Toronto businessman brings sex robot brothel to Texas

HOUSTON, Texas -- The owner of a Canadian-based sexbot business said Friday its first franchise in the U.S. will be located in Houston. He did not want to give an exact address without permission of the franchise holders.

"Kinkys Dolls" has robot sex dolls available to customers at its primary location in Toronto, where customers pay for use of the dolls and a private room. The sessions range from 30 minutes up to two hours.

The owner said the dolls are designed to appear as adults. They are available for sale to the clients, with prices that start at $2,500.

The robots react to touch, he said, and also have vocal responses. The company also sells artificial intelligence models that are programmed to engage in conversations.

Unlike the less expensive versions, they are available only for sale, with a price of $10,000.

The idea of a sexbot "brothel" has gotten the attention of groups in fighting human trafficking, concerned it will not dampen the demand for those forced into the sex industry, but increase it.

"We're talking about robots right now. It's a hot button issue, but tomorrow it could be virtual reality or something else. It's coming back to the demand of sex buying," said Joe Madison with Love People Not Pixels.

According to the City of Houston, the business does not meet the definition of a sexually-oriented business and should require nothing more than an occupancy permit.

Because the names of the local franchise holders and exact address were not immediately available, it's unknown if that permit has already been granted.

Some homeowners in the Galleria area were stunned at the idea of a sexbot business anywhere near their community.

"There are schools here and neighborhoods. To have something like that here is just gross," said Andrea Paul.

Love People Not Pixels focuses on pornography addiction. For information on their services offered, go to lpnp.org.