Third prostitution arrest at South Elgin spa

South Elgin police said they are researching their next steps after a woman was charged twice in four months with prostitution at a local spa.

Son Yong, 58, of Gibsonville, North Carolina, was arrested Wednesday after police received a tip about prostitution occurring at Golden Spa, 1274 W. Spring St., Sgt. Mike Flaningam said. Police said Yong offered to perform a sex act on an undercover officer - the same thing she was accused of doing in February, when she was arrested also based on a tip.

It was the third prostitution arrest in two years at Golden Spa, after another woman who worked there was charged in 2013, he said.

Yong was released Wednesday and is scheduled to appear in court July 20 in Elgin. She also is scheduled to appear in court July 9 on the February charges, which include theft, Kane County records show.

Yong declined to give much information on Thursday afternoon as she was exiting Golden Spa, whose main entrance is in the back of a strip mall off Spring Street just west of McLean Boulevard. A sign said the spa, which is also identified as "Golden Spa and Acupuncture," would reopen Friday due to a lack of air conditioning.

Yong said she's been working at the spa for a year and had no contact information for the owner. "They keep doing stings," she said about her arrests.

However, a man who answered the phone number assigned to J&B Fitness of Algonquin, which is listed by the village as the spa's owner, said Yong is the owner of Golden Spa. He also said J&B Fitness ceased to exist about a year ago.

Police Chief Chris Merritt said police are researching what, if any, additional charges can be brought or if there is any other legal recourse to shut down the business, which is described as "best Asian body massage in Chicago" on the classified website backpage.com.

"Obviously we don't believe there is much legitimate business going on out there," Merritt said, also adding, "We're going to tackle this so the people of South Elgin don't have to deal with this in their own neighborhood."

Meanwhile, police have parked a squad car by the spa to deter customers, Merritt said.

Yong is not licensed in Illinois as a massage therapist, acupuncturist or any other profession regulated by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, spokesman Terry Horstman said. If complaints are filed, the department can send a "cease and desist" letter, but any follow-up would be up to local law enforcement, Horstman said.

South Elgin, a non-home rule community, does not issue business licenses, typically a prerogative of home rule communities, said Marc McLaughlin, the village's community development coordinator. If any state licenses are required to conduct business, it's up to business owners to take care of that, he said.

Golden Spa was issued a certificate of occupancy Oct. 1, 2013, McLaughlin said. There have been no building or code enforcement complaints against it, he said.

The owner for the eight-unit strip mall is JS Holdings LLC of South Barrington, which did not immediately return a message Thursday.

Any tips for South Elgin police can be submitted by visiting southelgin.com under "departments & services," selecting police and clicking on "TipSoft" on the right. You can also send a text to "CRIMES" (274637) with the keyword SEPD.