'Diaper Spa' owner hit with third fine by state regulators | Human Interest | unionleader.com
The property at 23 Pope Road in Atkinson, the site of a former spa catering to adults who role-play as children wearing diapers.
The owner of the Diaper Spa in Atkinson has been hit with an additional $5,000 fine, bringing the total amount of fines issued to the now-defunct spa — which catered to diaper-wearing adults seeking “acceptance, respite, and care” — to $17,500 this year.
On Friday, the Board of Psychologists issued a ruling which included a $5,000 fine due within 90 days and language that state officials may continue to enforce a cease-and-desist order against the spa, which offered clients in the adult baby/diaper lovers (ABDL) community services like “The Christmas Special” — featuring cookies, eggnog and a reading of “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
Last week, the state’s Board of Mental Health Practices issued a ruling against Colleen Ann Murphy of Atkinson which included a $2,500 fine, an order for Murphy to refrain from operating the Diaper Spa, and language noting that state officials may continue to enforce a cease-and-desist order against her.
The $2,500 fine is in addition to a $10,000 fine issued earlier this year by the state Board of Medicine.
In May, Murphy testified before the state’s Board of Psychologists at the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification in Concord — the third and final state regulatory board that called her to appear.
The Board of Psychology determined Murphy misrepresented her services on the Diaper Spa website and two other websites she created. The board ruled Murphy described herself as being qualified to perform certain therapies, such as dialectical behavioral therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, despite holding no license or certification as a mental health practitioner, physician or psychologist, the board’s decision states.
While before the Board of Psychologists, Murphy’s attorney, Lawrence Katz, argued his client wasn’t operating an unlawful practice because she never offered any psychological evaluations or services at the site.
“She does not try to prevent, eliminate, evaluate or predict any maladaptive or undesired or symptomatic behavior,” Katz said. “Quite the contrary, Dr. Murphy provides a safe place for the people in the ABDL (adult baby/diaper lovers) community who fulfill the fantasies they have, to act out their desires. She really does nothing more than provide a room with a lot of toys and oversized furniture in it, and tell her customers, ‘Here you go, go ahead and use it.’”
Murphy said the Diaper Spa was in operation at her Atkinson home at 23 Pope Road between Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, and Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2023 — during which time she saw three clients.
Asked to describe some of the services offered at the Diaper Spa, Murphy said two of her three clients received what she called “The Christmas Special.”
“I read them ’Twas the Night Before Christmas,’ and gave them a Christmas stocking that was stuffed with some little treats, made them cookies and gave them eggnog,” Murphy said.
“The board’s findings make clear that the respondent (Murphy) authored and advertised her services on three websites to the public within the state of New Hampshire,” the ruling by the Board of Psychology states. “The board’s findings of fact establish that the services advertised and offered by the respondent, on three websites, are associated with the practice of psychology.”
According to its website, the Diaper Spa was a “physician-run diaper salon” aimed at “all diaper-wearing individuals who seek acceptance, respite, and care.”
Photos on the spa’s website showed a room decorated like a nursery, with toys, diapers and a crib that appeared large enough to hold an adult.
Services advertised on the Diaper Spa’s website included a 30-minute call at no charge with the “resident Diaper Doctor, Doc Murphy” to talk about the various services and “a spa-like nursery experience for the little one inside of you, providing a warm, safe, and nurturing environment while you indulge in relaxation,” which cost $350 per hour.
Members of the Atkinson Zoning Board of Adjustment voted in February to deny Murphy’s application for a home business permit.
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