This past summer, Toronto was equal parts scandalized and fascinated by the news that North America's "first sex doll brothel" was set to open in our city.

Aura Dolls, a business that charges people to spend time with life-sized, anatomically correct, TPE silicon-based women by the half hour, was meant to start operating out of a former tanning salon in North York on September 8.

Instead, roughly one week before opening day, the City of Toronto stepped in to inform both the business and property owner that their proposed use of the old tanning salon was illegal.

Councillor John Filion announced to his constituents that Aura's lease had been cancelled as the result of a motion he himself had introduced restricting adult entertainment parlours in North York some 20 years ago and that, rest assured, those dolls wouldn't be servicing anyone in Willowdale.

#Toronto shuts down sex doll brothel one week before it opens https://t.co/2Ja2qjmGQZ pic.twitter.com/IwVZPWYQeI — blogTO (@blogTO) August 30, 2018

Aura Dolls removed the physical address from its website in response and has been quiet ever since, at least in terms of advertising, but the business didn't go away.

On the contrary: North America's second doll brothel (after Toronto's own KinkySdollS, which was relatively unheard of prior to this summer's scandal) appears to have opened sometime this fall, though nobody, save for clients, can say exactly where.

C. Brian Smith, a writer for the LA-based men's magazine MEL, reported on his own (NSFW) experience visiting Aura Dolls in a piece published December 13.

He describes the location as a "remote, empty industrial park 30 miles north of Toronto." The actual brothel, which he likens to an abandoned orthodontist office, is said to be housed inside a long, two-story building with an "odd variety of 12 seemingly customer-less businesses."

"I’ve done some harrowing shit for this magazine, but nothing makes my palms sweat quite like speaking to the Canadian Border Services Agent about why I’m hoping to enter his country for 18 hours...” ⁦@WeAreMel⁩ ⁦@alanalevinson⁩ https://t.co/2El1OTFx1n — C. Brian Smith (@SeeBrianSmith) December 13, 2018

As promised in the company's initial marketing push, all communication was conducted via text message and no staff were visible on site—though, one would hope, someone was nearby to "thoroughly sanitize" each fake lady before and after the, um, visits.

"Despite being two hours early, I make a futile attempt to enter. As the email explained, 'The unit is #12, with glass double doors and no sign.' The door, though, is locked," wrote Smith of arriving.

"I'm comically underdressed for Canadian winter, so I opt to seek refuge at a chicken-wing catering kitchen next door."

The owner of that restaurant reportedly told Smith that unit #12 had been empty for months. "The new tenants just moved in, but I'm not sure what kind of business it is," he told the writer. "Landlord says it has something to do with robotics."

Yeah... something like that.

... here’s Aura Dolls written about in print ‘Playboy’ (can silicone pics be NSFW?) pic.twitter.com/0bFKpgzExj — 12:36 🌯 (@1236) January 3, 2019

American freelance writer Susan Shain similarly visited Aura Dolls in October for a feature story in Playboy, though she described the neighbourhood a lot differently.

"On a quiet street in northern Toronto, among well-kept yards, luxury cars and a small Christian-owned business, sits a five-bedroom stone house." she wrote.

"A neatly coiffed woman drives by in a Mercedes, likely unaware of the home’s inhabitants: six bare Barbie-proportioned life-size silicone dolls available for rent."

It sounds like the business may have moved since then, or maybe there's more than one, or maybe the dolls move around? Twitter suggests there's definitely a market for sex doll "out calls" in Toronto right now.

It's hard to say what's up for certain. Right now, the address listed on Aura's website simply reads "Markham/Richmond Hill... Announced upon booking."

The owners of the business insist upon remaining anonymous, but Aura Dolls marketing director Claire Lee did tell Smith that they were in the process of adding male dolls to their roster—so it stands to reason the business is doing well.