The incensed motel guest rang the manager, concerned that there was prostitution going on in the room next door. So who is the real life madam behind Madam?
But when Wednesday rolled around, Murphy says she lost her nerve. It was when she made the choice to move to New Zealand in the late s that the seed planted all those years ago started to germinate. Murphy had lived here for two years when she stumbled upon a Dominion Post article in about how sex work was decriminalised. She had been researching for a book about New Zealand culture, and rang up several brothels to see if she could interview anyone about legalised sex work.
Also during this time, her youngest son Silas was diagnosed with a chromosomal microdeletion. It was in that the sex industry came back into her mind. And is that even possible to do? She reached out to similar businesses operating in Auckland but struggled to get a reply from anyone.
Heading down to Wellington to shadow Madam Vivian for two weeks, Murphy learned everything she needed to start her own business up north.
Murphy preferred an agency-based model, where customers could ring up and request a particular woman, but the booking hinged on her availability and her approval of the client. She also guaranteed that they had the right to withdraw consent at any time.
