Catering to Diaper Freaks

A new spa catering to "diaper-wearing" adults who want to role-play as young children has opened in a small town in New Hampshire, alarming some local residents.

"The Diaper Spa," in Atkinson, NH says it is an "ageplay-friendly, adult diaper spa" to "nurture and pamper all diaper lovers and enthusiasts in richly immersive experiences." The spa is a "safe and judgment-free zone" for visitors to pamper themselves with "snacks…playtime, story time, nap time, cuddle time, changing time, coloring, nursery rhymes and sing-a-longs," according to its website.

Services advertised include an "Adult Baby-Diaper Lover" (ABDL) nursery spa care at $300 an hour, virtual playdates at $200 an hour, and an all-day "premier spa experience for the little one inside of you" for $1500.  "In the summer, you can play with your water wings and floaties poolside, picnic under the tree with your teddy bear, play marbles on the patio, or swing on the front porch swing and serve tea to your dollies on the porch. In the winter, we can make snow angels, build snowmen, drink hot cocoa from beneath clouds of whipped cream and sprinkles, and decorate gingerbread men or sugar cookies," the spa's website advertises. 

But some residents are not happy about the new business in their small town of 7,000, which sits on the border of Massachusetts. Mother of three Kayla Gallagher told The Eagle-Tribune that she is concerned because the spa is close to a children's park and fears it caters to clients with a sexual fetish.  "That is something that I will never be willing to expose my kids to, so now we will no longer be able to use that park," she told the paper, according to Boston.com.

Local resident Mike Vigliotta was against the spa for similar reasons. "I’m sure there’s a lot of kids that live around here, and what type of people are going to do that?" he told WHDH 7News. "People who are looking at children or being children by wearing diapers and being treated like a baby. That kind of concerns me. Who knows what that leads to."

Spa owner Dr. Colleen Ann Murphy, who said she is a board-certified integrative medicine physician and sexologist and recently settled in Atkinson, explained that her spa is meant to be a place of healing for people who've experienced trauma. "It helps them process whatever trauma it was," Murphy told WHDH. "A lot of times it’s childhood trauma when they were in diapers or just getting out of diapers and they want to feel that safety that they had before that."

Locals started a petition to urge Atkinson officials to reject any business and zoning licenses and applications for the spa. "It has come to our attention that this business is advertised to individuals whose sexual fetish involves childlike behaviors. This business, per their website, has advertised our town playground to their potential clientele. Thus their sexual fetish will involve the town park where our children play. In light of these concerns, we urgently request the town reject any business and zoning licenses and applications for this business," the petition posted to Change.org on January 28 reads.

Murphy denied that her services would include public trips to the park and said she took steps to clear up any confusion on her website.  She told Fox News Digital, "I have never included field trips or taken any clients to the park in my listed services. To avoid any confusion or concerns, I have removed that descriptive language from my website, which described my neighborhood and clarified that all services The Diaper Spa provides are exclusively offered on the premises."

Policies on the spa's website say "absolutely no sexual interaction" is allowed and clients are subject to a screening on the National Sex Offender Database prior to booking appointments.  Murphy was adamant that the spa is not meant to cater to "perverts."  "One of the most common misconceptions about ABDL is the association with pedophiles, perverts, and sex offenders," she told Fox News. "This is not true, and I have never encountered anyone of that nature in my work or research."

"ABDL, or Adult Baby Diaper Lover, is a diverse community with various individuals and their unique wants and needs. In my work, I primarily focus on individuals who see this lifestyle as a physical or emotional necessity rather than entertainment. All my services are platonic and performed solely on my own property," she said.   "For those I serve, being a part of this community brings comfort and solace, providing a haven from the stresses, traumas, and triggers they have faced or continue to face," she continued, giving examples of "veterans with incontinence, individuals with musculoskeletal conditions, and victims of trauma and abuse" as potential clients.  "The Diaper Spa was created to provide a safe and non-judgmental space for these individuals to process, decompress, and regress through various therapeutic activities," she added.

While the spa waits for zoning board issues to be resolved before she can see clients, she said, "The most in-demand services at the moment are tele-health services and life coaching."

Murphy expressed concern that "inflammatory and salacious" media attention about her spa could "severely damage" those with "trauma, anxiety, histories of abuse, and stress triggers" and "further contribute to unfounded fears and worries within the community."  She said she's been dismayed by the initial reaction from neighbors but is optimistic that the community will come around over time.  "People tend to fear anything that they fail to comprehend," she told Boston.com.  "However, I know that the people in this community are reasonable and intelligent, and I am optimistic that, with time, their concerns will dissipate, and we all will resume enjoying this beautiful life we are all so blessed to have here," she said.