MIDLOTHIAN, Va. -- For the second time in eight months, a customer at a Midlothian massage parlor reported she was sexually assaulted by an employee at the business.
The alleged assault happened at Unique Foot Relaxing Spa on Robious Road, and investigators said they believe there might be other victims who have not come forward yet.
The most recent incident happened on February 5, and 44-year-old Zeng Huicheng, an employee at the spa, faces a felony charge of sexual battery by a massage therapist.
"She was patronizing this business and assaulted by this masseuse," said Sgt. Winfred Lewis with the Chesterfield Police Vulnerable Populations Division. "This victim booked a massage appointment, was paired up with this particular masseuse, and was touched inappropriately outside the confines of what was expected in the massage.”
Huicheng did not have a valid massage therapist license, Sgt. Lewis said.
Investigators were familiar with Unique Foot Relaxing Spa, which sits inside a strip mall on Robious between an Italian restaurant and an animal hospital.
In June 2023, a different customer at the spa reported a sexual assault, and Jian Lu Gao — who was not a licensed massage therapist either — was charged with sexual battery in that incident.
A grand jury indicted Gao on felony object sexual penetration and sexual battery charges, and a trial is scheduled for later this month.
The spa now faces seven violations dealing specifically with their business license, Sgt. Lewis said.
"They were advised at that time about licenses and how to appropriately go about getting into compliance. Those same issues were discovered in this latest instance. Detectives actually partnered with Chesterfield County licensing and addressed that issue," he said.
Thursday afternoon, Unique Foot Relaxing Spa was still open when a CBS 6 crew visited the location. Employees at the spa asked the crew to leave and declined to comment.
Survivors of sexual assault can sometimes feel hesitant to come forward in the immediate aftermath of their experience for a host of reasons, and Sgt. Lewis said that is particularly true when the attack happens during a massage.
"When they’re coming to us, a lot of times it’s the darkest time of their life," he said. "It is very common for the victim to blame themselves, or they feel like they don’t act appropriately in that moment, for one reason or another. Those circumstances are only compounded by the context of a massage happening that you initially agreed to."
"But it is aggravated sexual battery," Sgt. Lewis continued. "It is a felony for someone that is a massage therapist or purporting themselves as a massage therapist to touch you on your intimate parts in a way that was not consented to.”
Anyone with additional information should contact the Chesterfield County Police Department at 804-748-1251 or Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660 or through the P3 app.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
