Glossary of the Punter Part 2: Definition of the Types of Brothels

Today I am here to illustrate the differences between the various types of establishments dedicated to paid sex, or the structures where sex workers/young prostitutes operate, which for convenience we will simply refer to as “Pay.” There are many types of venues where “Pay” girls work, ranging from the most prestigious luxury clubs to massage centers, small brothels, and other places, all the way down to the most humble suburban apartments. Each of these has its pros and cons, often dictated by the client’s financial availability, but saving money at all costs doesn’t always yield good results, just as an expensive venue doesn’t guarantee good outcomes or customer satisfaction. In this article, we will analyze the specific characteristics of the different categories of brothels that exist. I must emphasize that I have tried them all, even multiple times, and I won’t be talking about “hot air” or “word of mouth from a friend’s friend’s cousin,” but I will aim to provide an overview based on real experiences, leaving my personal tastes aside as much as possible to offer impartial and objective judgments.

LOFT: A term also used to define “Pay” girls working in private apartments. Essentially, this category is divided into two subgroups: independent lofts and agency lofts. The so-called independent lofts are women who typically operate primarily in the city where they live and often work in privately owned apartments. This results in them having a generally loyal clientele with many regular customers. Typically, the independent loft works alone, without other colleagues in the house, as they often operate in the home where they live. On the other hand, agency lofts are less stationary and stay in one place only for short periods, sometimes even for just a few days. In this case, it’s more appropriate to speak of Escorts who temporarily operate in hotels or in locations provided by various agencies, which also act as intermediaries for appointments between the workers and the final client. Prices are usually different as well; we can say that agency girls generally charge higher fees than independent ones. For example, the average cost of half an hour with an agency loft girl is around 100/200 Euros, and in some cases, the minimum bookable time is at least one hour. Meanwhile, for an independent loft, the average is 50/100 Euros. It should be noted that the risk of being scammed is generally lower with agency Escorts, but the service is not always superior or proportional to the cost. Independent lofts, on the other hand, are not easily categorized when it comes to prices and standard services, because there is no real standard to follow. Some good independent lofts have been operating for years and consistently ask for the same rates while providing excellent service, whereas others are less consistent over time, changing their rates and the services offered multiple times in a year without any justified reason. However, independent lofts tend to build client loyalty and aim to offer good service. Prices, however, are not always lower, and in some cases, they are the same as agency Escorts for half an hour, even reaching 500 Euros for a fully optional hour or even more in the case of special requests. This is because the independent loft category is often frequented by fetishists and those interested in more transgressive practices, as a more consistent client/worker relationship can be established, allowing for better mutual understanding and the opportunity to request things that are typically “not on the menu.” There are also apartments used as “bases” where three or four girls (usually from Eastern European countries) work together, but these are generally passing professionals who rotate frequently. These places appear in industry ads, but they mostly rely on word of mouth among clients, and are always a bit of a gamble. The only advantage is that the rates are usually low, and often these passing lofts consist of women who are barely in their twenties and generally attractive. Another related but parallel category (in cities with a Chinese community) is the “Chinese Loft” category. To be honest, there aren’t many Chinese girls who are both aesthetically pleasing and offer good service; often, their looks leave something to be desired, and the services provided by the Chinese lofts are even inferior to those offered by their colleagues in massage centers. However, with a bit of luck and some experience in spotting scams, it’s possible to find attractive girls who, for a modest fifty (50 euros), offer an experience worthy of the best agency escorts, but without too much concern for the clock. There are also some “street girls” who have an apartment, but since they belong to a separate and questionable category (for various reasons, especially ethical ones, but not only), they will not be considered further, except to mention that they exist and that, personally, I advise against going to them, even though, in my youth, I too occasionally took advantage of their services. For the sake of fairness, it’s important to say that some of the “non-residential” lofts are managed by various kinds of organizations, which can be good in some cases and completely corrupt in others, but we won’t delve into this topic simply because it’s practically impossible to know what’s going on. “behind the scenes” of every single sex worker we will meet and it is not our job to investigate how and why she is there doing that work (just as we would never ask the bricklayer why he’s breaking his back, dirty, on the roof of our house under the August sun instead of being a notary, dressed in a two-thousand-dollar suit in an air-conditioned office with a nice twenty-year-old intern bringing him coffee…).

