Jessica that operated last year at OP & 19 that she ended up closing will be working at a new place called New Age Spa in Tinley park just south of 170th on Oak park.
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Jessica that operated last year at OP & 19 that she ended up closing will be working at a new place called New Age Spa in Tinley park just south of 170th on Oak park.
I think if it indeed works out, their is potential for it to be ruined if it turns into a tea and rub / tug place or more.
[QUOTE=ChezBone;2873529]Bob, It might be a good idea to set up a lunch in Chinatown for those who would be interested in this venture. I had a couple of crazy idea and sure everyone else did as well. If we took a little time to flush them out, maybe a good business plan would develop. My thoughts were along the lines of 2 places in one, one public (Tea House) and the second members only (massage). The members would need to pay an initiation fee (seed money for the business) plus a monthly amount. Or something along those lines. If it sounds interesting, I am in for lunch.
Chezbone.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=WhiteRookDown;2873748]Crazy idea, indeed. Plan on lots of licensing, especially if food is involved. Health Department, sanitation, refrigeration and heating, building codes, etc. Any type of food is subject to a host of regulation, mostly involving temperature. Believe it or not, there are even regulations for candy bars at a store. Then comes zoning, the mix of public food service and private club, employee certifications, immigration regulations (although Chicago is a sanctuary city), and the probable sticky wicket (wordplay intended) of food and drink being served in close proximity to naked bodies, and the obvious possibility of cross contamination. Workers in the massage area not sanitizing adequately before handling / serving food and drink, and vice versa. Good Luck.
.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=BenBeck;2873149]Oh yeah, she does. Solid, too. Michelle.[/QUOTE]Is she new?
[QUOTE=Bob521;2871853]So the background is L is a traditional Chinese woman. Actually, I've fallen for her big time. So I'm trying to help her start her own business and I'll fund her in the background. After a few different ideas we were talking about a Tea House. Sort of the Chinese equivalent of a Coffee Shop. In a traditional Tea House, Chinese men hang out and smoke and Play Mah Jong. Don't want that. Instead to idea is to create a sort of meeting place. In Chinatown there are tons of young women that want to meet men. They don't really venture out and they have no good way to meet guys in the United States. And there are American guys that want to meet women. Hopefully nice guys that just want a social interaction.
Place would serve coffee, tea, small plates or desserts. It would have WIFI so folks could hang out. Definitely a way to allow folks to meet using WeChat. The key to success would be for BOTH Chinese women and American guys wanting to visit. And to make sure everybody enjoys themselves and nothing bad happens to anybody.
So its intended to be a storefront retail establishment. Maybe a place you can take your favorite masseuse. Maybe a place you meet for a short term relationship. Maybe a place you can meet your soul-mate.
But my friend is traditional, so its not intended to be a nasty place. It needs to be a place a young Chinese woman would enjoy and feel safe in. I do think it needs to have things that would help people understand each other. A real cross cultural experience. Maybe entertainment. Open daytime and nighttime.
This is still in the idea stage. But mostly, I want my friend to have a business and to be happy. Bob.[/QUOTE]Bob,
Behind on my USSG reading and just followed this thread back to your post. If you follow through please keep me posted. I would definitely like to join. Just one question. What do you have against Mah Jong? Just kidding. Just think of all the guys on this board that will become fluent enough in Chinese they won't even need WeChat. Maybe I could expense my visits as Chinese lessons.
Bob. Here is an article about 18 different tea franchises. This should give you more ideas about a tea house. You already know all about the popularity of coffee franchises. But if tea is more of your thing. [URL]http://ow.ly/10D7KT[/URL].
[QUOTE=E6671;2874768]Bob,
Behind on my USSG reading and just followed this thread back to your post. If you follow through please keep me posted. I would definitely like to join. Just one question. What do you have against Mah Jong? Just kidding. Just think of all the guys on this board that will become fluent enough in Chinese they won't even need WeChat. Maybe I could expense my visits as Chinese lessons.[/QUOTE]
If you like the straight and narrow then go to one of these massage places. You won't even be teased.
Sunflower Massage SPA.
3005 S ARCHER AVE.
CHICAGO IL 60608.
773-570-5598.
HQ Spa.
2953 S Archer Ave.
Chicago, IL 60608.
773 847-7375.
Workers in the massage area not sanitizing. I don't even want to think about that one. LOL.
[QUOTE=WhiteRookDown;2873748]Crazy idea, indeed. Plan on lots of licensing, especially if food is involved. Health Department, sanitation, refrigeration and heating, building codes, etc. Any type of food is subject to a host of regulation, mostly involving temperature. Believe it or not, there are even regulations for candy bars at a store. Then comes zoning, the mix of public food service and private club, employee certifications, immigration regulations (although Chicago is a sanctuary city), and the probable sticky wicket (wordplay intended) of food and drink being served in close proximity to naked bodies, and the obvious possibility of cross contamination. Workers in the massage area not sanitizing adequately before handling / serving food and drink, and vice versa. Good Luck.
