Board: Massage therapist under investigation for sexual assault, money laundering - The Audubon County Advocate Journal

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Maple Spa of Ankeny. (Photo via Google Earth)

A state licensing board has agreed to temporarily refrain from taking formal disciplinary action against a massage therapist under investigation for sexual assault, money laundering and prostitution.

The Iowa Board of Massage Therapy states in a newly issued order that licensee Qingxia Hao of Ankeny is currently under investigation by law enforcement “for crimes including, but not limited to, money laundering, prostitution, and sexual assault with intent to commit sex abuse.”

The board states that in order to give Hao “the opportunity to respond to the pending criminal investigation” and to protect the public, the parties have agreed that the board will not pursue formal disciplinary charges against Hao at least until the case is resolved, and that Hao will refrain from practicing massage until that time.

Hao is not currently facing any criminal charges.

According to a sworn affidavit filed by Ankeny police in connection with a search warrant, it was in May 2024 that officers were first alerted to suspicious activity at Hao’s Maple Spa, located at 314 S. Ankeny Blvd.

The owner of the nearby Smitten Kitten, a cat-grooming business located in the same strip mall as Maple Spa, allegedly told police the spa’s clientele appeared to be only men and that at times there was a line for service that led out the door, with most clients receiving services for only 15 minutes, rather than the expected 30 to 60 minutes required for a massage.

Police then determined Hao had been operating at Maple Spa since April 2022, when she was first licensed by Iowa Board of Massage Therapy. The affidavit also indicates that in November 2023, Hao had been charged with the sale of sexual relations in Wichita, Kansas. The available records don’t indicate the disposition of that charge.

According to the affidavit, police surveillance at the spa began in June 2024, and continued through July and August, at which point officers received a complaint from an individual who indicated he went to Maple Spa for a massage and was offered sex. A similar tip was received in late September.

That month, police conducted a traffic stop involving an alleged Maple Spa customer who, according to police, reported having sex at the business with “multiple girls throughout the years.” In October, police conducted another traffic stop involving a Maple Spa customer who allegedly reported a similar experience.

According to the search warrant application, police suspect Hao has used an Ankeny apartment to facilitate human trafficking by housing sex workers there. Court records indicate that on Dec. 30, 2024, police executed a search warrant on the apartment, on Maple Spa and on Hao’s vehicle and took custody of numerous financial records and a cell phone.

Hao did not return a phone message seeking comment.