Treatment not prison for notorious Seattle sex ‘temple’ madam Longtime madam Rainbow Love again avoids prison while admitting to pimping, drug crimes

Rainbow Love, pictured above during her 2010 prosecution. Love, 51, has been sentenced for operating Seattle-area brothels. Rainbow Love, pictured above during her 2010 prosecution. Love, 51, has been sentenced for operating Seattle-area brothels. Photo: KOMO NEWS File Photo Photo: KOMO NEWS File Photo Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Treatment not prison for notorious Seattle sex ‘temple’ madam 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

Seattle-area madam Rainbow Love has again avoided prison time for operating a string of Seattle-area “temples.”

Charged following a 2014 police sting, Love claimed she was running brothels out of apartments in and around Seattle because she enjoys the business. Love told an undercover detective “she wasn’t money hungry."

“She was doing it for fun,” a Seattle Police Department detective said in court papers.

Love, 51, pleaded guilty to pimping- and drug-related crimes. The Marysville resident was sentenced Friday to inpatient drug treatment, rather than jail.

Born Vivian Walker Ellis, Love changed her name to mirror her vocation as a sexual spiritualist. Love avoided jail time in 2010 after Seattle police ran a sting operation targeting her “goddess temples” in the city’s Eastlake and Greenwood neighborhoods.

This time around, Love was arrested after police put up an undercover detective as an aspiring brothel worker. Love is alleged to have admitted to taking thousands of dollars in prostitution earnings from women she managed.

In February 2014, two Seattle vice detectives began investigating Relax with Rainbow, which they described as an escort service. They soon learned the business was owned by Love.

Detectives set up surveillance on Love's home and soon spotted two women pictured on a sexually suggestive website used by Love. They also noted Love's personalized license plate – WA.LOVEU.

A sting operation following during which undercover detectives arranged a series of encounters with women provided by Love. One detective posing as a customer was sent to an apartment at Seventh Avenue and James Street, a block from Seattle City Hall.

Police again introduced a detective posing as an aspiring brothel worker to Love.

"I've been doing this for 12 years," Love told the woman. Love is alleged to have claimed to be operating out of five or six locations in Seattle.

Writing the court, a detective said Love referred to the massage table as an "altar," a mattress as a "gran altar" and sexual massage sessions as "sacred union." The detective said Love then explained the price breakdown and how much she expected to receive from her workers.

Weeks later, the undercover detective met Love at her home. According to charging papers, Love said she was fine working on a smaller scale than she had previously. Love went on to complain about Seattle's rising rents.

Investigators claim Love described herself as the scheduler and gatekeeper for the women working for her. She vetted the men looking for sex and managed the websites advertising the businesses.

Love is alleged to have explained she charged a $20 "booking fee" for each man referred, as well as a rental rate for the room. The workers kept the rest of the money.

Seattle police conducted a string of raids on May 28, 2014. Searching three apartments as well as Love's home, police arrested eight women alleged to have been working for Love.

Investigators identified eight women, ranging in age from 24 to 36, working as prostitutes for Love. At least 10 others were working for her as well.

According to the detective's account, Love explained that she has a number of clients who continue to pay for sex with her. Love is alleged to have said the men pay a premium for her time -- $360 a visit, double the base rate paid to women half her age.

As part of a negotiated agreement with prosecutors, Love pleaded guilty to second-degree promoting of prostitution as well as heroin possession. The usual sentence for her crimes is about 1 ½ years in prison.

Love was sentenced Friday by King County Superior Court Judge John Erlick, who imposed the sentence recommended by Love and prosecutors. Love is expected to report to drug treatment on Tuesday.

Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.