I will give Connecticut State Police the benefit of the doubt, that its extreme, "months long" investigation into the practices of the masseuses at a Salem spa, some of it undercover, was worth the effort.

Not only was the Salem resident trooper involved but so was the Troop K regional barracks and the Statewide Organized Crime Task Force. A full search and seizure warrant was sought and executed in early October at the spa.

To date, the big show of police investigatory firepower has netted only two arrests, one women charged with prostitution and practicing massage therapy without a license and a second woman charged with practicing massage without a license.

I know, I know. There must be more pressing crime in the region to investigate. And really, don't we all know that we don't really want to know exactly what goes on in those many storefront spas that seem to exist in shopping centers and on Main Streets all over the region.

The one in Salem, a stone's throw from the new roundabout that used to be Salem Four Corners, actually has a new name since the raid. It was originally called Ginseng Spa.

Apparently, in Salem they are not so live-and-let-live when it comes to spa culture. That surprises me a little, since most every other vice can be fed nearby, from discount cigarettes to liquor or home brewery supplies to big slabs of beef at a wholesale butcher.

But state police, in announcing the thin results from the big October raid, noted that they were responding to "numerous anonymous complaints" from Salem residents and business owners.

The masseuse charged with two counts of prostitution, a 49-year-old woman, was arrested by police on the spot, they said, after an undercover officer discovered she had performed an illegal sex act for money.

Some readers commented snidely on the original story that perhaps the investigation took months because undercover cops had to keep returning for more research. I will refrain from that thought.

I was curious to learn more about why police decided to expend such considerable resources on this project.

Nothing in the resulting arrests have so far indicated any need for the Statewide Organized Crime Task Force, for instance, nor months of investigation. But maybe the big organized crime hammer is yet to fall.

I popped into Norwich Superior Court on Friday because the masseuse was due for an appearance.

She wasn't able to answer any questions because she doesn't speak English. She looked timid and scared.

Her lawyer didn't impress me as a legal shark employed by organized crime. Indeed, strangely, he first denied his real identity when I asked him and then literally fled to the elevator.

A simple no comment would have been fine, although defense attorneys often like to at least mention their client's innocence.

The prosecutor also refused to discuss the case. A court clerk told me the State Police are late in filing a copy of the search warrant, so there is no paper trail.

I also couldn't resist a visit to the Salem spa, where the doorbell was answered by a woman who led me into a hallway with a lot of room doors off it.

She said she was Korean, couldn't speak much English and couldn't say who the owner was or whether he would call me back. She said she has only worked at the spa for a short while. She told me she came here from New Jersey, when I asked.

I will admit the place is very odd.

Maybe the big arrest bang could still be coming in rural Salem, alleging a thriving outpost of prostitution by organized crime.

Or maybe it has all already ended, with a whimper.

This is the opinion of David Collins

d.collins@theday.com

Twitter: @DavidCollinsct