BROTHEL: Brothel, Casino, Trombodromo, Lupanar, Laufhaus, Puff, Bordel, house of ill repute—many names for the same type of place, a location where prostitutes work. In brothels, people simply go to have sex. These places are often quite large, sometimes entire buildings or houses with four or five floors, or even more. However, there are usually no other forms of entertainment besides sex. In Italy, brothels do not officially exist, as the law effectively prohibits them, but as we’ve seen, there are specific areas where prostitutes regularly operate in apartments designated for this activity, and it is rare to find more than a handful of workers available at any given time. Abroad, however, in countries such as Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and nearby Spain, there are structures specifically dedicated to prostitution, where dozens of women of all races and nationalities work. In some of these brothels, there is a sort of reception area where customers are welcomed and invited to choose a currently available worker. These are brothels with direct management, where standard rates are set for the various services offered. These house rates are applied by all the workers who operate there, and although they are independent from a fiscal point of view, they must accept the rules and conform to them in order to work at these brothels. In German and Austrian Laufhaus (literally “walk houses”), however, the situation is different: there are no standard rates. The girls rent rooms to work, but they are independent in terms of prices, hours, and services offered. Naturally, since they work in the same building, the price differences cannot be too large. For example, while some Laufhaus may charge rates starting from 100 Euros for half an hour (like in Austria or certain Spanish brothels), in other locations, like in most Puff in Frankfurt’s red-light district, the same half-hour may cost as little as 30 or 50 Euros. It’s unlikely to find a worker asking for 30 Euros and another asking for 100 Euros for the same time and services in the same building. There are generally two ways to engage with the workers at these places: you can walk down the hallways on various floors and observe or speak to workers waiting in front of their room doors, or you can look at photos and service descriptions posted outside the rooms and knock if the worker is free. This depends on the type of Laufhaus/brothel you are in. Another characteristic of these places, or at least most of them, is that often entire floors are dedicated to specific categories. For example, one floor may be home to erotic masseuses, another to black girls, and so on. Additionally, in larger establishments, there are entire floors reserved for trans workers, so for fans of this genre, these locations serve as specialized oases. In other parts of the world, there are different types of establishments with other names and possibly additional services, but with the same purpose. Then, there are those areas that can be defined as “open-air brothels,” entire neighborhoods dedicated to the world’s oldest profession and all its variations. However, there are too many to list here, and it would be overly tedious to go into detail about every subcategory of brothel that exists (and obviously, there are some I have yet to try). For now, it is enough to know that they exist.

