Category: Legal Brothels

Got questions about legal prostitution in Nevada? Of course you do! Shelby Star, a licensed courtesan at Dennis Hof’s Love Ranch North, receives dozens of emails every day from men, women, and couples interested in learning more about America’s legal sex industry. A lot of people are interested in procuring the services of sex workers for a wide variety of reasons, but many don’t know where to go to get the accurate information they need to make the best decisions regarding their sex lives.

Now, in a regular video series, Shelby is going to answer all of your Twitter questions! Tweet your questions to her at @ShelbyStar4 and Shelby will respond to your inquiries in her next video. As always, if you prefer to keep your question private, you can contact Shelby discreetly via email at [email protected].

Don’t be shy! No topic is off-limits and no question is too racy! Now’s your chance to satisfy your curiosity about the sexy and salacious world of legal prostitution in Nevada.

For years, an invisible sector of society has shared their sexual secrets with the ladies of Nevada’s legal brothels. The sexuality of people with disabilities is invisible because they are often perceived as beings who do not engage in sex and do not have sexual desires. As a legal courtesan working at a Nevada Brothel, I’m here to tell you first-hand that this is far from the truth.

In today’s society, we oftentimes judge someone first by their outward appearance. This is even more true when it comes to things like dating and sex. We seek out those with conventionally desirable traits- and overlook those that lack traditional sex appeal. What happens when someone has visually noticeable differences- be that a mobility device, a missing limb, or an otherwise perceived physical or mental “flaw”? They get overlooked. Their sexual desires may not be met. Perhaps they may even feel uncomfortable viewing themselves as sexual beings, because society has repressed disabled sexuality for so long. Despite having the physical, mental, and emotional desire to be with someone, society overlooks and belittles that desire. In the media- we see a lot of these “feel good” stories, which casts the abled-bodied person as being a savior, hero, or an overall good person for choosing to engage in sexual or romantic relations with someone who isn’t able-bodied. This isn’t one of those stories. This post is about the reality of a portion of society that are under-sexed, and have been paying to have their needs met by legal sex workers, such as myself.

Why do some people with disabilities seek out sex workers?

Everyone is a sexual being, and everyone deserves to have their sexual desires fulfilled. In my experience, as someone who services a variety of people with disabilities on a monthly basis, I’ve discovered that these clients have as diverse sexual interests as anyone else, from BDSM to specialty fetishes like sexual role play and crossdressing. So, many people with disabilities are faced not only with the social stigma of being labeled as non-sexual, but also sometimes face the additional challenge of desiring a non-traditional sexual outlet. Clients with disabilities seek out sex workers for the same reason anyone else does: because they want to have their unique sexual desires met.

I’m aware of the common challenges that some people with disabilities face when exploring their sexuality. My goal is to be a safe person for someone to be with, regardless of any physical or mental differences. I openly welcome and invite everyone to come and spend time with me here at Dennis Hof’s Sagebrush Ranch because it is a safe place for all to visit. We are an ADA compliant facility- complete with extra-large doorways, easy to maneuver hallways, and an entry ramp. We work with those who have sensory processing issues – if the background music is too much for you to handle, we will adjust the volume. If you prefer the bedroom lights to be brighter or darker, not a problem. Additionally, I’ve taken training classes on how to assist someone with their mobility devices, and help assist them with mobility. For me, it’s not about being a ‘good person’ by offering such services, it’s a matter of equality. To me, those with different abilities are entitled to the same services my other clients receive, and will always be treated as equals.

What it’s like working with a disabled client

There are some unique difficulties and rewards associated with working with clients with disabilities. Sometimes I need to adjust my method of communication. For example, I may have a client who is unable to vocally communicate, and instead uses a touch pad. Rather than verbally explaining and negotiating, I’ll use their preferred method to explain everything. Sometimes negotiations involve caretakers or family members, who are assisting the person to the ranch. With me, caretakers/family members are always welcome, and always made to feel at home at the brothel. Depending on the level of need, the caretaker can be in the room during the session to assist with mobility issues, health issues, or communication barriers. This never costs extra, as the caretaker isn’t sexually involved. Here at Sagebrush, our Fantasy Suite has an attached outdoor patio where the carer can wait, and occasionally check in on the other person without disturbing the intimacy happening in the room. Another difficulty can be helping someone to overcome the social stigma against their sexuality. I encourage my clients to open up about prior experiences if they feel comfortable doing so, which allows me to better understand where they are coming from. I also love to find out what aspects of sex are most appealing- what positions they are interested in trying, and any other special desires. The rewarding part for me is knowing that as a legal sex worker, I am able to meet someone’s needs. I am able to be there for them, and be a partner with them during intercourse. We come together as equals in the bedroom, and share in one of the most pleasurable activities life has to offer. I am able to offer a service no other professional can: intimacy, sexuality, and companionship.

