Facing multiple criminal charges, massage parlor owner is fined $3,000 by board

State regulators have imposed a $3,000 fine against an Iowa City man accused of running a multimillion-dollar ring of unlicensed massage parlors in which workers were required to have sex with customers.

The Iowa Board of Massage Therapy has fined Zhenshi Liu of Iowa City $2,000 for practicing massage therapy without a license on at least two occasions, plus $1,000 for employing an individual not licensed to practice massage therapy.

The board alleges it received a complaint from the Iowa City Police Department alleging Liu, 60, and his wife, Junping Ren, 56, were operating two illicit massage businesses — the Paradise Spa at 1901 Broadway St., and 805 S. 1st Ave. — where they employed numerous unlicensed female workers who were “required to provide sex acts” for clients.

The couple allegedly collected approximately $2.6 million in proceeds from the massage businesses, according to Johnson County prosecutors.

Liu and Ren are currently facing several criminal charges related to the businesses, including pimping, pandering, money laundering and ongoing criminal conduct.

In addition, Liu is facing a charge of third-degree sexual abuse. Iowa City police allege that after a woman went to one of the Paradise Spa massage parlors in May 2025, Liu provided her with a massage while “thrusting his groin into her hand as she tried to pull it away,” and then “forced his hands” onto her genital area.

According to the police, female workers at the two Paradise Spa locations in Iowa City stated they received $70 per hour for a massage, with $40 going to Liu, and an additional $10 used as payment for room and board. Ads for the business were allegedly located on SkipTheGames.com, which police described as a known website for female escort services.

Liu and Ren have each pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges and a joint trial is currently scheduled for Nov. 10, 2026.

In addition to pursuing the criminal charges against Liu and Ren, Johnson County authorities are also pursuing civil forfeiture of cash, cars and real estate belonging to the couple. The assets include a $600,000 home in Alabama allegedly purchased for cash, a $350,000 home in Iowa City, and $197,957 in cash.

Earlier this year, the Board of Massage Therapy charged Ren with a single count of unethical conduct for her role in the matter, at which point it also settled the case by accepting Ren’s agreement to voluntarily surrender her license.

Court records indicate that in March 2017, three individuals were arrested and charged with providing massages without a license at Liu’s Paradise Spa on Douglas Avenue in Des Moines. In each of those three Polk County cases, Liu posted bond for the individuals who were arrested, the records show.