I don't usually read the Westside reviews since it's out of my area, but recently I read a few that were in Santa Monica and noticed some guys bitching about having to show ID. It's really nothing new there, SMPD has been making them do that for a long time, so they have to go along with it.
You used to have to write down your name and address for them too on some kind of form, and sometimes they would even compare that with your ID. I would always write my name a little bit miss-spelled and give a fake address. If they made a comment about the addresses being different, I'd just tell them I moved recently.
I guess the only down-side to that would be if you happened to be there when LE conducted a raid. It probably violates some BS city ordinance to give false information at a massage parlor, so the cops would be able to f*** with you if you signed in wrong.
Santa Monica used to be The Bomb, even with the ID thing. Haven't been back in awhile, but some recent reviews there sound interesting.