Police in Bali have raided and closed an all-male spa and sauna in Kerobokan, located a short distance from the Island’s central prison.
The Elegantz Spa on Jalan Tangkuban Perahu in West Denpasar was raided by police at 7:10 pm on Monday, 21 October 2024, by a specialized police unit charged with law enforcement involving the protection of women and children.
Police raided The Elegantz Spa under suspicion that the establishment was providing illegal same-sex prostitution services to the gay market.
Prostitution of any sort is illegal under Indonesian law.
During the police raid, several employees were taken into temporary custody for further questioning, and a police line was installed, effectively closing the popular all-male spa. An unnamed UK national and an Indonesian male therapist were taken into custody, said by police to have both been naked at the time of their arrest.
The raid was led to Arung Wiratama from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Bali Police, with officers going from room to room while inspecting The Elegantz Spa.
Quoted by Beritbali.com and other news websites, Wiratama said: “During the police action, a therapist and English foreigner were discovered, both in a state of nudity.”
During the raid, police took ten spa employees into custody, a few of whom were detained after questioning. Police also confiscated physical evidence from the spa during the raid. Remanded into police custody were the spa’s manager and cashier.
Police are still seeking to identify the owner of The Elgantz Spa.
A spokesman for the Bali Police, Janzen Avitus Panjaitan, confirmed on Sunday, 27 October 2024, that the raid had taken place and the case is still under official investigation.
Information presented on the Spa’s website shows a range of services, starting from a one-hour Balinese massage priced at Rp. 290,000, ranging upward to Rp. 1.5 million for a three-hour “Elegantz Royal VIP Ritual.”
The website proclaims: “Elegantz Spa & Sauna is an exclusive Menz Health Spa in Bali, offering luxury 5 Star treatments to soothe, calm, rejuvenate and revitalize you.” Adding: “All our Therapists are well trained to give you a mind-blowing treatment. Our Sauna is the only Sauna in Bali. The Biggest and Finest – Menz (sp) only sauna!”
Radarbali.jawapos.com reported that people living or operating businesses near The Elegantz Spa expressed surprise at the police raid, claiming they had no knowledge of any illegal or illicit activity taking place at the Spa.
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