The owner of a spa in a suburb of Los Angeles, California, has been charged with prostitution after allegedly touching an undercover, and undressed, police officer on 4 June.

Mei Hai, a 52-year-old female therapist at Hot Li’s Massage Spa in Los Angeles was arrested the same day an investigation was launched, after local police force received complaints Hai was “fondling patrons or performing sexual acts for money above the price of a regular massage,” according to local media.

That afternoon an undercover agent went to the spa for a US$60 one-hour massage from Hai. After a 40-minute back massage he was asked to roll over onto his back. The report indicates the police agent asked, “You don’t do any extra massaging, do you? I brought another US$40 with me.”

Hai shut the door of the room, according to the agent, she then removed the towel around his mid-section and began to fondle him.

Agents outside the spa were listening to the events in the spa with surveillance devices. They then entered the spa and arrested Hai.

She remained in jail under a bond of US$8,000 (€5,877, £4,690) and the trial is set to take place on 26 August after Hai's initial hearing was postponed until an interpreter was available to assist her.

Prostitution is a Class A misdemeanour in the US, carrying a maximum one-year jail term.