Regardless of whether her bid to open an adult therapeutic bodywork business in Peterborough is successful or not, no one can accuse Brittany Leigh of not doing her homework.
Since November 2019, the Pickering resident has meticulously taken all the required steps, identifying a property to locate at while meeting with City of Peterborough councillors, planning department staff, public health officials, and city police.
As for her business plan, The Kingsway Spa public consultation website at www.sigma12.com lays out Leigh’s case clearly and completely.
On Tuesday, April 6th, the city’s general committee will hold a virtual public meeting on Leigh’s application to have an amendment made to the current Enhanced Service Industrial District Zoning designation for the property at 697 The Kingsway to allow for its use as a licensed ‘adult entertainment parlour’.
A city planning staff report and recommendation concerning her application will be issued prior to the public meeting for city councillors’ consideration.
Not lost on Leigh is the connection people may make between her proposed business’ core service — “to provide clients with therapeutic body rub massages and conversational support” — and unlicensed or illegal massage parlours.
In the interest of full disclosure, Leigh says a client’s session with a Kingsway Spa attendant may involve “partial nudity” but stresses “there’s absolutely no sexual activity permitted.”
“It (the business type) is classified as adult because there’s partial nudity but it’s not in the same respect as a strip club,” clarifies Leigh, adding “Our hours will be limited. We’re not open late into the night. It’s not a place where people will congregate and drink.”
Planning to invest close to $200,000 into the building’s renovations and exterior property landscaping, Leigh notes her business, besides paying property taxes, will also provide 35 to 40 jobs.
“It’s not just attendant jobs. There are reception jobs. There are cleaners and a bookkeeper, and we have to hire security. ”
Since 2008, Leigh has been involved in the adult therapeutic bodywork industry, as both a licensed attendant and a manager. As such, she says she’s seen firsthand the benefits of the service The Kingsway Spa will offer both male and female clients, as well as couples, aged 18 and up.
“There are a lot of people that go through life without a partner or don’t have a lot of friends,” says Leigh. “They just want someone to talk to. That’s really what it is. It’s about human interaction and feeling welcome somewhere. People can spin it however they want, but that’s what it is.”
The pandemic, adds Leigh, has only increased people’s need for human contact.
“People aren’t seeing anyone. They’re hardly leaving the house. They’re definitely not touching anybody. I find it weird no one’s even shaking hands. People are really suffering and missing that. People need that for their mental health. Just being able to talk to somebody is therapeutic.”
The Kingsway Spa, stresses Leigh, will be inspected regularly as per public health requirements.
Should the rezoning designation be approved by city council, her plan is to start renovations in short order to enable her to open late this summer. That said, any COVID restrictions in place at that time could delay that timeline.
Councillor Lesley Parnell, who along with Councillor Kim Zippel represents Otonabee Ward where The Kingsway Spa will locate, notes the business will be “all above board,” adding she is “quite impressed” with Leigh’s approach and professionalism.
“She’s a smart businesswoman and she’s very familiar with the industry,” Coun. Parnell says. “She’s gone about it the right way. She stated at the open house (held virtually February 10) that she could hire 18 year olds but she won’t be. All of her employees are going to be at least 25 years old.”
“She talked about benefits for them (employees). She talked about the safety of both the people who work there and the clients. She’s very strict about absolutely no alcohol and will close before the bars do. She’s thought about all of this. She’s done her homework.”
Whatever city planning staff recommend regarding the zoning change request, and however council ultimately votes on Leigh’s application, there is one guiding principle at the heart of matters, says Coun. Parnell.
“We (council) cannot consider planning applications based on moral considerations — we have to make any decision based on planning criteria,” she explains.
“If we go outside that, we can be taken to LPAT (Local Planning Appeal Tribunal) and odds are we would lose. I don’t know what staff will recommend, but I think it’s meeting the criteria. It’s a rezoning. It doesn’t need an official plan amendment. We have schedule K in the official plan for a reason. This (business use) can only go in that industrial area away from schools and residential homes.”
Coun. Parnell says she has heard from just one person with concerns about the proposed business.
“I had a phone call from a registered massage therapist. I completely respect and understand her point of view. The clientele that goes to The Kingsway Spa isn’t the same clientele that will go to a registered massage therapist — it’s taken them a long time to gain respect as health care professionals.”
With April 6th circled on her calendar, Leigh has her house up for sale and is planning a move to the Peterborough area to coincide with the opening of her business.
“I want to live in the city where my business is — that’s very important to me,” she says, adding “I’m going to operate my business responsibly because it’s here in what will be my city.”
“I don’t want to get excited and then everything falls apart, but I’ve been told I’ve done very well so far and it looks like it’s going to happen.”
Additional information and materials relating to the proposed zoning bylaw amendment may be obtained by contacting city land use planner Caroline Kimble at 705-742-7777, ext. 1735.
For more information on how to watch or participate in the April 6th public meeting, contact the city clerk’s department at 705-742-7777, ext. 1820, or register online on the city website by 11 a.m. on the day of the meeting. Unregistered delegations will not be entertained. Visit peterborough.ca for more information on the public meeting.
The headline of this story has been modified to remove the phrase “therapeutic massage” which is a pending trademark of the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario.
