Trouble in Spain¡¯s uncanny valley of the sex dolls?
Police investigate country¡¯s first Japanese-style brothel, while owner of apartment used cancels rental
The owner of the Barcelona apartment housing Spain¡¯s first sex doll brothel has cancelled the contract with the owners of the innovative business, saying he was unaware what the property was being used for.
Lumidoll (the name plays on a Spanish term for prostitute) opened on February 27 offering clients sex with hyper-realistic life-size dolls made from state-of-the-art polymers, with each session costing €120. Customers can choose between dolls of different heights and body shapes, and all of them have three working orifices. The market price to buy these sex dolls can be upwards of €6,000.
After the brothel was covered extensively in the media, Barcelona¡¯s municipal police force began investigating whether the establishment met with local ordinances and had the necessary licenses.
The brothel¡¯s website only provided a telephone number, and a receptionist would only give the address to paying customers.
Within days of opening, photos of the brothel and dolls appeared on the social networks
Within days, photographs of the dolls began appearing on social networks and in the media, which in turn were reportedly seen by the owner of the apartment, which is located in Barcelona¡¯s popular Gothic neighborhood. He then immediately cancelled the rental agreement with the business.
By the time the municipal police had discovered the location of Lumidoll, the apartment had been closed up.
A receptionist responding to calls on the number provided on the Lumidoll website told EL PA?S on Tuesday that the business remained open. ¡°We have simply moved to new premises,¡± she said, which for the moment remain unknown.
English version by Nick Lyne.
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