Sam Cooley
Centretown News

Possibly more than what's on the menu

Several of the 17 licensed "body-rub" parlours in Ottawa seem to be operating in the shadow of the law

In the upstairs of one dubious downtown "spa" is a well-lit, clean, and inviting waiting room. On the wall hangs what appears to be a license. But the services offered include more than the advertised $40 "shiatsu" or "Swedish" massage.

As part of a Centretown News investigation, Ottawa resident Graham Gaw visited the spa to inquire about the extent of services offered by the business.

He asked the staff, "If I wanted to have sex with you, how much money would I need?"

A worker replied that the cost to have sex with her would be $140, plus another $40 "for the boss."

A website specializing in erotic massage parlour reviews gave the business four stars and describes a multitude of sexual acts allegedly available at the same location. Fellatio and "full service" (coitus) are both on the menu, according to the website.

While at this same "spa," staff told Gaw what was in store for him if he was to return with the money.

"I will do a really good jobs (sic) for you. Kiss your whole body there. Kiss your whole…everything," she said. Gaw later says she physically gestured with the palm of her hand to his groin.

"She meant she'd give me a blowjob, like a happy ending," Gaw bluntly explained.

This is not the only Centretown massage parlour operating in a similar manner.

An advertised massage, flashing in a neon glow, can be seen through a window located upstairs on a busy street downtown at 2 a.m.

A quick ring of the doorbell produced a conversation involving references to large tips for two potential workers and a smaller "boss" or "house" fee in exchange for services.

At this location, a license issued by the City of Ottawa hangs on the wall. Documents from the city confirm the license.

Reviews of sexual services at this same location, under a different name, are also available online.

Downtown massage parlours are commonplace and have been the subject of scrutiny before in local media.

The City of Ottawa has a licensing system for body-rub parlours, which should not be confused with therapeutic/medical massages that don't require a licence. According to Chapman, bylaw inspects the premises on a "request-for-service basis."

The office of Somerset Ward Coun. Catherine McKenney declined to be interviewed about massage parlours in her ward.

An entrepreneur can apply for a license for $661 annually.

Advertising anything more than a body-rub, states the bylaw, on "any portion of the human body" is also prohibited.

But as strategic initiatives project officer Christine Hartwig notes: a "'body-rub' can include "kneading, manipulating, rubbing, massaging, touching, or stimulating by any means."

Bylaws aside, illegal activities falling under the jurisdiction of the Criminal Code continue in the city.

Paul Lewandowski is a criminal defence lawyer in Ottawa. He said massage parlour owners are in a grey area of the law if they allow sexual services to take place by workers.

Massage parlours that offer sex, such as what Gaw experienced, sound like a "common bawdy-house," a term from 1938 that describes a location where prostitution and indecency occurs. But, says Lewandowski, changes to prostitution law in December 2014 have redefined the law.

"If they're operating what used to be considered a bawdy-house, "rub and tug" type of thing, the person running it could be liable under 286.2 (Criminal Code)."

He also said any prospective johns are in for trouble as well, under section 286.1.

"If you're in there purchasing, you've got a problem, and you're facing a (mandatory) minimum," says Lewandowski.

Sgt. Jeff LeBlanc of the Ottawa Police Services central division, agrees. "If there are any sexual services on the premises, it is not lawful."

But LeBlanc said the new anti-prostitution Bill C-36 has created a complex situation for police. Terms such as "sexual services for consideration," and even the term "sexual" has changed the manner in which police enforce the law, says LeBlanc. The terms, according to police, lawyers and analysts, are left intentionally ambiguous for courts to decide on a case-by-case basis.

LeBlanc also indicates Ottawa police have a number of ongoing investigations of commercial operations involving the sale of sexual activities.

"We have to come up with an enforcement strategy. We're also working with our enforcement and regulation partners to come up with a standardized approach," said LeBlanc.

Previously Const. Marc Soucy of the Ottawa Police Services media department said police and bylaw officials are meeting to discuss licensing and legislation following Centretown News' inquiry in to massage parlours.