Megan'sTouch

fortunateone - The massage owner, just like strip club owners, declare the women who work there to be independent contractors. Independent contractors basically have no rights and they do not have to be guaranteed a minimum wage. They are treated as being self-employed. However, the status of employee or independent contractor is not determined by what the owner/manager says, or even by what is signed in the contract. It is determined by the nature of the employment. In other words, even if a massage provider or erotic dancer at a strip club signed a contract that she is an "independent contractor," she could take her spa/club to court and argue that the nature of their relationship was actually employee/employer and she could sue for back wages. For obvious reasons, many are reluctant to do this. One of my friends was an erotic dancer for about 10 years and she now practices labour law, so I've had a lot of interesting conversations with her about the legal nature of sex work as work.

Thank you for your apology. While the same word is used, the "tips" waitresses receive are nothing like massage. The tips that waitresses receive are above and beyond their regular pay and they are supposed to reflect a job well done. The "tips" that massage providers get are the bare payment for their services. So really, we shouldn't be using the word tip. WHOA. I vehemently disagree. Just because we "choose" a job doesn't mean we have to accept to be treated poorly. This is the same justification used by people who say "Street sex workers know the risk they are taking so they need to accept that violence is a part of the work." I don't care if I "chose" my job, I still deserve to have the same rights and respect as everybody else. I won't "accept" to be treated badly and I will stand up for myself! I hired a lawyer and went up against my strip club and a Canadian association that deals with strip clubs. They were exploitive to me and other workers. Sure you may say, "You knew this when you took the job so accept it" but I didn't. I fought it, made my point, and improved one aspect of working conditions for MANY other dancers in Ottawa and in Ontario. Sure I could have "quit" as you seem to suggest or not "chosen" the job because of the crappy working conditions, but I didn't and I'm happy I didn't. I won't post the details here because if a strip club were to read this, they wouldn't hire me. I would like to keep the option to dance open. If anyone would like to ask me about this experience, I would be happy to share it with you in person at a social or during a session. You also say "There is nothing keeping you there" which shows a gross lack of understanding of many women in the sex industry. A large number of us are mothers, students, etc. and many don't see other work as a viable option. Imagine being a single mother with a couple children to feed and then try telling her "There is nothing keeping you here." There are also many other factors keeping women in the sex industry. One big one is stigma which I touched on in my first post to you. What if you are you "outed" as a sex worker? What if you have a criminal charge? Good luck finding another job! Also if you have a huge resume gap, that could seriously impact your ability to find a job. When you've been out of the conventional work force for awhile, it's difficult to get back in.

I'm of the opinion that if these people are being as disruptive as the news article portrays them, then the condominium corporation should warn them to stop, and if they don't, have them evicted. From my conversation with my lawyer, it wouldn't be that difficult to do. I don't understand why people are using cases like these to show why prostitution should still be criminalized. I think that bawdy houses and massage parlours that are disruptive to residents should be treated the same way as any other disruption. Should college students who have large & loud music drinking parties be subjected to bawdy house or similar charges? Does it really matter if disruptive drunken guests are there to party or there to see a worker? Why do people think that prostitution needs "special" laws? All "problems" of prostitution (disruptiveness, abuse, trafficking, underage, drugs, etc.) can be addressed with existing laws.

Exactly. People are much more likely to review "the new girl" because it's unclear whether or not she provides good service. When we've been around for awhile and have good reviews, the guys tend to be less likely to write a recommendation because they figure it's pointless. I've heard many times from clients "Thanks for the great time, Megan. I'd write you a review, but you have so many already I'm sure you don't need another one." While I understand this perspective, I think it's still nice to write a review for a lady so her thread is kept up to date and guys don't start wondering "has her service gone downhill?"

