Mackay brothel to open in old Club 7 building as region’s only legal sex work establishment

A new brothel is set to open in Mackay, the first legal establishment of its kind in almost seven years. But its grand opening has been delayed.

A new brothel is set to rock the Sugar City with management declaring they “won’t be hiding in the shadows”.

Harlots Mackay had planned to open on February 2 but it is now set to open on Valentine's Day, heralding the return of the first brothel in the region since Club 7 closed at the height of the economic downturn in 2015.

The business already has strongholds in Canberra and Darwin, but Harlots Canberra manager Matthew Templeman said setting up in Queensland held additional challenges for sex work establishments.

Harlots Mackay will take over Club 7’s premises in Paget, with fresh renovations in the process of being completed.

But after almost seven months of work, Harlots Mackay is set to open its doors — signifying a new age for the region's sex work, much of which had been conducted illegally and unsafely from private establishments or hotels since Club 7’s closure.

The business will take over Club 7’s premises in Paget, with fresh renovations in the process of being completed.

“We don’t want people thinking we’re a seedy little place, we won’t be hiding in the shadows,” Mr Templeman said.

“We don’t mind putting a face to the name of Harlots.”

While there are some obvious restrictions on publicity, Mr Templeman said their marketing for Harlots Mackay would be strong around the region.

Mr Templeman said the establishment was LGBTQI+ friendly with men, women and trans escorts employed.

“We’ll have eight escorts on the floor at any one time and five rooms available,” he said.

“At this stage we’ll have a lounge environment where [clients and escorts] can get to know each other, play a bit of pool, and private intro rooms.

“It’s the best of both worlds.”

Club 7 closed in 2015.

Because of Queensland’s strict Prostitution Licensing Authority laws, Mr Templeman said escorts were not allowed to be sent off location which could prove problematic for an industry that often operated on discretion.

“We’ll have reverse escorts, we can come and pick clients up — an all inclusive package,” he said.

“A lot of people like to be discreet, and offering that total discretion for people is crucial.”

Mr Templeman said in addition to discretion, safety for both clients and workers was essential.

The establishment will not serve alcohol on site, and anyone appearing violent or intoxicated would be turned away.

“If someone’s had a few beers at the pub and wants to come and have a good night — that’s perfectly fine, but they can’t just bring a six pack in with them,” Mr Templeman said.

“Safety is massive for us, being fully legal we have strict safety regulations which the PLI and police set and we work very closely to make sure both client an escort are safe.”

The opening of the Harlots Mackay will also see some new faces in the region, with some of the company’s employees deciding to make the move up north.

“A lot of our girls want to travel, and Mackay is such a beautiful place,” Mr Templeman said.

Originally published as Mackay brothel to open in old Club 7 building as region’s only legal sex work establishment