Police raid 3 "temples" in prostitution sting

Men who frequented the Sacred Temple on Eastlake Avenue East apparently were paying for more than spiritual healing, according to a Seattle police report.

Bail was set at $15,000 on Friday for Vivian Ellis, 43, of Marysville, the owner of Sacred Temple along with two other "temples" in Seattle and Kirkland. She is being held on suspicion of promoting prostitution.

Officers watched the Eastlake business for 10 months before raiding all three locations on Thursday, according to the probable-cause document filed with the court at Ellis' Friday bail hearing. Ellis, who legally changed her name to Rainbow Love, was arrested at her home on Thursday at the same time police were raiding her businesses.

Though Love also was booked into the King County Jail on suspicion of money laundering, investigation is needed to prove probable cause on that, said Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff for King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg.

Goodhew said prosecutors expect to charge Love with promoting prostitution by Wednesday.

The investigation into Love's businesses began in June when a receptionist at the Sacred Temple contacted police. The receptionist told detectives that on a particularly busy day, her manager told her the other female employees were all otherwise engaged and the receptionist "needed to help out" by masturbating clients, the court documents say. The receptionist quit.

A Seattle detective researched the business and online reviews posted by men who'd received massages at Sacred Temple, records say. From those posts, the detective learned men paid for Tantric-style massages and achieved orgasms "by way of [masturbation] or body surfing," according to the report.

Though the report says undercover male detectives were sent into the business and obtained "offer and agreement for sex acts in exchange for $150 cash," it does not indicate whether those detectives engaged in sex acts with massage providers.

After Love's Moon Temple in Renton was raided and shut down by police, she opened two other businesses, according to the probable-cause statement: Moon Temple at 720 Eighth Ave. in Kirkland and Seattle Moon Temple at 10018 Greenwood Ave. N. The documents don't say when the Renton temple was raided.

An undercover female detective went for a job interview at the Greenwood location, the report says. Love apparently told the detective that male customers "expected to at least" be masturbated "for their $150 cash fee and that Rainbow Love expected the undercover detective to touch every part of the customer's body in the session," the probable-cause document says. Love explained the split: $100 for the provider, $40 for the house and $10 for the "gatekeeper" or receptionist, the document says.

After her arrest, Love allegedly told detectives "that her work is spiritual in nature and that's what the men are seeking," the document says. She said some of her workers "have more energy, and what they do with the men is their own business," though she later added "that she knew that some of the girls may do more than a healing session" with their clients, the document says.

According to the statement of probable cause, police seized appointment books and bank records from the Eastlake location and Love's residence.

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com