Malaysian immigration officers have raided two massage parlours suspected of offering sexual services to clients, detaining 21 foreign workers and a local man believed to be the manager of the premises.

The raids in Johor, which began at around 3pm on Thursday, targeted outlets that publicly advertised standard massage services from 80 ringgit (US$20) an hour.

“The businesses were believed to be involved in immoral activities and employed foreigners without valid documents,” Johor immigration director Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said in a statement on Saturday.

“Any extra services were negotiated privately in rooms between customers and workers for additional payment.”

Customers were not permitted to select their masseuse, with any extra arrangements made inside the treatment rooms, he added.

Mohd Rusdi said 21 men and women from Myanmar and China, aged 18 to 41, were detained on suspicion of various offences under Malaysia’s Immigration Act 1959/63 and Immigration Regulations 1963.