The owner of the now-defunct Diaper Spa in Atkinson went before state regulators again on Friday, describing client services like “The Christmas Special” — featuring cookies, eggnog and a reading of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” — during a nearly three-hour disciplinary hearing in Concord.
Colleen Ann Murphy of Atkinson testified before the New Hampshire Board of Psychologists at the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification in Concord.
The disciplinary hearing was her third in two months. She testified before the New Hampshire Board of Medicine and Board of Mental Practices last month.
According to its website, the Diaper Spa — located at 23 Pope Road — was a “physician-run diaper salon” aimed at “all diaper-wearing individuals who seek acceptance, respite, and care.”
“Adult baby/diaper lovers” (ABDL) are described as people “who act a voluntary regression to a previous age and/or wear a diaper for psychological reasons,” in a 2020 article published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Researchers say, for many, being an “adult baby” is a way to cope with stressful or traumatic past experiences.
Photos on the spa’s website show a room decorated like a nursery, with toys, diapers and a crib that appeared large enough to hold an adult.
Services advertised on the Diaper Spa’s website included a 30-minute call at no charge with the “resident Diaper Doctor, Doc Murphy” to talk about the various services and “a spa-like nursery experience for the little one inside of you, providing a warm, safe, and nurturing environment while you indulge in relaxation,” which cost $350 per hour.
Other services were listed as available for prices ranging from $100 an hour for texting with Murphy to $1,500 for a 24-hour spa stay.
Members of the Atkinson Zoning Board of Adjustment voted in February to deny Murphy’s application for a home business permit.
The Board of Medicine issued a cease-and-desist order against Murphy on April 22, ordering her to stop promoting herself as practicing medicine in New Hampshire, being qualified to do so or representing herself as a New Hampshire physician.
The board also will “maintain an action to enjoin” Murphy from continuing to do “acts of unlawful practice.”
She was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
Board members said the evidence presented was sufficient to show Murphy promoted her business as a “physician-run diaper spa” despite not having a license to practice medicine in New Hampshire.
Murphy is licensed to practice in Maine and New York. Her website says she is a “doctor of medicine” and a “board certified diplomate and certified sexologist” by the American Board of Sexology.
During her latest disciplinary hearing, Murphy’s attorney, Lawrence Katz, argued his client wasn’t operating an unlawful practice because she never offered any psychological evaluations or services at the site.
“She does not try to prevent, eliminate, evaluate or predict any maladaptive or undesired or symptomatic behavior,” Katz said. “Quite the contrary, Dr. Murphy provides a safe place for the people in the ABDL community who fulfill the fantasies they have, to act out their desires. She really does nothing more than provide a room with a lot of toys and oversized furniture in it, and tell her customers, ‘Here you go, go ahead and use it.’”
Murphy said the Diaper Spa was in operation at her Atkinson home between Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, and Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2023 — during which time she saw three clients.
Asked to describe some of the services offered at the Diaper Spa, Murphy said two of her three clients received what she called “The Christmas Special.”
“I read them ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, and gave them a Christmas stocking that was stuffed with some little treats, made them cookies and gave them eggnog,” Murphy said.
Katz questioned Dr. Rhoda Lipscomb, a Colorado physician who operates a website called www.thediaperdoctor.com and is familiar with the Diaper Spa.
Lipscomb, who said under cross-examination that she was paid for her testimony, said she didn’t believe Murphy was engaged in the practice of psychology with her clients.
“At no time was she diagnosing anyone,” Lipscomb said. “She made it clear to them that she was not treating them as a physician or a licensed mental health practitioner, but helping coach them through the struggles they’re having and trying to improve.”
New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification Attorney Collin Phillips cited state law that makes it unlawful for anyone to use the word psychology or psychological in a person’s title or in the title of the person’s product unless licensed by the board or working under the direct supervision of someone who is.
“Specifically the respondent advertised single and couples psychotherapy services at home offices located at 23 Pope Road in Atkinson,” Phillips said. “The respondent does not hold a license from this board, nor does she meet any of the qualifications to be a person exempted.”
The Board of Psychologists could issue a cease-and-desist order and a fine up to $10,000. Board members have up to 30 days to render a decision.
