A number of massage parlours are being mistaken by prospective male clients for illegal brothels in the Australian city of Gold Coast in southern Queensland.

Every week at the Sabai Traditional Thai Massage and Spa men seek sexual favours causing the business, and other wellbeing facilities in the city, to publish signs on their price menus that say “no sexual services”, according to local press.

Owner of the Sabai spa, Arshareeya Wajadee, says she has a firm policy against sexual services at her workplace, “Everyone here knows that if they’re asked [for sexual services], to say ‘get out’,” Wajadee told local media. “I’m very strong with that. Everyone here is fully qualified in original Thai massage.”

Gold Coast councillor Margaret Grummitt said that Australians automatically associate massage parlours as brothels and acknowledged the community needs to be better educated about the facts.

Wajadee hopes that with some government intervention, laws can be changed to protect therapists from sexual harassment in the workplace.