Montreal Gazette: September 19

[LizzyP]

There's going to be a special feature article in this Sunday's Gazette uncovering the "Seedy Side of Massage".

 

[yap955]

Noooooooo....errr I mean, interesting

 

[justagirl]

I hope you post a link to it so us out of towners can read all about it. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[myopic]

A good ten years ago, if not more, there was the same type of report in Le Journal de Montreal, about places on the North Shore (Laval, Bois des Filions, Terrebonne...) and one place in particular, where the owner boasted that buisiness was excellent. The next day, the places was raided with Allo Police and some TV network coverage with guys with broken bonners and towels over their heads walking out. Not pretty. Depending on who, what and where they pick, I will draw attention and eventual raids. Montreal has been too quite on that front for two long!!

Alfie

 

[Ghapy]

if i get raided in the middle of the session, i would lose my bone too

 

[just being honest]

Article quite boring after all!
They just filled in the paper!

 

[kadir]

I agree Lawless.
The article said nothing of any interest.You could tell very little research was put into it.
Probably done on the phone with one MP.
If that!

SD

 

[jade scarlette :)]

i guess it's better this way
exactly as stated by Lawless and Steely, the article was very general and seemed to concentrate on the use of fraudulent insurance claims for reimbursement of the services....
i wonder who "Maria" is???
they only made reference to "clinics" in central montreal......

http://www.canada.com/montreal/mont....html?id=1a0744d0-f48c-4aad-8f45-294d73a5b023


check out the link above....

 

[Designer~Wife]

here is part one of the Gazette article published today sunday 188 sept 2004:
Massages are increasingly popular as a way to deal with the pressures of modern life.

Doctors recommend them for tired muscles and sports injuries, couples give each other gift certificates for them, and some companies offer massages to stressed employees as a lunchtime relaxation.

But many of Montreal's massage services have a seedier side. They are prepared to offer sexual services to clients, and some even give a receipt so that men who take sexual services at the so-called "rub and tug" parlours can claim part of the cost on their employer's group health insurance plan.

That's making the insurance companies - and legitimate massage practitioners - unhappy.

Montreal's illicit massage parlours stay in business by using clever, sneaky ways to skirt the laws on solicitation and operating a bawdy house.

"At some clinics, if the customer gives the management $40 for an hour massage, the girl gets half. At other clinics, the girl doesn't get anything, and has to make her money through extras," said a woman, Maria, who has worked in three different clinics, all in the central part of Montreal.

The basic set-up was the same for all three, with some differences, namely how the masseuses were treated. Maria - not her real name - said two of the parlours offered insurance receipts to their customers.

When a clinic gives out insurance receipts, the amount that goes on the receipt is for the "therapeutic" part of the massage, paid up-front by the customer.

The customer can then claim the cost of what Maria calls an "entrance fee" on his employer-provided group health insurance. That's the clinic's take.

Quebec Blue Cross, which insures over 900,000 people in Quebec and Ontario, takes a dim view of this practice.

But assistant director of marketing Dominique Duchesne admits it can be difficult to catch clinics that are committing this type of fraud.

"We request a doctor's prescription for massotherapy - that's the only specialist (for whom) we request a prescription from the doctor. And we must have a receipt with the licence number of the therapist. So normally a massage therapist recognized by their order should have a licence number," Duchesne said.

But, according to Maria, clinics often use fake certification, or use certification from actual registered masseuses who had worked there in the past.

She said that, at all three parlours she worked at, she'd never encountered a registered massotherapist.

"There aren't too many ways for us to investigate other than audits," said Duchesne.

If, for example, a masseuse uses a illegitimate licence number on a receipt, and there is a doctor's prescription, unless the insurance company does an audit, it will never know, Duchesne said.

- - -

Whatever price the customer negotiates with the masseuse is in addition to the fee he pays the parlour itself for 30 minutes or an hour with the masseuse, usually in the neighbourhood of $35 to $60.

If they didn't masturbate a customer, Maria said, most masseuses would be out of a job, and most parlours would have their doors shuttered for lack of business. But she's quick to point out that this isn't the case at all clinics.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Here is part 2 of the article, taken off the Gazette web site:

...Continued

This confusion between entertainment and therapy creates a significant problem for legitimate massotherapists and proprietors of legitimate massotherapy clinics, like Marie-Josee Poisson, who operates a clinic in St. Basile-Le-Grand.

