Running a legal brothel where it's illegal...sorta

DRBUZZ0

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I'm not writing this as a joke. I'm really not. Because something had occurred to me. Brothels are cash cows. Prostitution is the sort of thing that just can't not drag in money. Sex sells and many are willing to pay for it. Those who have a lot to spend are often willing to spend it on sex. It's the sort of business that is universal in it's solvency, in good times and bad in recessions and booms. There's a reason why adult entertainment companies always rake it in.

But in the US, prostitution is illegal in all major cities. (personally I think this is stupid and I'm pretty libertarian in my views in general) In Nevada it is legal in some counties and the brothels there and their working girls (in a few cases guys) make a lot.

What if you could operate such a brothel in, say, New York City? A place where clients could come, without fearing being arrested and do the business in the open and safely. Someplace clean, with privacy and safety. Where those working were tested regularly for STD's and customers were required to use protection and where records were kept, though confidential, to assure better safety from possible unknown transmission.

A place which was well lit, that could take credit cards and checks and where there was no requirement for a hotel room or something. Instead private rooms and a lounge, bar and such for afterward. Overnight bedrooms of course, for those who might want to have overnight company or simply be acomidated afterward.

A good reputation, professional, with professional security guards and bouncers to assure that no conflicts could get nasty. This would be a huge difference from picking up someone on a streetcornor, avoiding sting operations, and being concerned about violence, STD's and all the other nasty sides of things. Having the only such place in a major city seems like it could not possibly fail to bring in the money.

But how could you do that openly in a place where prostitution is illegal?

In the 1920's alcohol was illegal in the US, but there was one way in places like New York to have a nice evening of drinks without violating the law. One only needed to take the short trip to international waters in what was called a "Booze Cruise."

So why not the same for prostitution? Deals not made until outside US jurisdiction, on a nice boat with private staterooms. If it grew to a large enough buisness oen could even have a large vessle offshore with smaller boats ferrying customers to and from the floating brothel. High rollers by private water taxi or even helicpoter.

Of course, this would also be an excellent venue for a cassino and some duty-free shopping as well. I see no reason why this would be illegal. Laws in international waters are a complicated patchwork of treaties and traditional commonlaws. Major crimes may get prosecuted in the home port of a vessel or by an international court. However, prostitution does not violate international law. It's legal in many nations.
 
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Can I rent an illegal blogger?


Excellent idea - if it functions fully as you suggest.
 
One only needed to take the short trip to international waters in what was called a "Booze Cruise."

So why not the same for prostitution?
Or, why? Methinks the degreee of "needed" isn't as large as you might think.

If you seriously think this market suffers from a shortage of supply, open the YellowPages in any fair-sized city to "Escort", "Dating", "Entertainment", etc. I'll wager they're not all, nor even mostly, sting operations.

The mantle of legality you suggest cruising to international waters would gain comes at high capital, operating, and liabilty costs. Boats ain't cheap to aquire, maintain and run, particularly not for passenger service. You'd add another -- or several -- layer of regulatory concerns for the boat and cruise, over and above those for the "core" business.

I suspect potential market would shrink, too. Weather would gain a bigger impact on your business; steep seas shift many folks' priorities noticeably. Discretion, which I suspect is reasonably important to a large part of the market, becomes more difficult if clientele must arrive and depart en masse during port calls. You'll have to include other diversions to keep pending and finished customers amused between transport runs to the beach. I don't know about you, but when I can't arrive and depart independently I feel frustrated and insecure (one of many reasons I don't like air travel and prefer to drive up to 500 mi or so).

All this effort, cost, and risk to do it legally just might not be worth it when sub-legal brothels operate handily onshore. Even if the risks and operating costs are comparable after considering "facilitation" costs and prosecution risks for extralegal onshore operations, I'd expect the capital investment required for offshore operations would tip the balance.
 
There's a reason why adult entertainment companies always rake it in.

Don't be so sure. I have a cousin on the production/direction side of the porn industry and the hours are grueling, the people dishonest, and the cash hard to hold on to. There is a lot of money flying around the industry, but also a lot of hands grabbing for it. Getting rich in that game is actually quite difficult.

[/Quote]What if you could operate such a brothel in, say, New York City? A place where clients could come, without fearing being arrested and do the business in the open and safely. Someplace clean, with privacy and safety. Where those working were tested regularly for STD's and customers were required to use protection and where records were kept, though confidential, to assure better safety from possible unknown transmission.
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But how could you do that openly in a place where prostitution is illegal?
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I've often wondered the same. Making movies seems to be more or less legal, why not use that as a front for prostitution? You make the movie, you seal it up and send it off with the client as "art".
 
