By Robert Gavin, Times Union, Albany, N.Y.
Jun. 27–ALBANY — It’s not every Web site where a raven-haired woman named “Nayka” will quote the finer points of Eastern arts, tossing in references to Tibetan lamas, all to help one have better sex.
On Albany’s craigslist site, such services are not only advertised, they lead readers to a Tantric Temple in Schenectady for massage and, among other options, “Ecstasy and Goddess Ceremonies.”
There’s just one catch.
According to police, many of the men and women who advertise massage services on the Internet are working illegally and, in some cases, are exchanging cash for sexual services.
“Most of these people are not licensed the state of New York for massage therapy. If they did do it, they could hurt somebody,” said Inspector John Burke of the Albany County Sheriff’s Department, which charged a Cohoes man who advertised on craigslist with prostitution on Wednesday after an undercover sting.
The craigslist ads range from the Web site’s “therapeutic” and “erotic” services to “casual encounters.”
Nayka’s advertisement, tame compared to others, shows a cartoon of a topless woman. “Come to, ignite and expand orgasmic energy,” her Web site, misspelling some words, stated on June 23. “Master ejaculatory control. Seperate ejaculation from orgasm, and become multi-orgasmic. Discover the magic of the G spot.”
On her Web site, Nayka identifies herself as a “Goddess Guru.” Her actual name is Farrah Ashline, 33, of Schenectady, formerly of Alexandria, Va.
She was charged with prostitution in August 2000 after a two-day police sting at motels in Colonie that netted six arrests. She pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.
A 2004 Washington Post article identified Ashline as founder of GirlsGoingOut.com, a social group that “brought twentysomething women together at events where they bonded over food, wine, yoga and ‘Sex and the City’ viewings.” A past Post article said she had ‘the moxie of a young Gloria Steinem.”
In a phone interview Thursday, Ashline described her work as legitimate — and needed in the Capital Region.
“If people look at my Web site, they can clearly see I’m not a prostitute,” she said, noting she once lived in India. “I don’t just go see people off the street.”
She added, “I’m not even in the same category as these people. … This is something I take very seriously.”
Nayka said she is not a masseuse — though that was in her ad’s headline. Her ads note two Massachusetts licenses, neither of which could be verified by public records. Ashline acknowledged she has no license.
In any case, out-of-state massage licenses don’t count in New York, said Dan Kelleher, director of investigations for the state Education Department.
On craigslist, many postings openly state their massage practice is “unlicensed,” even though it’s illegal in New York.
“What they’re saying, it’s almost an open invitation for us to go into craigslist,” Kelleher said.
Illicit ads are not only on craigslist. A representative of the site could not be reached Thursday for comment.
On one Web site — http:// www.escorts.com — Capital Region residents give graphic details of what they offer, even using abbreviations for various services rendered.
Authorities call it the latest addition to the Capital Region’s sex trade, which runs the gamut from city streetwalkers to high-priced “escorts” working Saratoga Springs during track season.
On Wednesday, Burke’s investigators charged Keith Comire, 50, of Cohoes, with prostitution after he allegedly advertised his services as a masseur named “Erik.” Before the arrest even became public, law enforcement’s attention to the craigslist entries drew some attention.
“POLICE are out\taking people and computers,” posted one Albany-based advertiser, who did not use a name, in the casual encounters section of the Web site before noon. “I am a provider and was taken in this a.m.”
Even after the Times Union first reported the arrest online, one admittedly unlicensed Ballston Spa masseur named Jason was advertising “Hot rocks or natural professional Body Rub.” Two days earlier, another craigslist ad touted “Reiki Therapy” in Latham, Watervliet, and Loudonville, also acknowledging it was unlicensed.
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