Here is what my lawyer tells me based on OTTAWA, I also included my own research. Eviction - Relatively easy. Even if bawdy houses are decriminalized it would be fairly easy for a landlord to argue that a massage business or prostitution interferes with tenants' reasonable enjoyment. Bylaw - Relatively easy to give a fine that would likely be $500-2000. They would need some evidence to do this. Criminal Bawdy House Charges - EXTREMELY unlikely in Ottawa. This could take months or years. They would need A LOT of hard evidence and a lot of money to put into an investigation. It is highly unlikely this would happen, and if it did, the charges would likely not stick. I cannot find a single case in Ottawa of a low-volume independent lady being charged with bawdy house for hand job. There are a ton of cases that set precedents that hand jobs are not considered prostitution or an "act of indecency". On another note, what the fuck are these people doing? Haven't they ever heard of discretion?!? Doing it on the balcony? Drunks guys wandering in at all hours of the night? Is this stuff made up? Not just to protect yourself, but out of respect for other residents in your building, and out of respect for your clients' privacy, it is essential to operate your business in an extremely discreet manner. This means being low-volume, not having clients late at night, keeping voices down while the door is open or while you're in hallway of your unit, telling clients not to knock, etc. Anyone who's booked an appointment with me and received my confirmation email knows what I'm talking about.

These are my own experiences, and the experiences communicated to me: Most clients do not tip and it's not expected. The ones who do tip usually tip $20, though $10-40 is not uncommon. No one will look upon you badly if you pay the full fee without tipping.

Maverick - I found it offensive that you compared massage to a minimum wage job. They are absolutely not comparable! Massage is much riskier than minimum wage jobs, and there are a couple other points to consider: -We also don't get any of the protections offered to minimum wage workers under the Employment Standards in Ontario. -We also take financial risks, as most massage providers invest in their business for supplies (even if they work for a studio) and income is not guaranteed. -There is no pay if we find ourselves sick or disabled and unable to work. -We take the risk that our friends, family, and community will find out what we do, and future employment could be at risk if it's discovered we work in the sex industry. -We take legal risks. We all know about the massage parlour bust in Gatineau and that the city gives out fines to anyone operating a massage parlour without a license, including to independents! -Massage providers work harder than most minimum wage jobs. I've done several jobs, and massage is hard work! The minimum wage jobs I did when I was young were easy, but I put MY ALL into my massages. -There is also "downtime" to consider. We wash towels, clean, solicit business or deal with our managers, makeup, hair, respond to phone calls and emails, etc. We don't get paid for this time. Also, at a parlour, a woman may show up for an 8-hour shift and only see one client that whole time. Even if she makes $160 for that hour, it still only works out to $20 for the time she was there. Minimum wage workers are paid for every hour they are at work and that is required by law, even if there is downtime where there is no work. The high pay of massage providers is well-deserved. Also to add, I don't like how people can sometimes assume that the only other option to work for sex workers is minimum wage. I have a university degree and I have a unique skill that I teach. I work at one of the universities as a research assistant, and I also teach. I make $30-40/hour depending on the task. Many sex workers have the education and skills necessary to have work outside of the sex industry that is considerably above minimum wage.

Generally speaking, if the price is "all inclusive" then tipping is not expected. However, as with all services, if you receive outstanding service, a tip is a nice way to show your appreciation.

Kids being approached for sex? I doubt it, but maybe I'm just not "in the know." This kind of thing always pisses me off because it suggests that sex workers and people who pay for sexual services are somehow dangerous to children. Most of my clients are fathers, and many sex workers are mothers!

Yes, in many places that's exactly what it means. Posted via Mobile Device

I'm first come - first served (after you've been approved as a new client, of course). I might have 3 repeat clients email me "Are you available today, Megan?" and I will reply "Yes, I have one opening at 2:30pm" to all 3. The first person to write back confirming they want the time, gets it. I don't "hold" spots for anyone, and I don't think that is a fair thing to ask of me. An inquiry is not the same as a booked appointment!

Yikes! Thank you for the heads up!

I'm considering dancing during my stay in Kingston. Does anybody have anything to say about Shaker's Lounge?

To the best of my knowledge: Yes, you can expect a happy ending at those places, but you should expect to tip for anything beyond the basic massage. Generally speaking the "door fee" which runs roughly $60/hour usually goes to the house, and the lady giving you the massage earns her money in tips. If you want her fully nude with body slides and a release, you can expect to tip about $100-120. Again this is just rough idea of massage parlours in Ottawa in general to give you an idea of what to expect, but for specifics, you need to check with the particular parlour.

