Abu Dhabi: A total of 11 massage centres were shut down for violating laws and regulations in the capital, the Department of Economic Development (DED) announced on Monday.
The centres were shut down following complaints about several violations, including offering services to men in ladies-only facilities and allowing men to be massaged by women.
The centres failed to comply with Resolution No. 2 of 2009 on the establishment of the DED and the Resolution No. 25 on the organisation of economic activities and the issuance of trade licenses, the DED said.
Ahmad Tarish Al Qubaisi, acting director of the Department of Trade Protection said in a statement that the Resolution aims to eliminate illegal practices of business activities in the emirate.
Monday’s announcement of shutting down the centres are final and can not be appealed.
The Abu Dhabi Municipality regularly conducts inspection visits to cafes, massage parlours, hair salons and gyms.
In July, Gulf News reported that 300 inspections were carried out by the Al Wathba Municipal Centre, where 25 violations and 29 warnings were issued.
Meanwhile, the Al Musaffah Centre inspected massage centres, cosmetic stores, hair salons and laundries resulting in 78 warnings.
The DED treats all the reports and complaints very carefully and develops inspection procedures in order to ensure the best quality is received by customers.
The Department employs high standard techniques that contribute to saving time and effort for inspectors and completing transactions as soon as possible by documenting data and evidence electronically and taking photos of the site and entering them directly in the inspection system.
Police also contribute to the crackdown on illegal massage parlours by performing raids on such facilities and arresting suspects who charge customers money in exchange for unauthorised services.
In Dubai, residents have complained about images printed on massage parlour cards being distributed by some centres.
The DED officials earlier told Gulf News that advertising on business cards is against UAE law and, according to an agreement between the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Interior, business are prohibited from asking employees to distribute business cards in public.
