Hi Miss P., I had a couple of threads about this last year, which unfortunately got inexplicably nuked along with my old handle. I'll try and summarize below:
* location is not a big deal. Some guys like a central location because it's close; others like the 'burbs because it's more discreet, so it's a wash. Make sure you have a discrete entrance in the back though, no matter what.
* try to get a bit of variety among your staff to appeal to all tastes. When it doubt though, you can never go wrong with young, slender, and pretty.
* to have a top-flight studio, you want to have at least one or two "superstar" girls (ie., the ones that everyone talks about) to get some "buzz" around your studio, and decent, consistent service throughout the rest of the line-up. No bad apples, because that can turn some people off the whole studio. A lot of guys like the reassurance that no matter who they see, they will at least not be ripped off.
* stick with the industry-standard room fee ($25 in Edmonton), unless you feel your studio offers something others do not.
* when starting the business, get to know someone in the biz, or try to partner up with someone in the biz. Word of mouth seems to be how the majority of recruitment is done.
* get a nice web site, and keep it up to date. Look at Penthouse's web site (
http://www.penthousemassage.ca) for a site that is univerally applauded. I'd conservatively estimate that PERBerts (and lurkers) make up one-third of an MP's clientele, so remember that the Internet can be your friend.
* despite all the horror stories you hear and may have about dirty guys, the majority of guys are quite clean. Keep a clean studio with a nice working shower and clean towels. The atmosphere you want to portray is a classy place where nasty things happen

.
* while a lot of what happens in the room comes naturally, train your staff in the little touches (eg., a hug at the door, helping the client clean up after the session, cleaning the room in the nude post-session never hurts, etc.)
* treat your girls with respect, and reward the ones that return that respect. Get rid of the ones who don't. Quickly. The girls make the studio, not the other way around, and I don't think many MP owners realize this.
* IMHO, whether to start up a new place or buy an existing one depends on the place. If you buy a place that was not well-liked, you will inherit their baggage as well.
* money can corrupt horribly in this business. Please don't let it happen to you, because it sounds like your heart's in the right place.