She is president of Alliance des Massotherapeutes du Quebec, a trade group that represents more than 100 massotherapists.

"Sometimes people will call and ask if we do extras even though my advertising is very obviously professional," Poisson said.

The Alliance was founded in 1999 by Poisson's late brother, who pushed local newspapers to separate their classified ads for massage service into two sections - massotherapy, for legitimate therapeutic massage, and massage, for rub and tugs.

Poisson's biggest problem is that there is no law or government accreditation scheme for massotherapy in Quebec, so theoretically anyone can hang up their shingle as a masseuse.

But Poisson's members, many of whom were also her students, have a minimum of 600 hours of training and adhere to a rigorous code of ethics. But she admits there is no way to enforce her policies other than dismissing a violator from the Alliance - something that has never happened.

"They have to pass three written exams and a practice exam. We don't just take anybody. They have to pass an exam on our code of ethics. If they would do anything sexual and we can prove it we wouldn't keep them as members," Poisson said.

She also make a habit of dropping in unannounced at her members' clinics to make sure everything is on the level.

- - -

According to the sex workers' advocacy group Stella, there are an estimated 5,000 sex workers in Montreal. Only a small portion work in massage clinics, but it's still a significant number.

Stella's executive director, Claire Thiboutot, said it's fairly easy to tell if a clinic is legitimate.

"Where they advertise and how they look are ways to tell. When you go into a place and it smells like incense, and there are Chakra tables on the walls, you better not ask for an extra," she said.

According to Poisson, the clinic's booking procedure is a dead giveaway - if they only ask for a first name, it's unlikely to be a legitimate clinic.

Even at clinics that pay their masseuses part of the entrance fee, it's still not enough money to survive. Without extras, Maria said, the woman won't make any money, especially on a slow day when there are few customers.

Mild stuff........says Palladin

 

[Ashille]

Well this is a breif overview but nothing close to what i have seen in the last 10 years in montreal ,

thank good

i just hate to negociate !

Robert Gilette

 

[Dadeo]

LOL, I laughed at the use of "rub & tug" in the article

 

[Pompal 09.]

We should have Rael followers be interviewed!
Might be much more interresting than what we read in The Gazette this morning
Do they offer massage...with full service!
It would reconcile me with the massage world!
Would book tonight!

 

[USA F]

What might happen, is that clinics that advertise for insurance receipts, might be investigated (by who?). As for the fact that most "seedy clinics" only ask for a first name, I have never been asked my full name by straight clinics. The only time I was asked my full name was in Hull, as I was told it is required by law (ein?). I gave a phony name, and I got a nice therapeutic BBJ in this place...

It's intresting to see if anything will happen?? Might guess is to stay out of some of the high profile parlours that seem busy...

My two cents

Alfie

 

[CARNAGE *Anti-YOU]

Alfie ,

I like those therapeutic BBJ . Where was this in Hull ?

They are hard to find

RG

 

[J3SS]

I go for a "massage" about twice a month. The girl is PRIVATE out of her home and only sees 3 clients a day, 3 days a week. Basically anything is available for a price and because she is a trained massothapist, the massage is also great. She has a client base and WILL NOT under any circumstances take any new clients. She is aware of the risks of taking a client who may turn out to be a vice cop and won't take that risk. So, there are them that are smart and them that are dumb. I will not take a chance at being caught in a raid, I would lose my job in a flash.

 

[v.acid]

My view is, as usual, the Gazette did very little research,its just a page filler.The Gazette is slowly going out of buisness and will try anything.The majority of readers are unilingual english and over 55 yrs old.I am sure they could care less about the massage buisness.I am english and I read the gazette once a week,mostly I read the Journal de Montreal to really know whats happening in Montreal.Any other views out there ?

 

[Yeehawfreesex]

hd

With due respect, are there "news" in the JdM?
Are you getting an edition we don't enjoy downtown?

 

[rachel(:]

i was thinking the same thing, Lawless...

 

[No.]

Sure,the news is, they( j de m) have more escort and massage ads,thats enough for me.