I want to clarify some points as some misinformation is being spouted off here. Club Madellyn Jae and Brass Club aka Club Alpha are technically Not massage spas. They are licensed by City of Ottawa as Private Members Clubs hence they ask for a Membership fee for formality. In fact, CMJ used to ask members to sign a 9 page Membership form and Non disclosure agreement. I know this cause I was there for an Orientation to look at becoming a member, you watch a 15 minute video. The Non disclosure agreement is there to protect the identities of members. Ottawa being a Government city has a lot of high profile people, from business people to politicians, that would demand anonymity. Do these private clubs have to abide by same bylaws as massage studios ? I am fuzzy on that point but Jessica at Brass did tell me they have more latitude on what they offer. Nonetheless they still have to abide by the Criminal code. You can gleam from that what you wish. CMJ created their club about 20 years ago after they tried opening a massage studio near Angels Spa and Ottawa blocked them and then turned around and imposed a Moritorium on new Massage licenses (in much the same fashion as they did with strip clubs). So the CMJ people got Smart and went the way of a Private club. Nothing much the City can do to stop them, Private clubs are on the list of eligible businesses. There is also the Phoenix which is also a Private club and they share same building as an ALO Massage location. But they are two different licenses. So unless and until the City of Ottawa Closes the loophole and Bans Private members clubs from operating in much the same way massage studios do (in other words taking money to provide a service inside a room), then they can continue to operate. In fact Club Alpha has Expanded, they have a huge new location in the West end. They apparently have 120 girls on staff. This isn't the first time a licensee has gone the way of a Private Members club to evade a Moritorium. Fantasia in downtown Toronto did the same about 15 years ago so they didn't have to operate under the restrictions of a Holistic license and at the same time have to shell out the then $ 10,000 fee for a Bodyrub license and those licenses weren't even available downtown. Yes that is correct, in the GTA, a Bodyrub license costs thousands ! The current yearly fee is $ 14,000 and is restricted to 25 licenses in 3 boroughs. Fantasia eventually closed cause the owner didn't pay his rent. Another City with a private members club of this type is Chicago. But again back to Ottawa, please don't equate Club Alpha and CMJ with licensed Massage studios, they are Not the same thing. It is a fascinating story how CMJ came about, the owner has law background and worked the system beautifully. I admire her talent and fortitude.
