When an article surfaced last month about the debut of Aura Dolls, a so-called Sex Doll ‘Brothel’ planning to open for business in North Toronto, more than one of us here at PinkCherry got emailed or texted a link to that very same article. Occupational hazard. Sex or toy related thing in the news? We know about it, guaranteed!
The timing was perfect actually, since we’d just heard that Mia is en route. Mia is one of the sex dolls we are carrying (and selling like crazy). Mia is a luscious brunette. Another doll by Pipedream, the maker of these ultra real faux ladies, is slender brunette Carmen. So, you can see why lifelike sex and companion dolls would be on our minds already.
Aura Dolls is billed as a “brothel”- the quotations are theirs, as per the company’s website - inviting customers to come spend time with one or more of six hyper-realistic (not inflatable!) adult dolls. The site proclaims that Aura will “bring you an exciting new way to achieve your needs without the many restrictions and limitations that a real partner may come with.”
The site goes on to introduce Anna, Erika, Harper, Jazmine, Scarlett and Yuki, the six dolls available for rent. Customers can book one-on-one time with their doll of choice, or plan a threesome starting from the half-hour mark. Extended sessions are also offered, as well as bookings for couples. The site states: “Our dolls can be used for safe vaginal, anal, oral and breast sex. Each hole features different yet unique textures, ridges and tightness to give you intense sensations that are impossible to achieve even through real penetration.” While we’re not big fans of the description of orifices as ‘holes,’ or of the suggestion that the sensation is better than real penetration (we assume they mean with a partner), that seems like a fair representation of sex dolls otherwise.
Aura’s website displays the six dolls in a familiar dating site format, minus the swipe left/right function. Click-able profiles open up detailed descriptions of the dolls ages, measurements, and personalities. Erika, for instance is French Canadian (elle est une belle brunette!), 23, with natural breasts and a body type described as ‘Volumptuous.’ Pretty sure they meant ‘voluptuous’ there, but hey, typos happen!
We noticed that each ‘profile’ reads pretty much the same once opened, apart from ethnicity (varied, but generally light skinned), age (all under 25), and body measurements (all slim, all busty). Not much thought was put into creating distinct personalities, which is kind of a shame, since the physical details were obviously painstakingly crafted.
Now, when you hear the words ‘sex doll’ or ‘love doll’, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the classic inflatable or blow up doll we’ve all seen and/or tossed around at a stag and doe or bachelor party. It’s the one adult product that almost everyone knows. Vaguely female in shape, big pointy vinyl lumps for breasts, sometimes with a photo printed face, sometimes not, often with plastic wig-like hair but again, sometimes not. Always with gaping mouth, vagina and butthole. Kitty, Mia and the realistic dolls waiting at the “brothel” are NOT those types of dolls - and we’d certainly hope so, at a minimum of $90 per hour of their company.
We’re familiar with the real sex doll or fantasy doll concept already thanks to Mia and Kitty, but here’s a quick run-down for those who aren’t. The dolls are made from a combination of TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) and silicone. These materials, sometimes also known as Cyberskin, feel very real, they even warm up when they come into contact with body heat/friction. Pipedream’s Kitty and Mia, as well as the dolls that may be servicing a “brothel”, can be positioned any which way courtesy of an internal skeletal system. Eyes are incredibly detailed (though a little glassy!), same goes for fingers, toes, facial features and genitals.
As for the type of customer who might visit Aura Dolls or places like it, we can only guess. Luckily, we have an expert on call. Sunny Rogers, Sexual Health & Wellness Educator and Brand Manager for Pipedream Products gave us her take. "Surprisingly, customers who are attracted to sex doll rental services aren't always who you would imagine them to be. Some customers want a sexual companion to fight loneliness, many because of the loss of a partner. Often couples are looking for a safe way to try a threesome without the possibility of sexually transmitted diseases and emotional attachments. Other customers wish to try something sexually adventurous and sex doll rental services offer the perfect situation."
