Helloo, so happy to have you back with me for another week of musings about working in the intimacy industry!
Something you may be wondering is where we providers see our clients.
I do want to note there are other avenues in which providers do their work which I don’t cover here, such as stripclubs and online spaces. Maybe I’ll make a video touching on those another time, comment if you’re interested.
For now, I’ll be talking specifically about full service intimacy providing, which in my experience uses the terms “incall” and “outcall” to designate what type of environment the provider will be working in with their client. For context, a client might text asking “hello do you have an incall location?” or “hey are you available for an outcall?”.
Ok more realistically, you’ll get “hey babe you avail where’s incall”. I’d say for about every twenty people who contact me, one turns into a booking. I’ve received plenty of silly messages we could laugh at together, perhaps in another episode.
But alas, however they’re going to word it, it’s important to understand what these terms mean, and where you’ll be going.
Where do intimacy providers work?
What does it mean when a provider says incall or outcall? How can you set up these spaces, in ways that are safe and ideally profitable?
Let’s start with the second term, it’s easiest to explain…
What’s an “outcall”?
An outcall is when you go to the client. They could be at their home or hotel, possibly another location, but those are the two main ones I’ve seen.
Whenever I’m booking a new client, I always screen. For me, personally, that means either a selfie holding photo ID or a message through an established LinkedIn account. I know other providers who accept a reference from a worker the client has seen before or a quick phone/video call to gauge the client’s vibe. If you’re currently working in the industry and use another method, I’d love to hear about what you’re doing in the comments!
I also ask for an e-transfer or gift card deposit. Sometimes for incalls, especially when they are last minute, I’m more flexible about not getting the deposit, though I always always screen.
While I can be flexible in those situations, for outcalls, I never leave until I have this deposit. Particularly as I don’t have a car, taking sometimes pricey Ubers, I want to be sure that at the minimum I have this expense paid.
In my newer working days, I had a client convince me that he couldn’t pay via online methods, but would provide the full payment up front in cash when I arrived. I gave in and took a $50 Uber to his home… Where he told me he didn’t have the money. He “forgot” that his friend had it all. Bastard.
After some arguing, I left. I took another $50 Uber home, and so was $100 out. No income, only in the negative.
Everyone works in their own ways, and if you’re comfortable to risk the expense, you do what feels best for you. Personally, I’m now very strict about not going to any client without having at least the travel expense paid in advance.
An added safety tip for outcalls is having a driver.
While I’ve personally never done this, always making my way to clients solo, I do know some workers use this method of enhancing safety.
You can have a friend or someone you pay to drive you to the booking, then wait outside in the car until you’re done. You can text them when you’re in, saying everything is good. The driver would know what time to expect you back, and if they were to not hear from you, they can go investigate.
Again, while I’ve never done this myself, I can definitely see the benefit.
Another tip I have for outcalls is in regards to hygiene.
When someone comes to me for an incall (spoiler alert to that term’s meaning, if you didn’t already assume), I have all my clients shower upon arrival. While they could be a little too quick, not as thorough as I’d like in their cleaning, I know at least they’ve taken some time to wash before I’m all up in their business. Clean is sexy.
With outcalls, I shower right before I leave. Then, when I’m heading out, I message the client that I’m calling my Uber and this would be a great time for them to hop in the shower. I’d like to think most people would know to be squeaky clean before I arrive… But I know this is not the case. So a gentle reminder often seems to do the trick.
So that’s the jist of what an outcall is and a couple tips to make it go smoother… What about an incall?
What’s an “incall”?
This term is referring to a booking in which the client comes to you.
What kind of places do providers use as “incall” locations, you may wonder?
This partially depends on what sort of working structure you are using.
Incalls can include larger businesses, such brothels in countries which have laws allowing these to be established, as well as agencies, which are sometimes allowed, sometimes not, depending on the country.
I had a short two month stint at an agency in Canada. In my country, we follow the semi-legal-semi-illegal Nordic model, where being a third party in the industry is against federal law.
Helping intimacy providers in any way, such as administration like screening and booking clients or being a driver who doubles as a safety net, is illegal. This includes agencies which employ providers, providing them space to work with screened clients and often safety measures in place.
So all that to say, the agency I worked at, in Canada, was running illegally. But they do take place in many of our larger cities, and can be a good option for people who don’t want to do all the self-employed admin work that’s involved in getting and keeping clients.
And what was the incall space where clients saw me like?
My agency had four separate condo units in the same building. It changed which unit I’d work in, depending on who else was booked. There were two nicer one bedroom units, and two very small basic bachelors. I think my first shift I was in the larger one, but then for a while I was always in one of the smalls. As I started to build a client base of regulars, while still collecting new bookings (aka I was busy and therefore bringing in profit for the agency) I was put in the larger units more often.
The admin guy would message me when my client arrived, I would reply when I was ready, they would tell me when they buzzed into the building, and I would message when the client was in. Then at the end of the booking, I would message when they left, so they knew I was ok.
That’s what my experience of an agency incall was like, though I know some others use hotels, and I’m sure there are many other systems.
When I was touring in Australia, I did do one shift at a brothel. As the laws in Australia generally allow these formal businesses, though they differ in some states, these incalls are well established spaces. You can even find and rate them on Google!
The place I briefly encountered was two floors, with a very dark and moody aesthetic. There was reception when you walked in, then a client waiting room and “meet and greet” booths. On the other side was a waiting room for the workers, with a big TV displaying the security cam of the newly arriving clients walking to the desk. Clients would sit in a booth, workers would walk in one at a time and introduce themselves, clients would choose a worker, then they’d go upstairs to one of the incall bedrooms.
These were super well equipped for hygiene and safety. Each had a washroom with a shower and toiletries, very efficient setups for disinfecting between clients like pleather furniture, and an emergency safety button beside the bed to alert security if necessary. Very safe, very hygienic… Yet fairly impersonal and transactional feeling. The worker may be able to mitigate that with their intimacy skills, but personally, I found my very limited experience of this environment to feel too business like for me.
I decided to stick to working as an independent provider, the structure I had started in. Being self-employed and running my own business, I personally get so much more out of my job when I can facilitate connection. I feel that the space we are spending time in together plays a part in sharing the experience and how the connection forms.
When I first started in the industry, at age 22, I was working independently. My small northern Ontario city did not have things like agencies, so this was the only choice. I would post ads, then have strangers over to my small bachelor apartment. I was not aware that I could screen people, especially before giving them my personal address to my home with no safety features like a main entrance buzzer.
Let’s just say I’m very super duper grateful that I have no horror stories to report, despite having put myself in situations in which scary things definitely could have happened.
These days, now at age 30 and with experience in the industry that has made me more informed about how to work safely, my main working spaces are hotels and AirBnb-style apartments.
Hotels can be an easy option, especially if the elevators don’t have key card entry. I like to use large busy locations, so my clients can sneak in, assumingly just another guest of the facility.
I do personally prefer AirBnb type places, as I book ones with laundry machines, so I can wash the sheets and towels between clients. I know many providers who just ask hotels for extras of these, but I myself get nervous that will draw attention to me. I’m staying alone, for only a night or two, and I need five towels and extra sheets? Intimacy providers are not a small group, so I’m sure many hotels suspect people are working and don’t care, but I’m too adverse to confrontation to want to test this out.
I will note, if I’m just going for a short hotel visit, I do sometimes bring a larger than I’d usually need suitcase and some flat sheets, white towels, and a couple pillow cases to lug along with me. And a dirty laundry garbage bag. Then I do the laundry myself later. Up to you and your level of sneaky skills and comfort!
I love getting apartments when I’m longer-term touring, so I can have a kitchen and not eat out all the time. And yes, I also filter the options for ones with a washer and dryer in the unit.
I say “AirBnb style” because I rarely book through that platform itself. Though I’m usually pretty efficient at discretion, or so I believe, depending on the setup of the unit, it can be hard to maintain discretion. Do they buzz my unit from a telecom, I let them in, up the elevator, and they get to me with no hassle? Or do I have to go downstairs and meet them in the lobby? Or maybe I am in a unit of a triplex house and the client just walks up to my side door, past the downstairs tenant who is observing all my visitors in and out? As I like to use AirBnb for my personal travels, I limit using it for work, to avoid bad reviews that may impact my future plans.
I’m not trying to promote certain sites but some larger accommodation booking sites offer not just hotels, but apartments too. And you can book more anonymously, without getting reviews, should someone be observant of your time in the space.
A third option for incalls are renting apartments and condos from other intimacy providers.
These can be tricky to find, especially in smaller cities. I’m currently located in Toronto, which has a big provider scene. Through networking with other workers, particularly facilitated through X, I’ve been able to find condos run by providers who share the space with others.
Whether you pay per client or reserve the space for a full day, these options are great.
They are set up for exactly what we need to work: many sets of sheets and towels, laundry machines, stocked hygiene supplies like soap and mouthwash, etc. They usually have an efficient, discreet way of getting clients to the unit, such as a buzzer system either directly to you or an admin assistant.
Again, these can be hard to come by, but I’ve found them to be a great option for hosting incalls in your city. When I’m touring, hotels and “regular” rental apartments are good, as I also need a place to stay. But when working in a city where I already live? I’d rather put in a good day’s work, then have a cosy sleep in my own bed.
The evolution of working
My independent incall spaces have changed over the years.
Back in my early twenties, when my rates were lower so my expenses had to reflect this for it to be worth it, I stayed at some pretty dingy motels. Also because I was even more nervous back then of getting caught, I’d get drive up places with an outside door for clients to more easily get it. Rather than having to pass receptionists in a hotel lobby.
Now I feel like that’s actually more obvious than having to go through a main entrance, up an elevator, down a hall to a door. But you live and learn.
The types of spaces have evolved based on my knowledge changing. They also continue to fluctuate between different budget types depending on how work is going, or sometimes depending on my expectations, which have on occasion proved wrong.
I toured Australia a couple times. Generally, it was quite profitable, I must say. But that was particularly true once I figured out which cities I did well in. For example, while I thought being one of the biggest cities it would be profitable, it turns out Sydney was not my biggest fan.
My first time going, I planned a week. I’m not sure why, some logistics in my planning got screwed up I think slash hope, but I somehow ended up staying in a swanky area paying more for the seven nights than I did in a month at my apartment. Times a couple. It was by far the fanciest place I’ve ever stayed. When I would leave, the curtains and blinds would automatically shut, then as the front door opened, so would they. Like w-t-f fancy.
While I looked very professional to my clients in my swanky place, unfortunately, I did not get the number of bookings I needed to pay this off. Not even close. So it was a huge financial bust. Moving forwards, I booked much more affordable places, unless I had a solid number of prebookings with deposits. Live and learn!
A last type of call I’ll mention that some independent escorts do are “car calls”. This is as straightforward as it sounds… Possibly in the provider’s vehicle, or in the client’s.
I used to do them in my younger working days. Honestly, since I was working out of my own home, it was realistically a good option at the time. I personally don’t do them anymore, unless maybe it was a kink of a regular client. It’s not my thing these days, but if it feels safer or more accessible for you, you go for it. Definitely makes for a cheap incall location. Or maybe it’s considered an outcall…?
Car calls: Their own category apparently.
Bye bye for now!
I hope these rambly explanations were able to shed some light on the different working structures that you can choose to use. If you’re already working in the industry and have thoughts on what I’ve said, whether ways to make these options better or maybe other structures you’ve used, please share in the comments! I’m always curious to learn more about the industry, and I’m sure some of our up and coming workers would love more tips.
Thank you for reading this latest post! Hopefully you have a better understanding of the spaces in which intimacy providers can work, and some possible ways to make them safer and more profitable.
Whether you’re new to the industry or curious about joining, I hope you found some useful knowledge nuggets to support your journey. I’d love to hear your thoughts, and for you to share with those in your life who you feel may benefit.
There are more than enough clients to go around; when we support one another to do this work safely and profitably, we all benefit. So let’s keep the solidarity strong.
Much love,
Juno
xox
Comments