From http://news.guelphmercury.com/article/305783
Tatiana McCollum sits across from me on a dark yellow loveseat, hands folded in her lap, and speaks softly with a Russian accent.
"We want to be legal," she says. "We want to do it right."
To McCollum's left, standing in the doorway leading to the "treatment rooms," her business partner, Angela Kerr, nods her agreement.
While the pair have been in business nearly a year, the front of the former car sales office bears no mention of the operation's name.
Instead, three neon words -- AROMATHERAPY CLINIC MASSAGE -- hint to motorists on York Road what goes on behind the nondescript brick walls.
This business, officially called the White Pearl Spa, is one of the newest in Guelph to feature the word "massage" on its facade.
But McCollum bristles at the thought her business might be mentioned in hushed tones during discussions about Guelph's alleged body rub parlours.
Not here on York Road, the women insist together.
At the White Pearl, customers are offered aromatherapy soft-muscle massage using essential oils, and that's all, McCollum says, adding back pain, headaches and insomnia are among her customers' most common complaints.
"It's real treatment," she adds for emphasis.
Suggestions there is anything else going on "is sort of insulting for us as owners.
"We've been running this business 12 months already and is no charges or anything."
There is also no business licence in place. McCollum says she's sent the city $220 for a licence under the "alternative health" category "but the city hasn't decided if they're going to issue it or not."
Guelph's community services committee will consider Monday a proposed bylaw aimed at regulating the city's free-for-all massage industry. If adopted, the bylaw would impose a number of restrictions on massage businesses. These would include a requirement staff and customers have their naughty bits covered and a prohibition against staff touching the aforementioned bits.
No problem, McCollum says. She and Kerr also own a spa in Toronto, which already has such restrictions in place, and their staff follow them.
So why are two Toronto residents running a massage business in Guelph anyway?
"You know how many spas there are in Toronto?" McCollum asks. "It's very competitive."
The pair insist they knew nothing of Guelph's lack of regulation of the massage industry while scouting locations, but did enough homework to decide to locate their business in the east end because there are "so many" already operating on the west side of Guelph.
Indeed with such a proliferation of "spas" in Guelph -- about 10 at last count -- the Royal City certainly seemed to have rolled out the Welcome mat.
Hopefully, this proposed bylaw will provide the city with its first serious ability to roll it back up.
But the bylaw will have to go further than that. If bylaw officers truly plan to get a grip on the massage industry, they will have to get beyond the sparsely-furnished waiting rooms and talkative attendants and see what goes on behind closed doors.
Tatiana McCollum sits across from me on a dark yellow loveseat, hands folded in her lap, and speaks softly with a Russian accent.
"We want to be legal," she says. "We want to do it right."
To McCollum's left, standing in the doorway leading to the "treatment rooms," her business partner, Angela Kerr, nods her agreement.
While the pair have been in business nearly a year, the front of the former car sales office bears no mention of the operation's name.
Instead, three neon words -- AROMATHERAPY CLINIC MASSAGE -- hint to motorists on York Road what goes on behind the nondescript brick walls.
This business, officially called the White Pearl Spa, is one of the newest in Guelph to feature the word "massage" on its facade.
But McCollum bristles at the thought her business might be mentioned in hushed tones during discussions about Guelph's alleged body rub parlours.
Not here on York Road, the women insist together.
At the White Pearl, customers are offered aromatherapy soft-muscle massage using essential oils, and that's all, McCollum says, adding back pain, headaches and insomnia are among her customers' most common complaints.
"It's real treatment," she adds for emphasis.
Suggestions there is anything else going on "is sort of insulting for us as owners.
"We've been running this business 12 months already and is no charges or anything."
There is also no business licence in place. McCollum says she's sent the city $220 for a licence under the "alternative health" category "but the city hasn't decided if they're going to issue it or not."
Guelph's community services committee will consider Monday a proposed bylaw aimed at regulating the city's free-for-all massage industry. If adopted, the bylaw would impose a number of restrictions on massage businesses. These would include a requirement staff and customers have their naughty bits covered and a prohibition against staff touching the aforementioned bits.
No problem, McCollum says. She and Kerr also own a spa in Toronto, which already has such restrictions in place, and their staff follow them.
So why are two Toronto residents running a massage business in Guelph anyway?
"You know how many spas there are in Toronto?" McCollum asks. "It's very competitive."
The pair insist they knew nothing of Guelph's lack of regulation of the massage industry while scouting locations, but did enough homework to decide to locate their business in the east end because there are "so many" already operating on the west side of Guelph.
Indeed with such a proliferation of "spas" in Guelph -- about 10 at last count -- the Royal City certainly seemed to have rolled out the Welcome mat.
Hopefully, this proposed bylaw will provide the city with its first serious ability to roll it back up.
But the bylaw will have to go further than that. If bylaw officers truly plan to get a grip on the massage industry, they will have to get beyond the sparsely-furnished waiting rooms and talkative attendants and see what goes on behind closed doors.
