ATKINSON — Colleen Ann Murphy, the doctor who runs the Diaper Spa in a quiet neighborhood, said she has an extremely small business with the majority of her work with clients conducted remotely.
Her business helps clients deal with current and past traumas and stresses, she said.
On Friday, Murphy answered a series of questions posed by The Eagle-Tribune after local residents expressed concern over the Diaper Spa’s location at 23 Pope Road, which is near a public park.
She said she hopes her responses “will mitigate concerns, diffuse the negativity and fears and set the record straight in a positive fashion.”
Murphy said there is “no need for anyone to worry about the location of my business.”
The spa, in a four-bedroom, four-bathroom home measuring nearly 6,000-square-feet, is located near senior living apartments, a 55-plus residential community, condominiums, and single-family homes. Woodlock Park is also a half-mile away.
The Diaper Spa and bed and breakfast invites adults to wear diapers in a nursery-like atmosphere while engaging in services described as therapeutic. The spa is advertised as a “physician-run diaper salon” and serves “all diaper-wearing individuals who seek acceptance, respite, and care,” according to its website.
Advertised services at The Diaper Spa include a free 30-minute call with the “resident Diaper Doctor, Doc Murphy” to connect to discuss 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,” for $350 per hour.
Virtual and Zoom playdates for “personalized care and interactive sessions from the comfort of your own home” are $200 per hour. A live telephone “call with doc” is $150 hourly, and texting with her is $100 per hour, according to the spa website.
More expensive services range from $500 per hour to $1,700 for a 24-hour “Diaper B & B,” according to the website.
“This extremely small business offers virtual support and coaching services, including live sessions. Currently, I serve at most 10 clients,” Murphy said.
Murphy acknowledges the Diaper Spa lacks proper permitting.
She said she applied as a “limited liability company” through the state of New Hampshire by mistakenly putting the “doing business as” name in the wrong section.
“As a result, the LLC application is currently on hold. I am in the process of re-submitting the form with the corrected information. Additionally, I have applied for the necessary permit from the town,” Murphy said.
When asked to respond to residents’ concerns about her location near a public park, Murphy said there is no need to worry.
“As clearly stated on my website, no weapons, alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes are ever allowed at my facility. As the website mentions, all clients must be sober and over 21 years of age at their appointment,” she responded.
She also emphasized “the services provided are entirely non-sexual.”
“I screen every client by speaking to them on the phone, having them fill out extensive intake paperwork, and requiring a photo ID before any and all bookings. Additionally, I run all potential clients’ names through the National Sex Offender Database for final screening,” she said.
Murphy said she has yet to conduct any sessions outdoors but it is something she offers.
“Whether a client wants to play with blocks or marbles, shoot hoops, or have a picnic in the backyard, these are all innocent activities that I see no harm in. Clients, like all adults, will consistently dress appropriately and respectfully,” she said.
The Diaper Spa does not accept health insurance for payment. She said most clients pay through electronic payment apps or directly with a credit card.
She did not specify exactly where, but Murphy said she grew up in a Northeast town similar to Atkinson, “which is why I love this area so much.”
Murphy said she completed undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois and attended medical school at the University of Texas. She underwent residency training at a program affiliated with the University of Massachusetts in western Massachusetts, she said.
Murphy said she was drawn to this line of work during her medical career after encountering many people who resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms and addictions including “drug addictions, cutting behaviors, alcoholism, gambling, internet addiction, and even shopping addiction.”
“Working in the hospital arena, I have seen and dealt with far too many suicides and overdoses,” she said.
She said “many individuals deal with current or past traumas and various stresses in this very fast-paced and increasingly complex world.”
She said others develop coping mechanisms “that cause them to seek the comfort of a simpler time.
“I have noticed that while some individuals immerse themselves in reenacting fictional or historical events, cooking meals from the Depression era, or simply submerging themselves into the innocent memories of childhood,” Murphy said.
She said the “methods of imagining simpler times serve as a healthy coping mechanism that people have developed, and I find it safe and worthwhile to support them in a respectful and nonjudgmental manner.”
“If taking a short break from a sometimes harsh and overstimulating reality to process trauma or temporarily escape the stresses of a world filled with such pressures helps people lead healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives, then I believe it is a valuable service I am providing,” she said.
“If it helps some individuals avoid more unhealthy means of coping, such as drugs, alcohol, or harming themselves or others, then it is certainly a tremendous improvement,” Murphy said.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter/X @EagleTribJill.
These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.
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