Why excotic massage parlours are (il)legal?

[confused]

They're all over Canada, Montreal, and all major cities in Canada and some are very obvious in what they're doing so my question is:

1) If it's illegal why are they still operating on a daily basis?
2) Is it illegal for the client to go in for a massage or are only the masseuse that's liable?
3) If a massage parlour is shut down will police investigate who has gone there in past years and prosecute these people?

Just curious how these places still function out in the open.

 

[Jesse]

Well, exotic massage parlors are fronts for prostitution operations and they will stay in operation until the authorities build a case against them with evidence. The evidence is typically gathered during sting operations. Depending on the extent of the sting, Johns are also culpable and if they discover a John list, they could also be prosecuted.

 

[Artman]

They still function on the open because they are labeled as "massage parlors" not as "prostitution house".

The police need evidence before taking legal action, most of the time they would send some undercover.

And both, client and prostitute/masseuse, can get arrested and charged.

As for going for past clients, only if there is solid evidence, but most of the time that's hard to get since the deals are mostly anonymous.