After more than two years of work a new law, aimed to cut down on prostitution, and improve the city’s reputation, goes into effect today in the City of Macon.

Macon Mayor Robert Reichert says the so-called “Asian Spas” are a blight on the community. For a long time police could only make arrests by conducting lengthy and expensive sting operations.

The new law will make spa owners employ state-licensed massage therapists. They will also undergo lengthy background checks in order to get a business license. Reichert says the spas are also suspected of human trafficking, even though it’s never been confirmed.

“Certainly there was the suspicion, just by patterns of behavior and people being brought in, in the middle of the night, and staying there for a week at a time and back out, um would lead one to believe.”

The Macon law dovetails with one recently passed by the state legislature that increases enforcement for massage therapists and business owners and imposes larger fines.

Tags: Georgia state legislature, Mayor Robert Reichert, Asian Massage Parlors. Macon, human trafficking, Asian spas