The City of Houston ordered a Canadian company called KinkySDollS to stop the construction of a so-called robot brothel for not having the appropriate permit.
The city, which told the Chronicle this week that they are reviewing ordinances to restrict this kind of enterprise, sent building inspectors to issue a “red tag” to stop work after they noticed they didn’t have the required permits.
To continue construction, the KinkySDollS company will have to first “apply for a demolition permit and submit plans,” said a spokesperson from the mayor’s office.
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They began to build the business in what was previously a hair salon on Richmond, close to Chimney Rock in the Galleria area. Space is located on the second floor of a building and has around 2,500 square feet, according to the salon owner who used to rent that spot.
The concept of the KinkySDollS adult business is similar to a showroom where human-like dolls are erotically displayed and can be rented to be used in private rooms at the location by the hour or half hour. The dolls are made of synthetic skin materials with highly articulated skeletons.
See here for the background. We now have the details about what an effort to ban these places might look like.
Mayor Sylvester Turner will ask the City Council this week to change Houston’s rules on sexually oriented businesses, a change that could prevent a proposed “robot brothel” from opening near the Galleria.
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Traditional sexually oriented businesses like strip clubs long have been prevented from operating within 1,500 feet of churches, schools, day cares, parks and residential neighborhoods — and city-owned Anderson Park is just a few hundred feet from KinkySdollS’ proposed storefront.
The portion of the ordinance Turner wants to revise addresses “adult arcades,” where customers view adult content using an “arcade device.”
The council would amend the definition of an “arcade device” to include not just machines displaying video but also “anthropomorphic devices or objects,” and would prohibit “entertainment with one or more persons using an arcade device on the premises.”
In short, the business could sell the dolls at its proposed location – such models reportedly sell for about $4,000 — but repeated-use rentals would be banned.
I suspect I’ll get my wish to see some litigation come out of this. Beyond that, I don’t really have anything substantive to say, but boy is it going to be hard to resist the temptation to blog about these stories. A style point question: Does it make more sense to say “robot sex brothel”, or “sex robot brothel”? I can make a case for either one, but I feel like we should strive to define a standard, so future generations won’t be confused. Please indicate your preference in the comments.
Since you asked, Kuffner, the correct form of adjectives identifying a noun is as follows: opinion-size-age-shape-color-origin-material-purpose Noun (from “The Elements of Eloquence”). Since you have material (robot) and purpose (sex) and the noun (brothel), the correct form is “robot sex brothel.”
Hopefully the city of Houston officials have better things to do than to worry about robots and inflatable dolls. The press on this yet to be built “robot sex brothel” is a bit overwhelming.
Are there non-sex brothels?
Maria, I think your answer is excellent and I did not know there were rules.
I think it should be sex robot brothel, or sex-robot brothel. It’s not a robot brothel, where robots go to pay for sex. It’s not a sex brothel, which is redundant. Sex modifies robot. It’s a sex robot. At a brothel. A sex robot brothel.
Although I can also see robot modifying sex.
“What are you doing with the roomba?”
“I am having robot sex.”
“Man, I wish the robot sex brothel would open.”
@Maria: I must disagree, though, because the robot is not the material. The brothel is not constructed from robots, but, rather, it provides sex with robots. Therefore, the robots are sex robots, and thus sex robot brothel.
I find the Mayor’s rabid opposition to this absurd. Whereas I complain all the time, about the streets, the construction, the sidewalks closed without permits, making the city unsafe for pedestrians, but never get a response. I also question why violent crime and violent traffic accidents increase daily, but the police are very concerned about “night of johns” and publishing photos of those arrested (but not convicted) for solicitation–destroying marriages, causing people problems at work, etc. Obviously, the awful chief of police is gearing up to run for some office or other. What did it take to get them to attack the robot brothel, but other important concerns are ignored?
City Council needs to stand up and, if the mayor wants to change the laws, the council needs to grandfather this business. They have already invested in the business, so it’s wrong to pull the rug out from under them. The City Council needs to impeach Mayor Turner for his segregation which is illegal in the city. My city councilman, Mrs. Cohen, has never answered my messages about this. I don’t like segregation.
Meanwhile, the robot brothel in Toronto is doing fine. Their busiest times are early in the morning, and lunch hour–most guys stop in on their way to work or during lunch, so that their wives won’t find out.
Is it adultery to have sex with a Robot? Just asking?
Paul, only if you buy it flowers.
And I think people are starting to just say robot brothel, no sex.
When did it become anyone’s business what I stick my d*** into if I’m a consenting adult and so is my partner ? And what is this world becoming, when you can’t even f*** a robot ?
@C.L.:
Feels good to let your inner libertarian out, doesn’t it? LOL
It’s interested how presumably socially liberal Democratic Houston mayor and city council so quickly vote to stifle a business that wants to serve consenting adults.
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