New Massage Parlour in Peterborough

Therapy and conversation won’t be the main attraction for customers of an adult parlour that will likely open in Peterborough.

But it’s no surprise the woman applying to open the first legal adult entertainment business here in a decade feels the need to market it as something other than bare-breasted women giving men a rubdown.

During an online public information session on Wednesday, Brittany Leigh said her venture will offer “therapeutic body-rub massaging and conversational support … talk and touch therapy for adults.”

It is highly unlikely the 35 to 40 women she plans to hire will be certified in any form of therapy, physical or conversational.

Everyone understands that: Leigh, the police officers, City Hall staff and city council members who listened in on the session; the men who will, if she is successful, be her customers; and anyone who takes a less hands-on interest in the plan, in favour or opposed.

Leigh said the women will be independent contractors choosing to offer a service.

An application for an adult entertainment parlour at 697 The Kingsway has been submitted to the city.

“Independent contractors” and “choosing to offer a service” are also part of the sales pitch: This is no different than many other gig economy ventures, think Uber or a food delivery service.

Unlike the therapy references, those terms will apply to what happens in the former industrial building on The Kingsway where the business would operate. If it’s going be legal the women will be working by choice.

The “choice” issue is paramount. Sex trafficking and sex slavery are ongoing problems in Canada and sex trafficking charges have been laid in Peterborough.

Given that Leigh is being open and public about her plans that almost certainly won’t be the case.

She has said she won’t collect a cut of any money the women are paid by their customers, so presumably her income will come from charging a fee for use of the space and providing administration services.

That’s something police will need to keep an eye on.

Canada’s prostitution laws were rewritten in 2015 in an attempt to make it clear that running an organized sex business — offering sexual intercourse, sex acts through massage, lap dancing etc. — is illegal, but women have the right to provide those services on their own.

There is no indication Leigh intends to skirt the law by providing space for “independent contractors,” but it is something that will bear watching.

Whether police should be involved is another matter. Many people, including many women’s rights groups, believe prostitution should be fully legal and controlled by government regulation, as with any business.

Since that is not the law now it’s a moot point for local law enforcement.

The other issue that could arise when Leigh’s zoning and licensing applications come to city council for consideration is the question of morality.

However, whether it is right for men to be able to pay to be massaged by nearly-naked women has no bearing on council’s authority to grant or deny approvals.

The courts ruled years ago that municipalities can’t make land use decisions on moral grounds. They can restrict where a business operates — which is why these parlours are allowed only in industrial areas — but not whether it can, as long as no laws are broken.

Adult entertainment seems set to make a local return, and Leigh’s proposal seems reasonable and responsible.

Brittany Leigh wants to assure Peterborough that anyone working at her adult massage parlour would be safe, above age and there would be no sex.

“We offer touch and conversational support for adults, but there is no sexual activity,” says Leigh during a virtual open house on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

Taking questions, Leigh describes the business she wants to see built on The Kingway, titled The Kingsway Spa. The meeting is part of the municipal planning process, which includes a rezoning application and eventually a public city council meeting.

Introducing herself, Leigh says she would be the owner and operator, she has a clean criminal record and is a speaker and member of Meeting Professionals Against Human Trafficking.

“I believe in the therapeutic aspects this field provides,” she says.

Customers would call in to book ahead, as it’s appointment-only during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once they’re buzzed into the building, they would meet with the receptionist and be brought into a private room where they would have their massage.

“There is partial nudity and that’s why it’s adult,” says Leigh.

Afterwards the client would be able to take a shower if they wanted and then leave.

Some people are lonely, she says, and through “touch and talk therapy,” a connection forms with clients.

“Not everyone has a spouse, not everyone has someone they can talk to or a friend,” she adds.

Employees would be licensed, have mandatory medical and criminal record checks, describes Leigh, and there would be no one working there under the age of 25.

While that process is “a pain and it’s expensive,” she says it’s to ensure anyone working there is doing so voluntarily and in a safe way.

“The whole reason I’m choosing this business is it’s extremely important for me to have a safe place for employees to work,” she says.

Peterborough Police Service Inspector Neil Collins attended the meeting. When asked what the police’s opinion was of the business, he said he needed to know more before he could answer.

But he did ask Leigh how her business was different than those before the courts who say they provide “safety and security” to their alleged victims.

“They’re using comparators to businesses like yours,” he says.

Leigh responded by saying when human trafficking happens money is taken away from the girls by their pimps.

“The pay (my employees) make is separate, I’m not taking anything from them,” she says.

She also says she wouldn’t have any employees, or serve anyone, who is underage.

Leigh says she’s worked in the industry for decades, as an attendant herself, and she’s willing to comply with all licensing requirements and public health inspections.

During the meeting Inspector Collins also pointed to a reference letter from one of Leigh’s former clients, who wrote that alternatives to her services were likely illegal and dangerous.

Caroline Kimble, land use planner with the city, mentioned during the meeting the city does have a licensing process for adult entertainment parlours and body rub parlours.

However she also says those policies are decades old, and Leigh’s application has triggered a review to see if they need updating.

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Adult massage parlour proposed for The Kingsway in Peterborough

The application is being circulated to agencies and city departments, and discussions with police and Peterborough Public Health are ongoing, she adds.

“I would expect once this gets to a formal public meeting in front of council, hopefully we’ll have some answers to some of these questions you may have,” she told meeting participants.

And while the business would be the only one of its kind in Peterborough, Leigh also offered assurances that signs would be minimal and tasteful.

“No lewd images or logos or anything like that,” she says.

Leigh says she’s aware of the connotations adult entertainment parlours can have, and prefers the term “adult therapeutic body work.”

“I realize this industry will be judged,” she says, adding by answering questions and concerns, “I hope I’ve put your minds at ease.”

More information on the business can be found at Sigma12.com.



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