Whenever a person with disabilities comes to see me, I always take extra time to explain exactly how things will work to help remove the discomfort factor. For clients who may have psychological differences, I always explain what sexual acts we will engage in, and actively get consent from that person. Caretakers may be involved in this conversation, but they cannot give consent for the other person. In the past I have worked with clients who are on the autism spectrum, who have downs syndrome, and those who have PTSD. I find my encounters with such clients to be incredibly positive, wonderful, and I learn so much about myself during my time with them. The experience is about them as sexual beings: their wants, desires, passions, and interests. It’s about helping them explore being sexual with another person, and being able to help them make wonderful memories. Each encounter is uniquely personalized to suit each person’s situation and needs. I am knowledgeable about adaptive sex positions for those with limited mobility, and I love being able to share that experience with someone. It’s such an intimate and personal experience! When I think of my time with disabled clients, I think of the man who is paralyzed from the waist down, who was still able to be on top during intercourse. I think of the attractive gentleman who returned home from Iraq, and wanted to redefine himself as a sexual being despite missing limbs. I smile and remember dear friends, and people that I’ve made such deep personal relationships with, and have connected with.

I welcome those with different abilities to come into the Ranch, and for those carers, caretakers, and family members who are looking after someone with different abilities to contact me. I’d love to have a conversation, and get to know more about you. Who you are as a person is what is more appealing and attractive to me. I promise in return to always respect you, treat you as an equal, and to give you an amazing experience here at the Ranch. You’ll notice that this isn’t just a blog post about people with disabilities and their sexuality – it specifically speaks to such people as well. To speak of someone, but not speak to them is to devalue them. Simply put: People with disabilities are sexual beings too, and are equally welcomed at Nevada’s brothels – and I’m more than willing to help you have an equally amazing experience during your visit here.

One of the most significant events in the history of Nevada’s vice industries occurred on May 26^th, 2016. A vision on par with Bugsy Siegel’s aspiration of opening the Flamingo nightclub and transforming Las Vegas into a destination for decadence and depravity. Brothel mogul Dennis Hof, with the grand re-opening of the Kit Kat Ranch, has fulfilled his dream of creating a modern mecca for misconduct: America’s Red Light District.

The re-opening of the fully renovated Kit Kat bordello completes a quartet of distinguished adult entertainment destinations that make up the only legal Red Light District in the United States. Located in a cul-de-sac at the end of Kit Kat Drive in Nevada’s Lyon County, randy visitors to this new Reno area attraction are welcomed by brilliantly illuminated signs for the Kit Kat and two other acclaimed legal brothels, the Love Ranch North and the Sagebrush Ranch. To whet the appetite of those who may not be ready to get down and dirty straight away, a lush strip club, Madam Suzette’s Red Light Cabaret, can also be found in the District.

It’s worth mentioning that the most famous brothel in the world is also located nearby. Dennis Hof’s internationally renowned Moonlite Bunny Ranch, subject of the popular HBO series Cathouse, can be found just down the road off “Exit 69.”

So, what does this mean for men, women, and couples searching for erotic excitement? It’s time to party!

The Premier Sex Tourism Destination in the United States

The launch of America’s Red Light District has transformed sex tourism forever. Continental vacationers looking for pay-to-play sex no longer need to travel abroad or risk their health and safety by visiting unscrupulous retreats in Southeast Asia or the Dominican Republic, locations rife with high rates of sex trafficking and sexually transmitted diseases. Now, these travelers can relax and enjoy hot All-American sex right here in Nevada, where prostitution has been successfully regulated for nearly half a century. The Bunny Ranch and the brothels that make up America’s Red Light District are the safest places to have sex with a desirable stranger. Due to the Silver State’s exemplary health standards, no one has ever contracted an STD as a result of an encounter with a sex worker at a legal Nevada brothel, and Dennis Hof’s establishments have an impeccable reputation for maintaining the highest degree of safety, privacy, and customer service.

All of the sex dens in America’s Red Light District offer services for people from all walks of life, from the “lunch break quickie” to the full VIP treatment. Each brothel is equipped with numerous specialty rooms and VIP suites for tourists seeking an extended passionate encounter or a thoroughly immersive sex vacation.

Girls, Girls, Girls! (and more Girls!)

With three licensed brothels located within walking distance of one another, the selection of sexual partners is virtually unlimited! There are hundreds of women working at Dennis Hof’s brothels at any given time, each hand selected by Hof and his General Manager, Madam Suzette, to ensure that the ladies working in America’s Red Light District are the most beautiful and talented sex workers on the planet.

