Woman claims she was sexually assaulted by man inside popular Madera massage parlor

MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Zen Therapeutic Massage is closed now, but just hours ago they had people going in an out. It's in a busy shopping center near restaurants and two kids' karate studios, so Elsa Martinez was shocked when this happened to her. She says she's coming forward because she doesn't want this to happen to anyone else.

Elsa Martinez, the woman whose voice you hear trembling, does not want to be on camera but says it's important to share her story.

Martinez is no stranger to massages, feeling under the weather, after running errands with her husband, she decided to go to Zen Therapeutic Massage for a little R & R.

After checking in with the parlor employee, Martinez entered a room, undressed and covered herself on the table. Although she was face down on the table, Martinez caught a glimpse of a man and identified him as the man in surveillance video.

Thinking it was possibly a masseuse in training, Elsa allowed the massage to continue.

"When I turned around he choked me and it wasn't normal. And from there he groped me and I told him to stop and he wouldn't stop."

Martinez says as the assault happened she froze but was finally able to push his hands away before he took off. After getting dressed Elsa confronted the female employee, who she'd received a massage from before.

"'The man that was in there, he touched me,' I told her. And I tried to call the police three times and she would grab my cell phone away from me," Martinez said.

By that time Martinez's husband arrived and the employee there called management, who came right away and showed her the surveillance video.

Management was not inside to comment on camera however the staff did say they were warned of an incident that happened over the weekend.

We found manager Shirla Yang at the other establishment she oversees, A1 Massage. According to Yang, her employee was under the impression the suspect was Martinez's husband. Madera police are now investigating the matter.