NIGHT CLUB: A Night Club, and more specifically an Italian-style Night Club, is a type of establishment that, although not explicitly dedicated to prostitution, is essentially a den of prostitutes or aspiring ones waiting for the right customers. Unlike ordinary brothels, these places allow you to spend an evening drinking and chatting with the girls. However, prices are generally high, even if all you want to do is interact with the ladies. By arrangement with the club’s management, they’ll expect you to buy them drinks in exchange for their company for a more or less predetermined amount of time. Some Night Clubs even have dedicated rooms where, once you’ve completed the appropriate alcohol-fueled flirting and agreed on the right price, you can retreat to enjoy that long-awaited fuck in peace (without telling anyone, of course, because technically it would be illegal for the establishment). Others allow the girls to leave the premises during working hours, but in this case, you’ll also have to pay the management something for the inconvenience. It’s impossible to give precise figures here, but one thing is certain: having sex with a Night Club girl will cost you considerably more than the exact same experience in a proper brothel, and the result may often be less satisfying. Italian-style Night Clubs are comparable in many ways to Lap Dance Clubs, although the latter are probably even more devious. That’s because the dancers generally engage in prostitution almost exclusively outside working hours, preferably without the club’s management knowing about it. In these cases, rather than full-time prostitutes, we could easily describe them as professional gold diggers looking for some sucker to fleece in exchange for a fake romantic relationship and sexual favors that will ultimately end up costing absolutely ridiculous amounts of money. In short, when we’re talking about Night Clubs, Erotic Clubs, and Lap Dance Clubs, we’re entering a minefield. In some respects, these establishments are similar to brothels, since paid sex is an everyday occurrence. In reality, however, everything is much more complicated, considerably more expensive, and far riskier for anyone who becomes emotionally involved in a convincing fairy tale… Night Clubs in countries where prostitution is legal and the laws governing it are clearly defined are an entirely different matter. In these cases, such as the various establishments belonging to the Austrian Babylon chain, we’re simply talking about rather luxurious venues that operate more or less like any other club where you can drink, eat, and socialize. The only substantial difference is that the girls working there are there to do a job, and their job is to have sex with you and entertain you during your time at the club. Even among these establishments, however, there are several categories, ranging from the aforementioned luxurious Babylon clubs, which offer first-class services, all the way down to more modest, lower-end Night Clubs. The latter are strange hybrids between old-fashioned little brothels and modern Contact Bars, frequented mainly at night by regular customers and local residents rather than occasional visitors.

CONTACT BAR: In simple terms… Take a bar, fill it with escorts, and add some rooms. There you have it, a Contact Bar or Contact Club, as it’s sometimes called. This type of venue is a cross between the classic Italian Night Clubs and the German-style FKK clubs. In contact bars, there are no bathrobes and no saunas or wellness services, but the ways of engaging with sex workers are pretty much the same as in FKK sauna clubs. Unlike the aforementioned Italian Night Clubs, here the goal of the girls is also to entertain the customer in the main area to get noticed, but they are not interested in making you spend a lot of money on expensive drinks, as they are only interested in getting you into a room for at least half an hour.
There are various types of Contact Clubs, some more refined, others more basic, but essentially they are all places where you go to hang out with the purpose of having sex with the girls who are waiting for nothing more (of course, for the appropriate financial compensation). The prices for services are generally in line with those of independent sex workers, usually around 100€ for a standard session. It’s not a fixed rule, but the average is typically this. Essentially, they are brothels, but for many regular customers, they’re a bit like the bar down the street, where instead of reading the newspaper, chatting up the bartenders, or having an aperitif, you can relax between sexual encounters, drink something, and without spending exorbitant amounts of money.

SAUNACLUB FKK: commonly knows as Trombodromi or FKK, these are generally large structures equipped with various services. The venues can be furnished and divided in many different ways; in some FKKs, the wellness area is very well-designed and complete, while in others, the sauna and relaxation aspect is more of a secondary concern. A large portion of these venues has an outdoor area, with or without a swimming pool. Some have accessories ranging from simple gazebos to wooden houses or tents where you can be alone with the girls. Others feature a beach volleyball court, a bar, and even a fake sand beach.
To use these venues and their respective services, you pay an entrance fee, which generally includes access to all areas of the venue, a locker to store your clothes, and a set of slippers and a bathrobe. Usually, the buffet and non-alcoholic drinks at the bar are also included. Upon entering these places, the main scene is almost always the same: a multitude of attractive girls, often from various ethnic backgrounds.
In sauna clubs, the social time typically happens in the main room, which is usually the bar area. This is a great place to socialize with the girls before heading to the rooms or to chat with other patrons. However, in almost all sauna clubs, part of the interactions also take place in the “porno cinema” room or Kino (from German), and naturally, in the outdoor area if available.
Once you’ve chosen who you want to spend time with, simply inform her, and upon request, she will provide her personal price list. It should be noted that in almost all cases, the prices are time-based (half an hour, one hour, etc.), and any additional extras proposed may or may not be accepted by both parties.
In short, FKK Sauna Clubs are Wellness and Entertainment Oases where a man can find everything he’s looking for to unplug and forget about the outside world for a while.

