BACKLASH

California Gym Under Fire for Calling Asian Massage Parlors ‘Dirty’ and ‘Shady’

The gym reportedly wrote that it was “not a dark shady, and/or dirty place that smells like Chinese food.”

A gym chain in Northern California has sparked backlash after its website reportedly featured a rant about “shady” and “dirty” Asian massage parlors. The Island Personal Training website went offline after ABC 7 reported on the bizarre, anti-Asian language used to describe services. In pitching its own massage services, the gym noted that its massage therapists “speak English (kind of rare for the field round these parts)” and promised that its services were better than “all these shady asian ‘massage parlors.’” “Do they even change their sheets (a just question based on what goes on inside of those establishments)?” the gym reportedly wrote. In a separate Facebook post, the gym said that it was “not a dark shady, and/or dirty place that smells like Chinese food,” according to ABC 7. The comments were a gut-punch to all those still haunted by a deadly shooting spree at several spas and massage parlors in Atlanta last year. “It’s very triggering given what happened with the Atlanta area shooting. We’re coming up on that anniversary where Asian women and Asian businesses were targeted,” Cynthia Choi, a founder of STOPAAPIHate, told ABC 7.