Ex-Owners of Busted Massage Parlor: 'We Left Because of the Clientele'

The former owners of the Collingswood massage parlor busted for prostitution confirmed that Rong Chen is the same person to whom they sold the business more than a year ago.

Chen is the 48-year-old Philadelphia woman . Police accuse her of propositioning undercover officers for sex in exchange for money. 

After she bought the business in 2010, Chen changed the massage parlor name from Zhen Salon to Zheng Salon. 

“That is the woman we sold it to, and she was licensed at the time,” said Steve, who identified himself as the husband of the Haddonfield masseuse who used to own the business at 721 Haddon Ave.

Steve would only give his first name for the purposes of this interview, and had not heard of Chen's arrest prior to being contacted by Patch.

Speaking on behalf of Zhen, who owns and operates Zhen Salon on Ellis Street in Haddonfield and a second, boardwalk location in North Wildwood, Steve said they chose to abandon the Collingswood location partly “because of the clientele that was coming in.”

“I hate to say it, most men are scumbags,” he said. “My wife has to deal with people when they ask [for sex]. Even down the shore, where there’s not a wall or a curtain or a single separation, people still ask.”

Zhen’s website tries to intercept such inquiries. A tab marked “Gentlemen” reads:

“Please be a Gentleman! We are glad to supply only relaxing Massages in a professional manner...If this is not what you're looking for, please look elsewhere. Sorry, but we do not need that type of business! & Always keep your hands to yourself!”

“We try to put that out in the front,” Steve said. “If you’re coming here, you’re not getting that kind of massage.

Massage parlors that do not address such questions may be inviting problems, he adds. Other signs that such a business may not be wholly legitimate is whether its license is current.

“You need to renew your license every year with the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs," Steve said. "Obviously we do that, and part of doing that is to say we’re legitimate.

“I know a lot of places don’t do that," he added. "They just go and open and work until they get caught or shut down or whatever.”

Zhen’s website also contains a disclaimer that suggests Chen may have tried to trade on the name of the former owner after buying the business.

“Please know I transferred Zhen Salon in Collingswood to new owner early 2010, they changed name [sic] to Zheng Salon,” her site reads. “They tell people yes, Zhen is here & when you arrive I'm not there. I am not associated with them in any way, so if you're looking for a great massage in relaxing environment with a trained professional, I have 2 new Offices.”

Steve says his wife “has a large following of loyal customers who have been with her since the beginning,” but that it’s been difficult to generate new business because “any advertising you do just draws these people” who ask for sexual favors.

For those reasons, and for the fact that the family is tired of swallowing its dignity in the face of such propositions, he says, two-and-a-half years in the business may be enough for them.

Zhen, who Steve says was a doctor in her native China, wanted to open an acupuncture business in the United States. When that fell through, he says, she had different expectations of the massage industry based on her cultural experiences.

“I’ve been to China seven times,” Steve says. “Massage in China is totally different there than it is here. You go to get a massage and there are people in gowns escorting you back to get tea. It’s three- and four-story buildings with hundreds of employees.

“She had that in mind, and I had to explain that it’s not like that here,” he says.

Meanwhile,  said Thursday there are no updates on the case. Collingswood licensing officials are still examining the situation and Chen has a court date of Dec. 22.