Strange Korean Experience - Reply (Atlanta, Lawrenceville: hotels, restaurant, club)

[mrpanda]

Someone wrote me this message and I would like to keep the person's name private.

I saw a similar Korean massage business next to Myung Ga Won, a 24 hour korean restaurant near Gwinnett Place Mall. I've passed by Jeju Spa several times but never seen the Karaoke place you are talking about. There are things i am proud about my korean heritage, and at the same time i am ashamed of the corruption in the culture. If it is anything to similar to what i think it is, I hope that Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce is smart enough to shut down these sketchy business down very quickly.

One of the main reason i moved here instead of OC/Los Angeles is because there were many avenues for children to have access to corruption at such a young age in LA K-town and I would not want my children near that type of environment when they become teenagers. I am hoping that Gwinnett Place area is not turning into the environment i tried to avoid in LA.

I hope my explanation helps you.





City-Data Atlanta poster wrote a message to me:
I just had a strange experience and thought of you.

My girlfriend and I were eating out and after dinner wanted to check out Purple Rain by Gwinett Place because I read about it on Yelp. Anyway, afterwards, we saw a place called Bicycle Karaoke right around the mall by Jeju Spa and she wanted to go see what the karaoke rooms looked like.

I said, just watch, I bet they shoo us away. Sure enough, before we could even get to the door, a well-dressed Korean man came outside and told us it was $45 for a room. My girlfriend asked if they had any English music and if we could see a room. He got very nervous and said no and started to get very confused and either couldn't or pretended not to understand English anymore. He was blocking the door with his body, but I saw a young lady inside kind of peeking out.

I got a very strange feeling about the whole thing. It reminded me of when I was a younger more single man and visited one of the Asian massage parlors, and, well, we know what goes on inside there.

So I was wondering, do you have any idea what this place is all about? Am I right, do you think it's the kind of place that will provide female "singing" companions to those who know how to ask for it? The whole scenario seemed strange, and $45 is way too much for a karoke room.

Afterwards, we went to a neighboring karaoke joint and I asked the people there if they had any idea what was going on with Bicycle Karaoke. They didn't really know, and only said, "I think it might be a private place."

A private karaoke club? Honestly, really? I was hoping that you might be able to provide some insight. Do you have any idea what is going on here? If you get a moment on a random night and are driving by, pop your head in Bicycle Karaoke, which is inside the Gwinnett Place mall area. Maybe you can speak Korean to them and figure out what is going on.

I don't really care what kind of place they are running, I'm just curious and want to know.

[livinginbuffalo]

I have been wondering about the countless number of "massage" parlors all over the place. They seem to be in many strip plazas in Cumming, S. Forsyth and No. Fulton. They are dark and have shades on the windows. I didn't think they could really be the "happy endings" places I have heard about. Am I to assume that if they say "Massage parlor" and there are shades in the windows that I shouldn't go in there asking for a massage? If these are the illegal places, why are they not being shut down?

They had a case in Buffalo of one in a wealthy suburb and the men drove around to the back to park their cars. My friend works for the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and they shut the place down. Those places a lot of times kidnap young women and bring them to the US to work in those places and are involved in human trafficking. I hope that is not what is actually going on in the suburbs of Atlanta ALL over the place. What's the story? and if they are not real massage parlors, why on earth do the residents around those plazas not call the authorities? There is one not three miles from me but how would I know if it was real or not?

[ATLTJL]

I think the Korean experience can be a little misunderstood by Americans. I'll give you an example:

Many, many, many years ago (more than 10), I had one too many beers in Buckhead and decided to venture down Piedmont to find out if the rumors of the "full service" massage parlors was true. Turns out, it is.

So a few years ago, I saw Jeju Spa and was instantly suspicious. It had a full parking lot at 2am and just called itself a "spa." Surely something shady was going on inside, but I didn't know what (prostitution? drugs? cockfighting? who knows?) so my curiosity got the better of me and I did what I do....wandered in to experience it. Turns out, Jeju is totally legit. Koreans seem to just love saunas. The place was loaded with legit people, many of them even with their children.

So it goes. Yeah, massage parlors can be total brothels with full service offerings. BUT, they can also be just normal places where people get massages. It's really hard to know. The best thing to do is drive by after midnight. If the place is closed, it's probably legit. If not, then probably not. Of course, that's not always the case, which is what threw me off about Jeju.

Anyway, I think I know the 24 hour restaurant you are talking about. It has a sign that just says "W". It caught my attention because it's the same W used by W hotels, so I was like I know there's no W hotel up here, so what is that thing? It was next to a restaurant and it and the restaurant both had blackout windows like a strip club or porno joint would. So I still don't know exactly what is going on in there. I figure it's either full service prostitution, or it could just be a pool hall.

[mrpanda]

Wow Buffalo you know a lot more than i thought. There was a similar situation in Irvine, California last year as Asian men driving in expensive european cars waiting in line at a massage parlor for under the table "R" rated services and it was shut down by the city. I would that hop that the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce would take action immediately if anything like this happened in Duluth.

I think we are all just speculating here and let's just hope these massage parlors are legit. Again.. the one next to the Myung ga won off of Ventura felt a liittle a sketchy, but that was just my impression of the place and I've never been inside.

In Korea, many men (single and married) go out drinking soju with their friends and co-workers. It is a cultural thing. Many of these places have attractive Korean women pouring their drinks for the them. These Karoke and bars also provide a date for the Korean men for the evening. Go figure why the divorce rates have sky rocketed in korea in the past 15 years.

Again, let's just hope that this type of crap does not come into the Gwinnett Place Mall area like it has in LA.

[ericsonga]

Well, for a non sketchy Korean karaoke place, my friends and I often go to Echo on Lawrenceville Suwanee next to the H Mart. Very good rates, very clean, and cheap drinks! Woohoo!

[mrpanda]

Man, I haven't been to a Korean karoke place since my single days. The good ole days.

There is also a really nice K Cafe there my wife and I like to go to. They have some of the best Green Tea boba and Moca bread there.

[tonygeorgia]

If their wives and girlfriends were doing their job the demand for this places would decrease

[ericsonga]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

If their wives and girlfriends were doing their job the demand for this places would decrease

Haha...wow

[atlanta28]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

If their wives and girlfriends were doing their job the demand for this places would decrease

men of low character would do these things regardless whether or not their wives and girlfriends were doing "their job". and some men couldn't get a woman whether or not their life depended on it. these places will never go away. i guess this is a discussion for a whole other thread, lol.

[livinginbuffalo]

Originally Posted by atlanta28

men of low character would do these things regardless whether or not their wives and girlfriends were doing "their job". and some men couldn't get a woman whether or not their life depended on it. these places will never go away. i guess this is a discussion for a whole other thread, lol.

Love this!