I agree. If you are even slightly sick, please cancel. I won't be upset! I would much rather lose 1 clients than be off work for 10 days. I also cancel even if it's "just a cold" because I don't think it's fair to expose people to my sickness. People might be a little bummed out, losing the appointment, but not as bummed out as they would be if I made them sick!

If you want to see an RMT and you're afraid of how your little head would react, you could try masturbating once or twice before the appointment. Posted via Mobile Device

I once asked a client: "So what do you think about when you masturbate?" LOL!

yogibear is spot on. Sure they can get your IP address, and from that your city, internet provider. But to get any personal information (name, address) they would need the cooperation of your ISP and there is no way someone could call up Rogers (or whatever) and say: "Hey, I'm really pissed off at this stupid whore from ISP 123.456.789, so can you please give me her real name and address?" There would be HUGE liability for that. So yeah they might email you and threaten "I know you live in Ottawa and you use Rogers as an ISP" but that's as far and it'll go. I seriously doubt this individual would bother reporting you, and if they did, I can't imagine the authorities taking it seriously. On another note, while it's extremely scary to be reported as a sex worker to CAS, there is nothing they can do. It's not illegal to be a sex worker, it's a moral judgment. They can't take away your kids for being an escort anymore than they can take away your kids "Because you don't go to church every Sunday like a good person." For CAS to intervene, there needs to be REAL child endangerment or abuse, and one person imposing their morals on you doesn't count.

I think you're right to be concerned, but I don't think you have to go as far as not allowing recommendations on CERB. I recall an SP telling me that a client wrote a wonderful review of her and even added: "And I got to meet her dog named ****". She was very concerned that the unusual name of her dog would be recognized by her family and friends who don't know that she works. It was removed from the site. So yes, personal details could be shared by well-intentioned clients, but just monitor them carefully and ask mod to remove any personal details that may appear. Also, when a client asks to write a review, you could tell him: "Sure, I love getting reviews on CERB. Would it be possible for me to review it before posting it.." You could also instruct them as to what you like in reviews and what you don't like. If you don't like explicit details, tell them! It will be well-received by any gentleman. Hope this helps.

I ask only to be reviewed on CERB. I do not allow reviews on the other -ERB board, even though I have only received good reviews. Good reviews solicit business, and CERB is one of the only sites where I'm comfortable soliciting business. That being said, why not allow review but ask them to send it to you before posting, or keep a close eye on your reviews, and email mod if there is too much detail posted. I'm 100% positive the mod would remove any information that could threaten your anonymity.

Please tell me that by LE you don't mean Law Enforcement? LOL!

This was me. I've found that "1 month on - 1 month off" was about all I could handle. I think it was because for the longest time, I was the only massage provider advertising on EC in all of Ottawa. Now that there are more massage providers advertising, it might be worth keeping my ad going all through. I would rather have 5 new clients from EC per month than have 10 new clients one month, and none the next.

I've been in a couple long-term-paid relationships. This is not something I discuss with someone unless I've met them several times. It's imperative that we have the right chemistry, and that can only be discovered through meeting and getting to know each other. There are also a lot of "time wasters" out there who will email/call and try and get their ego stroked by presenting themselves as a wealthy "big shot." I just don't have time for this. If you're serious, make a few appointments with different ladies, repeat with the ones you like, and when you're both comfortable with each other, suggest an arrangement.

As many of you know, I like gentlemen to fill out my prescreening questionnaire fully so we can get to know each other a bit before meeting, and so I can make sure the experience he is looking for is what I offer. I've noticed that when I fire off the questions quickly after their initial email, they also respond quickly, and without much detail. When I am away from my computer and take awhile to get back to them, they also take awhile to get back to me, and respond with more detail. I'm almost thinking of delaying my response to achieve the end I would like, but that seems kind of silly!

She advertises on here regularly. Just look in the advertisement section or do a search.