The New Brunswick government has backtracked on its previous position and now says a Nordic spa in a rural part of the province can go ahead with a women-only private event where guests are allowed to be topless.
The co-owners of Hope-Wellness Eco-Resort, located in Edgett’s Landing, N.B., said they are happy with the decision and will reschedule the event for the fall.
“We are very grateful to the minister and the Department of Public Safety for taking the time to review our case and ultimately reconsider the initial decision,” co-owner Ashley Ward wrote in a message to Global News.
“We sincerely hope that moving forward, a more thorough and thoughtful approach will be taken before classifying events like ours as nudity for the sake of entertainment.”
The original event was scheduled for last week, and was described as a body-positive experience where a community could gather. They had held similar events twice before without issue.
“It’s just very liberating. You don’t care about what your bathing suit looks like. There’s no judgment,” Ward explained.
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But after advertising its latest event, the spa was contacted by the province’s gaming control and licensing services department and informed that there had been complaints filed.
It was told the event violated its liquor licence regulations and the spa would have to apply for an entertainment/exotic licence, which is typically used for strip clubs. There was also no guarantee the application, which costs $750, would be accepted.
The spa had already cancelled the event before speaking with Global News on Thursday.
The provincial government didn’t provide a comment Thursday, but in a Friday update, a spokesperson said they now believed the event, “as planned,” was “within the conditions of their licence.”
“We have extended an apology to the owner of Hope Wellness Resort for the unintended stress and concern caused by the cancelation of the original event.”
The spa owners said the fact the event was initially deemed “entertainment” was upsetting, because it unfairly portrayed what the women were trying to achieve.
“This decision has broader implication, not just for us, but for others who are advocating for respectful, body-positive spaces,” said Ward.
“We believe strongly that women should have the right to choose to be topless in safe, private wellness environments without being oversexualized or misrepresented.”
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