.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=LongRanger99;2875200]If you like the straight and narrow then go to one of these massage places. You won't even be teased.
Sunflower Massage SPA.
3005 S ARCHER AVE.
CHICAGO IL 60608.
773-570-5598.
HQ Spa.
2953 S Archer Ave.
Chicago, IL 60608.
773 847-7375.[/QUOTE]At HQ I've had a few releases I with the top down and some great teasing before and during s service but I will have to admit that that is not the usual. Usually just undraped ok rub.
[QUOTE=Sleeker;2874730]Is she new?[/QUOTE]Michelle a. K. a. Lily if we're talking about the same girl. From your description, sounds like it.
Not new, no.
Hey Joe, sorry. I cleared some space. Sorry. Thanks again. Bob.
[QUOTE=AvgJoe;2873530]Bob, clean out your inbox. I think it's full.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I pushed back on that idea also.
It might be interesting to allow girls (on their own as entepreneurs) to hang out in the store and offer neck / shoulder massages at the bar / your table. Five minutes / $5 tip. Whatever. Almost like speed dating, LOL.
We are trying to figure out the best way to get pretty Chinese girls to show up. If they come, so will guys. "L" says they are motivated by money. If if they are not working in a spa, they will still want to kill a couple hours and maybe collect some tip money.
If a guy and a girl hit it off and want to pursue a relationship, that's great. We would never condone solicitation. But a genuine friendship is what we hope to achieve.
I also agree with what everybody has said, the business operations and paperwork is not very appealing. I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible. Bob.
[QUOTE=DMichaels69;2875216]Workers in the massage area not sanitizing. I don't even want to think about that one. LOL.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=ChezBone;2875062]Bob. Here is an article about 18 different tea franchises. This should give you more ideas about a tea house. You already know all about the popularity of coffee franchises. But if tea is more of your thing. [URL]http://ow.ly/10D7KT[/URL].[/QUOTE]Thanks man. We have been looking at places to get ideas. Obviously, coffee shops is similar. L tells me that in China it is not uncommon for folks to get a pot of tea with a fruit plate and kill two hours. I tried to explain, we'd go out of business at that time / revenue ratio. Bob.
I completely agree with you. No nudity in the "House". Yeah, the licensing scares me. But I will be trying to involve people with specific expertise in food service, real estate, etc. My objective is to identify stakeholders and bring them into the deal. On the one hand it will be an interesting social experiment which hopefully will benefit men and women. On the other hand Chinese culture and charity are close to L's heart. I've told you (all) before she's a devout Buddhist. She plans to give her profits to homeless charities in the US and charities in Tibet. I also mentioned before that's she's been refusing massage tips from me for the last five months. So we agreed I would donate that money to charity. Which I now do. Bob.
[QUOTE=WhiteRookDown;2873748]Crazy idea, indeed. Plan on lots of licensing, especially if food is involved. Health Department, sanitation, refrigeration and heating, building codes, etc. Any type of food is subject to a host of regulation, mostly involving temperature. Believe it or not, there are even regulations for candy bars at a store. Then comes zoning, the mix of public food service and private club, employee certifications, immigration regulations (although Chicago is a sanctuary city), and the probable sticky wicket (wordplay intended) of food and drink being served in close proximity to naked bodies, and the obvious possibility of cross contamination. Workers in the massage area not sanitizing adequately before handling / serving food and drink, and vice versa. Good Luck.
.[/QUOTE]
Don't wait for me. Go ahead and visit. This project will take time. Heck, it might not happen if I can't get the pieces to fit together. Ask other members their preferences for Chinatown locations (SPAs I assume). I've only gone to places my friends have worked, so I don't have a reliable recommendation. Mostly, I go to their apartments / hotels. Bob.
[QUOTE=MotorCity77;2873207]Bob as you know I'm new to the Chicago area. Should I visit Chinatown for the first time now or wait until you get this up and operational?! I think in the short term your business idea should at least be able to cover a lease and insurance. I hope this becomes a reality for both of you.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Bob521;2876302]This project will take time. Heck, it might not happen if I can't get the pieces to fit together... Bob.[/QUOTE]One quick random thought -- do you or your partner know people (or know people who know people) who have experience with / can smooth the various code / new business hoops in the city? I've heard stories about how having someone who knows how things really work makes this easier.
I don't think not having someone would make it a non-starter, but it could make things easier. If you don't have someone, it might be worth the effort to tap whatever networks you have to find someone. I'd pass on a name if I had one. Good luck to you!