City Closes Massage Parlor

When the municipality of San Jose Closed the Local Brothels in 2008 they didn’t miss Muses, which has long been a fixture in Barrio Amon. The local news media descended with cameras and caught the manager in an awkward position as she locked the front door. Subsequently, a municipal official appears at the front door and gives a spirited statement of how the city plans to close all of these businesses.



Of course none of this pressure actually worked as Prostitution is Legal in Costa Rica, and the city later admitted that the closings were for technical reason involving health and safety. Muses opened again two weeks later, however installed a wheelchair ramp and removed a sign from above the building in order to comply with city inspectors.



Apparently city officials had hoped that the OIJ or national police investigators would make investigations into allegations of pimping, which is against the law. This however never came to fruition, which is no surprise given that previous cases brought by the OIJ against these businesses in Barrio Amon have a history of failing in court.