Around our office and among our very open-minded crew, the general opinion is that, while the concept of renting sex dolls might sound a little foreign at first, it’s really just another way for people to experience and enjoy the evolution of sex dolls. To be honest, the only possible concern any of us has is related to cleanliness, but we’ll get to that later. As it turns out though, our ‘live and let love doll’ opinion isn’t particularly popular, specifically with residents of Willowdale. That North Toronto neighbourhood (and proposed Aura Dolls location) found itself suddenly in the news spotlight as articles, blogs and think-pieces popped up either applauding or decrying the concept of doll rental services.
At about the same time, Willowdale locals caught wind of the “brothel” opening, contacted Toronto Councilor John Filion of Ward 23, and Aura’s lease was promptly cancelled. Filion stated that while the realistic adult dolls themselves are not illegal, the proposed use of them is. In terms of zoning and licensing, the proposed brothel counts as an adult entertainment parlour. The hoped-for location happens to be very near to some elementary schools and family friendly businesses. In an interview with the CBC, Filion said that, “people shouldn’t really need to be out on a walk with their families and try to explain to their kids why someone is having sex with a (silicone) doll.” Ah, the good old ‘won’t somebody please think of the children!’ argument. It seems to be a valid one though, as a parent in our office said the same thing. And yes, that would probably be a pretty awkward conversation.
Interestingly, someone else chimed in with a similar take: owner of…drum roll…the other (fully operational!) sex doll rental service in Toronto. In an interview with the Toronto Sun, owner of Kinky S Dolls said; “It is immoral to put something like that in a family-oriented neighborhood.” Interesting choice of words - “something like that.” Kinky S Dolls would seem to be exactly “something like that”, although its owner has stated that he is very much against the idea that his business is a brothel. Kinky S Dolls claims to operate as a ‘test drive’ service for potential doll buyers. Whether that’s true or not, and we’ve come across conflicting accounts, Kinky S seems to be operating quietly and discreetly. Aura Dolls, on the other hand, may have gone a little overboard with marketing. Pictures of flyers stapled to poles on the street circulated, part of a probably a too-enthusiastic effort to get noticed and create a buzz ahead of the official opening. To credit them, it did attract a lot of attention, but the end result was probably not what they had in mind!
Going back to that ‘but the children!’ defense - we spoke with some friends about Aura just last night. Half in the group sitting around a backyard bonfire were parents, half were not. We asked them how they’d feel if a sex doll brothel was to open in their neighborhood. After some expected “Wait, what??!” comments, the parents came to the conclusion that the concept is fine by them, but that they wouldn’t want to have to explain a physical brick-and-mortar doll brothel’s existence to their kids. Fair enough, our co-worker above and Willowdale residents could have a point. A member of the non-parent half said something that’s been on the tip of our tongues/fingers as we’ve been writing this piece. She said, again, that the concept of sex dolls doesn’t bother her at all. What didn’t sit quite right with her, is that Aura and places like it bring something that we may think should be happening in the privacy of a bedroom, out into the open.
Our friend’s opinion is one that’s popped up more than once in our research, along with concerns about consent, objectification of women, and the effect that dehumanizing sex and intimacy could have on society. Sex workers have spoken up against the idea of adult dolls, stating that many of their customers are seeking companionship and emotional connection, which dolls do not offer. All of those concerns, valid or not, could easily fill a whole separate blog though, so we won’t touch them, for now.
Speaking of touching though, here’s a good closer! Remember those cleanliness concerns that had more than one of us at the office saying ‘ew’? I guess the owners figured that would be a pretty common first response, because right there on the site’s homepage, Aura states that their life-like adult dolls are thoroughly sanitized through “our industry developed routine to ensure the maximum wellbeing of our clients.” That’s just dandy guys, but it might be wise to explain what that routine actually is. Details. They’re a great idea in cases like this. To be fair, the next line states that the use of condoms is highly recommended. We had hoped that would be pretty obvious, but good to know!
We’ll be keeping an eye on the Aura situation. The website is still up and operational, and the site map points their location to the planned Young and Sheppard intersection. For now though, Toronto’s most infamous sex doll brothel is in limbo, and so, it would seem, are Aura’s would-be doll renters.
On the other hand, if you’re in the market for a sex doll of your very own, Kitty and Mia are waiting at PinkCherry. Now, these beauties can’t be rented, but you won’t want to share anyway! Trust us.
