Make my first visit to a brothel a happy one.

July 5, 2008 3:18 PM

Visiting Reno in October, looking for advice on visiting a brothel.

I've never been to one before, but I'm toying with the idea as it sounds like it could be fun and the chance to live out some fantasies I may never find a woman (or 2) willing to participate in. So, some questions:

Anyone have any recommendations for a nice place to go? I'm looking for one that isn't TOO sleazy (I know, it's a brothel, but still), with attractive women, hygenic, enjoyable atmosphere, etc. I've seen "Cathouse" on HBO about the Moonlight Bunny Ranch... is that place really all that?

Prices... How much do the "services" tend to cost? Do they charge by the hour? By the act? By the woman (or do you get a discount for group activities)? Is there any sort of negotiation? Are you expected to tip? Again, on the Bunny Ranch, are its prices exorbitant because it is on HBO, or is it comparable to other places?

Finally... hygiene and health questions: I assume that part of their licensing is that the women get tested regularly. Can anyone give me the details on this? Are they tested for everything (herpes, etc) or just the biggie (HIV)? Do the brothels have a strict "safe sex only" policy? And, last but not least... what kind of, ahem, cleaning regimen do the women go through between clients? I don't like the idea of tasting some other guy's sweat and... other fluids on someone's body.

Since I'm sure many people will not want to post publicly, you can email me at [e-mail]
I appreciate the opinions of those of you who may have moral qualms with this, but I'm not looking for that kind of input, thanks.

posted by anonymous to human relations (6 comments total)

Prices now may be cheaper than they were a while ago, because of gas prices hurting business: article; NPR; article.

There are also quite a few books about life in brothels in Nevada (example).

Pricing is on some of the websites; cost is usually through an intersection of time, acts, and numbers of workers; tipping for good service is a polite thing to do.
posted by Forktine at 3:43 PM on July 5, 2008

Wikipedia comes through again:

"All but the smallest ones operate as follows: as the customer is buzzed in and sits down in the parlor, the available women appear in a line-up and introduce themselves. If the customer chooses a woman, the price negotiations take place in the woman's room, which are often overheard by management. The house normally gets half of the negotiated amount. If the customer arrives by cab, the driver will receive some 20% of whatever the customer spends; this is subtracted from the woman's earnings. Typical prices start at US$100 and average about $300 for half an hour of intercourse and oral sex.

Brothels do not have preset prices, the only known exception being Shady Lady brothel on Route 95, approximately 30 miles north of Beatty. Generally, the closer a brothel is to Las Vegas, the higher the prices.
[...]
Since 1986, when mandatory testing began, not a single brothel prostitute has ever tested positive for HIV. The mandatory condom law was passed in 1988."
posted by Mike1024 at 3:44 PM on July 5, 2008

Brothels are illegal in Washoe county which includes Reno. Road trip?
posted by Neiltupper at 3:47 PM on July 5, 2008

The Wikipedia page doesn't go into the STD testing in detail, so for more that you probably want to know about mandatory STD testing for prostitutes in Nevads, see Are registered prostitutes HIV free? from an AIDS and HIV resource. Short answer: Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, and HIV are tested for. Herpes is not (blood tests for herpes are comparatively unreliable and expensive). However, transmission of herpes from someone without active sores while using a condom is, while possible, fairly unlikely.
posted by xchmp at 4:12 PM on July 5, 2008

Again the reminder that not all counties in Nevada allow prostitution. Storey County (where the Bunny Ranch is) is just outside of Carson City, about 30-40 min south of Reno. I've never partaken of the facilities in our legal brothels, but I've known several folks who have. I would imagine you can expect to drop a few hundred bucks at least, depending on time and what you want. As for safety, these places are really quite regulated and to be honest, you're probably a lot safer there than from a typical bar hook-up.

And also, these places are businesses! Make an appointment, tell them what you want and how much you got to spend. I'm sure they'll figure something out. I would point out that if you're looking for what's-his-name-New-York-call-girl quality, ummm, those girls aint working in brothels. FYI.
posted by elendil71 at 7:58 PM on July 5, 2008

There's a popular internet forum set up for frequent customers and working girls: NVBrothels.net. You can get a lot of basic info there, as well as positive and negative "reviews" [gah, what a horrible way to put it] of different houses and workers.

Be forewarned, though, that the working girls who post on the site do so for marketing purposes. I contacted a handful of them a couple years ago for a magazine article. While I made it clear that I was a woman and was not interested in procuring their services, they all -- to a person -- suggested that they might persuade me to change my mind.
posted by mudpuppie at 12:25 PM on July 8, 2008