Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The Alabaster City Council unanimously approved the revocation of business licenses for Grace Spa LLC and TRU Acupressure Clinic LLC after recent investigations by authorities alleging that the businesses were engaged in illegal prostitution.

The public hearings were held on Monday, June 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Alabaster City Hall and were open to the general public to offer input for or against the business license revocations. The hearings were approved by the Alabaster City Council on May 22 following a request by the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force and former APD Chief of Police Curtis Rigney.

The first hearing was for Grace Spa, located at 8601 Highway 119, and saw Lt. Clayton Smith with the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force approach the council and speak in favor of the license revocation.

According to Smith, in early spring 2024, law enforcement began receiving complaints about Grace Spa with suggestions that the business entity might be running an illicit massage business. Officers began an investigation which included surveillance and traffic stops on individuals leaving the spa. During the traffic stops, some customers admitted that they received services of a sexual nature at the spa. Investigators then obtained a confidential informant from a partner law enforcement agency.

“That confidential informant went to Grace Spa and paid for a regular massage,” Smith said. “During that massage, he was asked to turn over and the masseuse asked him if he wanted anything extra. He asked what it was, what she meant by that. She gave a hand gesture… Then he asked how much that would cost. She drew the number 60 on his chest. He asked her ‘(Is) $60 extra for sexual service?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’”

According to Smith, the interaction with the masseuse was captured on audio and video recording. Law enforcement then proceeded to execute a search warrant in September 2024, during which authorities identified two females who were working and living inside of Grace Spa. Investigators also obtained financial documents and allegedly found sexual paraphernalia.

“We also found their luggage (and) the two females locked in a shed behind Grace Spa,” Smith said. “That immediately made us think this was a human trafficking investigation. We interviewed them. We did ascertain that one of the females was smuggled here from China.”

The Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force later executed another search warrant on Grace Spa, alongside other agencies, and at five other residences and businesses in Shelby and Jefferson Counties on May 14. Search warrants were executed at Grace Space, TRU Acupressure of Alabaster, Lilly Massage in Chelsea, a residence in Shelby County, TRU Acupressure of Birmingham and a Birmingham residence.

“Prior to executing the second search warrant on Grace Spa, we actually used an undercover officer that we obtained from a partnering agency,” Smith said. “He went into Grace Spa and requested a 30-minute massage. An Asian female asked him to turn over halfway through the massage and he would get on his back. She made another hand gesture… She also offered for him to touch her inappropriately and offered him sexual activity as well.”

As a result of the investigation, Grace Spa owner Zhen Liang Ou was arrested and booked into the Shelby County Jail on May 14 for human trafficking in the first degree and for promoting prostitution in the second degree.

“So, obviously Grace Spa has been running an illicit massage business,” Smith said. “I am asking for the council to revoke that business license for Grace Spa.”

After Smith’s presentation, and hearing no further public comment for or against the resolution, the City Council unanimously approved the revocation of the business license for Grace Spa.

The second public hearing immediately took place following the vote and was for the consideration of revoking the business license for TRU Acupressure Clinic LLC. Alabaster Police Department officer Judson Sims addressed the council and expressed his support for the revocation.

Sims was tasked with the human trafficking investigations that were ongoing regarding Grace Spa. During those investigations, Sims said authorities identified open source websites that mentioned illicit massage parlors or the acronym AMP for Asian massage parlors.

“Upon looking up those, TRU Acupressure in Alabaster, TRU Acupressure (on) Gadsden Highway in Birmingham, Alabama kept coming up,” Sims said.

In February 2025, the APD launched an investigation into TRU Acupressure in Alabaster as well as the location on Gadsden Highway which are both owned by Xifeng Shi.

“During that, we saw that there were multiple women and men that were coming from a residence off of Alton Road in Birmingham,” Sims said. “We identified them working at the location. So, they would work one day at Alabaster, they would work another day at Alabaster (and) they would go to Gadsden Highway.”

Sims shared that investigators obtained a confidential informant who provided information on the inner workings of the facility and the department also sent an undercover officer supplied by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office into the business which allegedly received a proposition.

“During the massage, halfway through, (they) asked him to turn over onto his back,” Sims said. “(They) passed a gesture and asked if he wanted extra. She said the extra would be $50 and he declined services and left the establishment.”

Sims said the department received four complaints during the month of February and one during the month of March regarding an Alabaster home where it was stated that sexual activity going on. The APD conducted surveillance and found one person coming outside, and he advised the officers that he did get sexual services in that business which led to a probable cause search warrant for all three locations, the residence and both establishments of TRU Acupressure in Birmingham and Alabaster.

“We did find that there was evidence of sexual activity,” Sims said. “That being said, I would like for you to take it into consideration to revoke the business license of TRU Acupressure LLC in Alabaster.”

After Sims’ address, attorney Craig Cleckler spoke on behalf of TRU Acupressure Clinic owner Xifeng Shi

“There’s a great distinction that I think is important for the council to understand,” Cleckler said. “She does own True Acupressure. She does have the two locations. The mischaracterization of girls coming and going from the stores to imply any type of nefarious issues is simply not true. They do rotate on a weekly basis, that is because one store does more business than the others.”

Cleckler said that Shi splits the massage fee 50/50 with the licensed massage therapists and that if any tip is paid, all of that money goes to the worker.

“(Shi) has no idea whether a customer paid $0, $1,000—no idea—that is 100 percent the LMT’s money,” Cleckler said. “That is (an) important distinction to draw because it goes to the heart of—there is no financial interest in (Shi) having anything to do with sexual services.”

Cleckler said that Shi routinely met with the employees and told them not to offer extra services and said that signs have been put in each room that say, “No sexual services of any kind.”

“She has gone to great lengths to make sure that her business is run above the board,” Cleckler said. “I have personally seen on four occasions, her simply becoming suspicious of one licensed massage therapist and firing them on the spot.”

Cleckler provided information to the council on Shi’s background, her history of coming from China and her knowledge of medicine. After he addressed the council, Shi offered her own testimony to the council in addition to Cleckler’s.

With no further public comments for or against the resolution, the Alabaster City Council unanimously voted to revoke the business license of TRU Acupressure LLC.