"They Think Foot Massage Must Be Something To Do With Sex"
.jpg){kind=link}
A crackdown on Chinese foot massage parlors is underway in Los Angeles: "Authorities have raided about a dozen foot massage parlors in recent months, from San Gabriel to Rowland Heights, charging operators and masseuses with fines of up to $1,000."
Which is weird really, because if you think about it, who needs a cheap foot massage more than a jackbooted thug?
An attorney representing a new association of foot massage parlor owners has argued that the industry employs more than 1,000 people—many of the poorest Chinese emigres hoping to establish a foothold in the United States.
So is it protectionism? Or prudery?
"They think foot massage must be something to do with sex," [shop owner Ching] Lau said. "They don't understand how popular this is in Asia. It's part of Chinese culture."
More on the thuggery of cosmetologists here and here.
Via Virginia Postrel's Dynamist blog.