Here's the story. Very enlightening.
January 19, 2004
Municipal police close down classy 'sauna' spot
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The PolicÃa Municipal closed up a classy alleged sauna parlor Friday.
A policeman said that the operation, New Fantasy, was being closed because it was more than the sauna provider claimed it to be. That would not be news to hundreds of North American patrons.
The raid also highlighted the way that the sex trade in Costa Rica is marketed to North Americans, mainly via the Internet.
New Fantasy is at Avenida 9 and Calle 7, and the sign in front leaves little to the imagination. The silhouette of a woman is featured.
The Web page for the operator was created Dec. 2, 2002, although it was unclear exactly how long New Fantasy has been operating. The administrative contact for the Web page is istarmedia of San José, a Web service operated by Enrico Cacciatore, a Canadian who also publishes the Internet daily Inside Costa Rica.
The Web page for the company had been deactivated by this weekend, but a cached version of the page said "The lovely and friendly hostess will introduce you to one of the more than 25 attendants to show around the place — the Sauna, Steam Room, private showers and very comfortable and clean rooms."
Officials for the Municipalidad de San José said the operation only had permission for massages. However, several Internet discussion boards explain in detail what transpired at New Fantasy, even going so far as to rate the women employees there on various sexual skills and to list hourly rates.
The business has been operating in its Barrio Amon location for at least a year. Prostitution is not prosecuted in Costa Rica. But to be a third-party intermediary, a pimp, is a crime. However, there were no reports of criminal charges Friday. The action was an administrative one.
A number of other operations in the area promote prostitution. Some strip clubs typically allow their dancers to make extra money entertaining customers. Several bars maintain adjacent rooms for sexual encounters with hostesses. Some
Photo from Web page
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maintain legality by use of a pension license. These operations have not been affected.
The Judicial Investigating Organization last May staged a raid on Arte y Sauna, a massage parlor on Paseo de los Estudiantes about 50 feet south of
Avenida 2. That business had been in the same location nearly 15 years, and the raid probably was window dressing for a worldwide conference against sex tourism that was meeting in San José.
So one question about the raid Friday is why municipal police acted when they did. It would be hard for a building inspector to enter New Fantasy without realizing the purpose of some of the structural arrangements, according to North Americans who have been inside. And the business has been in operation for at least a year after extensive remodeling.
The Internet has provided a valuable tool for such operations whose advertising would not be welcomed in a number of newspapers. Several Internet sites promote Costa Rica as a destination for sex tourism and feature links to Web pages of specific firms in the sex trade.
Several North American tourists have told reporters that they put New Fantasy at the top of their must-see list as a result of descriptions on the Internet discussion lists.
Some officials said the possibility exists that New Fantasy would be back in business after clearing up its paperwork problems with the municipality.