shut down for up to three months. If illegal activities such as gambling, prostitution, or solicitation are found to be occurring on site, then a fine of up to 100,000 yuan could be imposed.

The new rules will apply to any venue offering massage services, including saunas, spas, and wellness centers. The only exceptions are medical massage establishments.

On the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, Nanning’s new massage regulations have become a hot topic, garnering over 13 million views as of Friday. Users appear to be generally supportive of the campaign, although some commenters expressed concerns about potential privacy issues.

It’s unclear why Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has felt the need to take such draconian action against massage parlors, but the city is not alone in raising the alarm about the potential for venues to become fronts for organized crime.

Guigang, a prefecture-level city close to Nanning, reportedly uncovered a ring of criminal gangs in 2021 that had used massage parlors to defraud over 1,000 people of nearly 20 million yuan in just over a year.

The gangs reportedly lured victims to the massage parlors using flyers featuring scantily clad women, which heavily implied that the venues were secretly operating as brothels. Once at the venues, the customers would then be encouraged to make large advance payments to secure their “special” massages.

Some local authorities in other areas have already moved to tighten supervision of massage parlors. In 2015, Guangxi’s neighboring province of Guangdong required local massage providers to record the personal details of customers receiving services late at night, and to install onsite surveillance cameras. It also banned state personnel and agencies from running massage businesses.

Massage parlors are not the only businesses to be singled out as a “special” industry in China. Entertainment venues such as karaoke parlors and nightclubs are already subject to enhanced oversight in several parts of the country. Motor vehicle repair workshops are classified as a special industry because they handle a number of hazardous and explosive materials.

(Header image: VCG)