Or, why? Methinks the degreee of "needed" isn't as large as you might think.

If you seriously think this market suffers from a shortage of supply, open the YellowPages in any fair-sized city to "Escort", "Dating", "Entertainment", etc. I'll wager they're not all, nor even mostly, sting operations.

Understood, but still doing it openly has the up-and-up no-STD's thing going. I mean when it's on the downlow youn dont know who you're dealing with.


You'll have to include other diversions to keep pending and finished customers amused between transport runs to the beach. I don't know about you, but when I can't arrive and depart independently I feel frustrated and insecure (one of many reasons I don't like air travel and prefer to drive up to 500 mi or so).

Oh no no no. It's not about "having to provide diversions" it's an "opportunity" to offer gambling duty free drinking and maybe even a hash bar.
 
Understood, but still doing it openly has the up-and-up no-STD's thing going.
<shrug> I'm not ready to believe the "no-STD's thing", but will submit that it offers promise for reducing that particular Bad Thing.
I mean when it's on the downlow youn dont know who you're dealing with.
If by "you" who doesn't know you mean the client: I suggest that's (a) a marketing consideration not intrinsically inaccessible to illegitimate operations, and (b) that it's not a sufficiently powerful marketing consideration to offset the cost and complexity of cruise operations for legitimacy's sake.
If by "you" you mean the operator: I expect that successful illegitimate brothel operators know quite well who they're dealing with on the enforcement side (more precisely, that those who don't won't be very successful for very long).
Oh no no no. It's not about "having to provide diversions" it's an "opportunity" to offer gambling duty free drinking and maybe even a hash bar.
The hash-bar thing suffers from all manner of controlled-substance issues (USCG routinely boards vessels outside territorial waters to search for such things, and what to do with the inventory during port calls), but that's another discussion and not central to your point: multiple attractions could piggyback on junkets/cruises between jurisdictions where their legality differs.

I'll go along with that point; as you noted, casino-cruises have already demonstrated the viability of such a business model (with real ships sailing out into the ocean as well as the thinly-formalized moored barges on the Mississippi River). An added "attraction" (e.g. happydeck) wouldn't have to fully fund the cruise operation if another attraction (e.g. casino) could bear that load. Of course, a rational operator would weigh the relative merits of adding a secondary attraction (e.g. happydeck) against using that space to expand the primary cash cow (e.g. casino), but that's an implementation detail.

I seriously doubt that a brothel-cruise, on its own, could compete with sub-legal onshore operations, though. If you've got the cornfield to spare, though, build it and they may come (pun apropos but unintended).
 
I seriously doubt that a brothel-cruise, on its own, could compete with sub-legal onshore operations, though. If you've got the cornfield to spare, though, build it and they may come (pun apropos but unintended).

Well, for one thing I have neither the funds nor a large ship lying around. I thought it was an interesting concept because I tend to think prostitution is the sort of thing that is really both impossible and counter-productive to try to outlaw and cuts to the root of how a society its role in controlling people's decisions and lives.

That having been said... I don't actually like the idea of the concept as such enough that I would want to be known as a floating pimp. I wouldn't really want to be involved in porno either. Not that I see it as something that is inherently wrong... I'd just prefer to make my fortune elsewhere.
 
you could always become a prostitute instead of going through all the trouble of setting up a brothel.
 
Here in the UK, prostitution is not illegal but the advertising of sevices is. If laws like that exist, in NY, your cruise would be sunk.
 
Where I live, not only is prostitution legal, also there are advertisements for it in the paper. The words fetish and fantasy are used in some ads. Noticed one ad in the job vacancy notices as well.
 
Wouldn't a topless carwash be easier? Client never get out of the cars, girls stay isolated from weird men. They put on a show and wash your car. You can sell web cam time. Tape it and sell the videos.
 
Around here the Asian Massage Parlors are brothels.

Definitely against the law, but they operate pretty openly.
 
Around here the Asian Massage Parlors are brothels.

Definitely against the law, but they operate pretty openly.

Ditto in SC...may get raided once in a couple years or so, they just lie low for awhile and go back to business as usual, maybe aren't allowed to advertise as offering massages anymore. I've never seen an 'out of business' sign on one.
 
My neighborhood had until recently two "Oriental Massage Parlors". They'd been there for years, and I'm not aware of the closing of one being related to legal troubles. Despite having modest neon signs, they're otherwise pretty nondescript and blend in with surrounding businesses.

Porn movies are traditionally a pretty strong industry locally. I've sometimes wondered if one could operate a brothel as a sort of amateur "movie studio", with lots of rehearsal space, and for a modest extra fee, a DVD of one's performance. The bulk of the money being made for rental of the rehearsal space.
 
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