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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Ben Morgan

Male beauty spa changes name after locals claim it has 'sexual overtones'

General view of MF Beauty Ltd - a male beauty spa opening in Notting Hill (Picture: Alex Lentati )

An upmarket male beauty spa switched its name after neighbours in Notting Hill claimed VIP Male Touch Ltd had “overt sexual overtones”.

Michael Filipiak, 42, has worked in Harrods and claims a clientele including royals and celebrities.

He applied to Kensington and Chelsea council for a licence to offer facials and massages from a basement shop in Ossington Street but the application upset some locals who feared the arrival of a “questionable massage parlour” on their street.

Mr Filipiak specialises in skin rejuvenation treatments and graduated from the London College of Beauty Therapy as well as Medikon, a medical university in Warsaw.

He plans to use the shop to sell male skincare products and perform a “small number” of massages. He said his client base was mainly “wealthy Arab men”. But a council report said: “Residents suggest that the conduct of the premises is questionable, given the name of the business, and it will degrade the experience of living for both adults and children.”

One resident complained: “A massage parlour is not in character with the rest of the properties on the street.”

Another said the salon would dramatically increase traffic and make parking harder.

Mr Filipiak has now been granted approval to open his venture after changing the name to MF Beauty Ltd.

He said: “I’m relieved. It’s been a stressful situation. When I first heard their claims I was absolutely shocked and couldn’t sleep. Some of my clients I have had for 15 years. This has been shattering for me, but I am looking forward to opening now.”

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