GO GO BAR: A Go Go Bar is similar in many ways to any other Night Club or Lap Dance venue, but it’s not exactly the same thing. In a Go Go Bar, there’s no entrance fee, but ordering drinks is mandatory. As soon as you take a seat, you must order something to drink, and then you’ll need to order more drinks at regular intervals for the duration of your stay in the venue. Go Go Bars always feature one or more stages/platforms/runways of various shapes and sizes, often surrounded by stools and equipped with lap dance poles and other accessories depending on the theme of the venue, where the girls perform or dance in various shows. The girls working in Go Go Bars are usually young, beautiful, and fit, as they are often scantily dressed and need to have a certain aesthetic appeal to attract customers. To take a girl (or a ladyboy, depending on the venue) out of the bar, you also have to pay a Barfine, which should be requested from the so-called Mamasan, who is the person in charge of the girls. Go Go Bars are strictly night-time venues and are generally more expensive than other types of establishments dedicated to male entertainment.

BEER BAR / POOL BAR: A Thai classic. Essentially, these are bars that open from early afternoon until late at night. They’re often open-air, although some are indoors and many are a combination of the two. Here, you can enjoy beer at reasonable prices and spend time with the girls (or, in many cases, ladyboys) who work at the bar as entertainers and waitresses. It’s not just possible but actually quite common to find these bars concentrated along a single street or grouped together in clusters of similar establishments, lined up side by side to form something resembling a small entertainment district. You’re not obliged to buy drinks for the girls working at the bar, but if you want to interact with them, it’s good practice to do so. Pool Bars are simply an alternative version featuring one or more American-style pool tables, hence the name. Apart from that, they operate in exactly the same way as Beer Bars. Generally speaking, the girls in these establishments tend to be less attractive than those working in Go-Go Bars. The main characteristic of Pool Bars, however, is their relatively peaceful atmosphere. They’re much more relaxed, interactions with the girls are less sexually explicit, and they’re generally a little less chaotic than other nightlife venues. Of course, there are exceptions, and some establishments boast a seriously impressive lineup of girls. In those cases, however, prices usually go up accordingly.

BJ BAR / PUMP STATION / PINK SALON: Found all over Thailand, these establishments go by different names and have a few minor differences, but essentially, they’re places where oral sex is offered. BJ Bars first appeared several decades ago as bars where, after ordering a drink, you could also enjoy some reasonably priced oral service from one of the girls, literally under the counter. However, for various reasons, this practice has largely disappeared. Nowadays, although they still retain the name BJ Bar, these establishments are essentially simple “Blowjob Parlors,” or what English speakers call Pump Stations (from pumping station), where pretty much the only service you’ll receive is fellatio (a blowjob, BJ, getting head, being sucked off, a good old-fashioned suck job, call it whatever you like). Pump Stations are a great classic of the Land of Smiles, but they’re not exclusive to Thailand. You can also find them in the Philippines, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries. In Japan, meanwhile, there are Pink Salons, which essentially offer the same service. However, this type of establishment has also been exported to other countries to cater to Japanese customers, such as in Bangkok’s Japanese district. They generally offer a higher standard in terms of the girls’ appearance and any additional service options available, but consequently, prices also tend to be slightly higher. Every establishment has its own prices and particular features, but generally speaking, rates start at around 800 baht for Pump Stations and 1,300 baht for Pink Salons, roughly €20 to €30.

Well, now that you know a bit more, it’s time for you to fill in the remaining gaps; go out and try as many places as possible. Each new venue can offer wonderful surprises, from the most humble brothel to the most renowned club. The important thing is not to focus too much on a single spot, as you risk becoming desensitized and losing part of the fun, which is the thrill of discovery and meeting new situations and people. This is obviously a personal piece of advice, but from my point of view, it’s also the right approach to fully enjoy your sexual adventures without taking yourself too seriously and without getting too attached to predefined places or situations. And even though, to be honest, sometimes it’s inevitable to prefer one venue over another, the mere fact of having more points of comparison will undoubtedly help us appreciate the venues and the girls that truly deserve it.