Searching for a girl who caters to your foot fetish? America’s Red Light District has her. Are you an adult virgin looking for a patient, sensitive woman specialized in deflowering and educating guys like you? She can be found on Kit Kat Drive. Are you feeling lonely and craving the intimacy and connection of a Girlfriend Experience? Are you a couple looking for an additional sex participant so that you and your husband can experience your first threesome? Or maybe you just want to bang it out hardcore and get your rocks off with a bona fide porn star? The District has a diverse selection of doxies catering to all of these amorous activities and many, many more. If you desire it, you can experience it at America’s Red Light District.

Not Just Sex – A Never-Ending Adventure!

Shortly after Dennis Hof purchased the Bunny Ranch in 1993, he shifted the Nevada brothel paradigm and changed American prostitution forever. Thanks to Hof, what once were considered shameful businesses whose owners were encouraged to keep a low profile for fear of rattling the status quo, are now celebrated, highly respected institutions valued for their contribution to a society that has lived under intense sexual repression for far too long.

How did Hof do it? Among other things, he understood that sex is actually just one aspect of the brothel experience. Hof knew that his customers were also searching for the camaraderie found in a genuinely friendly setting, the liberty that comes with being part of a nonjudgmental environment, and the excitement of a nonstop, balls-out party. His motto, “Not just sex – an adventure,” extends to America’s Red Light District – and the adventure never ends, literally. The District is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

America’s Red Light District is a sex-positive environment, an adult Disneyland where everyone’s fantasies, no matter how lewd, come true. A hedonistic playground where libidinous adults can let loose, do what they really want to do, and be who they really are. It’s paradise on Earth, and it’s open for business.

I have had a fascination with the sex industry since youth, first with strippers and porn stars. When I turned 18, I immediately visited the local strip club, awed by the air of confidence and “I-don’t-give-a-shit” attitude of the brazen women on stage. I wanted to be around them, get to know them, be one of them. The fascination quickly turned to legal prostitutes as soon as I saw HBO’s Cathouse series. Who were these fierce women in the desert selling sex, and open enough to be on television? Shortly after first seeing Cathouse, I completed a Masters in clinical psychology and began a doctorate in the same. I was receiving clinical training via an Ivy League university and excelling in the program. At that time I also discovered webcam work, and began to play with dildos on the internet for strangers to pay for school. I was always terrified that a patient from the hospital would see me online. Despite my apprehensions, my desire to study the industry grew as did my involvement in it. I became more public about my interest in sex work. This was not popular in my current academic program. So, I did what seemed natural to me but insane to everyone else; dropped out of a doctorate program with very little notice and moved over 2,000 miles away to the one state where I could study legal prostitution- Nevada.

Christina, the PhD student

 When I dropped out, I had not even been accepted into another doctorate program yet, which is probably why one of my professors asked me if I was on drugs. I was obsessed with getting into UNLV’s Sociology program; a program with prominent prostitution researchers, also known to be sex-worker friendly. In case of rejection, my back-up plan was to keep trying. I got in on my first try, but now I needed a way to get into the brothels. My goal was to interview legal prostitutes in several brothels to find out more about their lives at work, thoughts on clients, and the mechanics of intimacy and authenticity in their line of work.

Naively, I went to a few brothels and explained who I was, and asked if I could live in the brothel from time to time, pay rent, and interview any girls who were willing. After a few rejections, I went to Dennis Hof’s Alien Cathouse with the same speech. The manager told me that I would be able to conduct interviews as a working girl. What!? I had secretly entertained the possibility, but was nervous about the professional ramifications. I had some in-depth conversations with advisors, and went through the proper procedures to gain approval from the University’s ethics committee. The project was ready to go! I was to live in the brothel, work as a prostitute, and interview other working girls.

This was almost 3 years ago, and in that span of time I have collected over 50 interviews from 5 (out of 7) of Hof’s brothels, and have worked on and off in 3 of them. I just completed my third year in the PhD program, and also teach sociology and statistics to undergraduates. My students and professors all know what I do; I am free. I no longer have to hide, and I am proud to say that I am a legal prostitute. I love the job, the environment, and the other women. It has been an incredible experience, both working in and studying the industry. I am still collecting data, but I will share what I believe to be one of my most surprising findings. Approximately 70% of legal prostitutes are having orgasms with their clients, rather than faking. The melding of the authentic and the commercial continues to be a topic of interest.

