Spanking and tying up clients seems like a dangerous thing to do.
But according to one Toronto woman, it's much safer when done indoors.
Terri-Jean Bedford, who calls herself the most famous dominatrix in Canada, is asking the Canadian government to rethink the treatment of sex work in the criminal code. She and two colleagues filed a constitutional challenge before the Ontario Superior Court, saying that prostitutes endanger themselves working on the street.
She maintains that taking the work inside, to a brothel-type setting, gives control back to the ladies-of-the-evening, so they can maintain their safety.
Bedford says she was happiest when conducting business out of her 'bondage hotel' until it was raided in 1994.
Currently, the law prohibits the existence of houses of ill repute, but has no specific law making the sale of sex illegal.
It is expected that a judge will hear her case early next year.