Definition of "massage parlor" [massage parlor]

• An establishment that offers therapeutic massage. (noun)
• An establishment that offers illicit sexual services under the guise of therapeutic massage. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Hidden belowground at the corner of Stockton Street—sandwiched between a dried-herb store and a massage parlor that doubles as a hair salon—Joy Lok is a family resource center frequented by new immigrant families to Chinatown."
• "The jeep stopped in front of the building with a weirdly lettered cardboard sign in the window: suzy wong's massage parlor and bar — american food and beer."