Vienna, the sex worker

 In the brothels, I work under the name Goddess Vienna, and specialize in BDSM/fetish, the “porn star experience,” Nuru massage, and couples parties. I get a rush every time I put on my leather or lingerie; curl my hair and glue on those big fake lashes. Essentially, I am playing a character, living out a fantasy while fulfilling those of others. Christina the researcher is still under the surface though, fascinated and taking mental field notes. When Christina is tired from grading and studying all day, Vienna can come out to play, and my day goes from books about bordellos to being a Goddess in one. I can leave the books behind, and that can be a huge relief. As a PhD student, most days are quite high stress, but as a Dominatrix, I can resolve the urges to scream and tear my hair out by being a sadist at work with consenting adults who also feel relieved by the service I provide. I remember having a man on the St Andrew’s Cross at the Love Ranch Vegas, thrashing him at full force with my leather flogger. He was relieved to not be in control, and I felt powerful playing out the scene while also making his fantasy into a reality. There is a beauty and relief in the power exchange.

The truest benefit of Vienna is that she allows me to see the industry from the inside out; I am much more than an objective observer. I am living it, breathing it, working it, having sex for it. Few prostitution researchers have taken the leap from researcher to prostitute, and while I wholeheartedly believe it is possible to study the industry as an “outsider,” my insider perspective affords me a different kind of knowledge; an experiential knowledge, and that is priceless.

 

In January of 2016, during an interview with the Howard Stern Show, reality TV star Khloe Kardashian opened up about her marriage with NBA player Lamar Odom and how she felt about his much-publicized drug overdose at Dennis Hof’s Love Ranch brothel.

“I said [to Lamar], ‘listen, you do whatever the fuck you want to do but please promise me you’ll never go back to a disgusting brothel again,” Kardashian told Howard Stern. “And if you want to pay someone, you could pay someone in the privacy of your hotel!”

Apparently the fashion and fitness icon has some pretty negative opinions of legal Nevada sex dens. So negative that she prefers her cheating spouses to procure the services of illegal prostitutes over the licensed variety.

Let’s look at a few brief facts about these “disgusting” legal brothels and the Lamar Odom scandal, and see if we can help Kardashian see things more clearly.

Legal brothels are safe, professional, and healthy

The prostitutes working at the Love Ranch and Dennis Hof’s other legal brothels are far from “disgusting,” at least as far as their health and professional standing are concerned. Sex workers are required by law to be tested weekly for sexually transmitted diseases. All prostitutes at Nevada brothels practice safe sex and condoms are mandatory. There has never been a case of a customer contracting an STD or HIV as a result of visiting a Nevada brothel.

Legal Nevada hookers also undergo a strict background check in order to receive their Sheriff’s card and business license. No one with a serious criminal history is permitted to be a legal sex worker. There are stricter health and legal requirements imposed on licensed Nevada prostitutes than on reality TV performers like Kardashian. In other words, it’s safer for Lamar Odom to have sex with one of Dennis Hof’s prostitutes than it is for him to have sex with Khloe.

Legal brothels are drug-free

Nevada brothels like the Love Ranch do not allow any illegal substance on brothel property. All of Dennis Hof’s establishments are drug-free. Which is why when Hof invited Lamar to return to the Love Ranch, it was under the condition that Odom does not bring illegal drugs into the bordello.

Customers are not searched when they arrive at a Nevada brothel, just like visitors aren’t searched when they check in to most hotels. So, unfortunately, it is possible for a customer to bring illegal drugs into a brothel. As in Odom’s case, if the customer uses drugs while alone in his private suite, his clandestine drug use can go undetected for a long time.

Sadly, addicts like Lamar Odom often overdose. They can overdose in a five-star hotel, in the bathroom of a Walmart, or in a Nevada brothel. It’s not the location that’s at fault, it’s the addict. Sorry Khloe, but the only person to blame in the Love Ranch situation is Odom himself.

Lamar Odom is Alive BECAUSE he went to a Legal Nevada Brothel

Lamar Odom OD’d at a legal establishment that has no reason to fear law enforcement. Because of this fact, when Odom was discovered unconscious, brothel employees immediately called 911 and took steps to get Odom the medical attention he needed.

Imagine if he overdosed with an illegal prostitute at any hotel in Las Vegas. How can Kardashian be so sure that an illegal escort would call 911 to save Odom (and risk getting arrested) instead of fleeing the scene of the overdose? Kardashian seems to believe that Odom would be better off with an unlicensed street walker in a hotel. Why?

No one expects Khloe Kardashian to go public as an advocate for legalized prostitution, that’s probably not good for her image as a high-class sex tape maker. But to call legal brothels “disgusting” while at the same time advocating the hiring of an illegal prostitute is just moronic. Kardashian should be thanking the brothel workers who saved her husband’s life, not insulting them.

Photo of Kardashian By Toglenn (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons