Sex in Spain and the confessions of a call girl
BY NICK SNELLING
“Madre mia!” exclaims Michelle, roaring with laughter, “I have seen just about everything!”
We are in a small anteroom within the Majestic brothel in Valencia city and I have just asked Michelle to tell me about her craziest experience. She sits in front of me dressed in a decorative bikini top and tiny, denim shorts that emphasise her mind boggling figure. I am having difficulty concentrating and I am fast wondering who is interviewing who. Meanwhile, my old friend and back-up translator, Alberto, is clearly transfixed by Michelle’s super-enhanced cleavage. Clearly, investigating the top end of prostitution in Spain is more challenging than I had thought.
There is certainly something surreal about sitting in a brothel, calmly and openly interviewing a prostitute, having just been shown around the premises by the manager – whose explanation of the business was breathtakingly frank. But Spain is very different from the UK, with an openess to prostitution that is quite extraordinary. Without doubt, it is an industry that is far from clandestine. Look at mainline newspapers and there are pages of advertisements for prostitutes, whilst outside most towns there are numerous ‘clubs’ (clubs de alternes) which everyone knows are brothels in all but name. And the biggest of these brothels can house over a hundred prostitutes.
Of course, prostitution exists in many forms in Spain, a lot of which no doubt involve the horrendous abuse of vulnerable women, often cruelly linked to tragic human trafficking. The lower end of the industry is, unarguably, scandalous, crime ridden and appallingly damaging. However, at a different, higher level, outright condemnation of prostitution is less simple and denies the reality that some women voluntarily choose prostitution as a means of earning a considerable income.
“Look,” says Naomi, the manager of the Majestic, “we have a waiting list for ladies to work with us. We provide a safe environment where they can earn, for themselves, around 10,000 Euros a month for 21 days work. This is equivalent to the salary of a leading chief executive – when the wage for waitressing, bar work or operating a till in Mercadonna is 1,000 Euros a month.”
Naomi is the antithesis of a ‘Madam’. A law graduate, she is in her late twenties and dressed elegantly in dark trousers and blouse. Articulate and forthright, she wears serious, black glasses and has lucious, shoulder length, brown hair. “We do send girls out to hotels (for 300 Euros per hour), by request, but most of them much prefer to work here and our clients also feel more secure.”
In the case of the Majestic, which has been running for twenty four years now, security, privacy and discretion are of vital importance. All the girls have extensive, three weekly medical checks and 24 hour access to a lawyer. Drugs are forbidden, all the girls are voluntary and the club prides itself on repeat business.
Meanwhile, every effort is made to ensure that a male client never meets another on the premises. As soon as you enter, you are ushered into an ante room to await a choice of the women working that day. Having made your selection, you are then escorted (when the corridors are clear) to one of fifteen, rather kitsch, themed rooms with vast en-suites and jacuzzis where the girl you have chosen will be already waiting.
“The majority of our ladies are not Spanish. In fact,” Naomi says, “the Spanish are usually the worst and not at all disciplined. They tend to work only for 10 -15 days, make a lot of money and then disappear. On the other hand the Brazilians, Russians and Romanians are very reliable, beautiful and immaculately groomed. The most common reason for the ladies stopping work is when they find a partner. Often this will be one of their clients and it is not uncommon for them to then get married to them. Sometimes they return with their baby, a year or two later – which is really lovely. Mind you,” Naomi giggles, “the girls make super-jealous wives!”
For Michelle, working in a brothel as a prostitute is a distasteful but highly profitable way of earning money. She is 28 and Brazilian with an easy, attractive manner. Nothing is taboo (apart from her real identity), no question is avoided, she laughs readily and is comfortably in control of the interview. She originally came to Spain to work in the export department of a large company. However, the pay was poor and she discovered that the Spanish seemed to think that any young, pretty, female immigrant must, by definition, be a prosititute.
“So, I became one,” she says wryly, “although the first time I was paid for sex it was very scary and complicated.” Now, however, there is little that she will not do – if she is paid sufficient money – although she will not have sex without a condom or with a very fat man. She prefers to work within the secure and discreet premises of the Majestic and rarely goes out to hotels for appointments, although this can be more profitable.
Not surprisingly, Michelle has little regard for men. “They are crazy – they have so many vices,” she states, “drink, drugs and bizarre sex, to name just some. They betray their women all the time. And then, ironically, they often treat me better than they would their own wives.”
Michelle is studying interior design at the moment and hopes to stop working as a prostitute soon. However, many top prostitutes say this but find the ‘easy’ money too tempting and either never stop completely or reluctantly return to the work. It is not easy to accept scraping a living at some mundane, poorly paid job, when previously you were amongst some of the highest paid people in the country – and effectively working only nine months a year.
That said, there is a higher level of prostitution – one that is extremely discreet and that involves top models and minor celebrities. These evidentally earn in excess of 6,000 Euros a night, with a television presenter rumoured to charge 24,000 Euros per night!
In the hypocritical, upside-down world of individual morality, it is all too easy to reactively condemn voluntary prostitution. In fact, there are compelling practical arguments to suggest that legalisation and regularisation of paid sex in Spain may actually help to clean up an industry which, at its worst, is diabolical and at best a necessary and unstoppable service. Certainly, by allowing prostitution to be so open, Spain should have the courage to go the next step and remove prostitution from its legal limbo and legalise and rigorously police it – to better protect all parties.
As to Michelle’s craziest moment? It is unprintable. Absolutely and totally unprintable! However, she did say she laughed for several days after a famous man visited her dressed as a transvestite. For reasons best known to himself, he made Michelle put a dog collar and lead on him and then paid her to take him for ‘walkies’ around one of the suites…
TIMELINE
– SEX IN SPAIN –
Michelle’s Top Tips
Top Tips for Husbands
Take time out to pay attention to your wife – both in and out of bed.
Talk to your wife, be interested in her and be always gentle and romantic
Don’t keep comparing your wife (in front of her) to other beautiful women on television, in magazines or on the street – accept her for who she is
Top tips for Wives
Keep an open mind about sex and be prepared to talk about what he wants.
Be a lady outside the bedroom and a whore inside one
Never, for one moment, believe that any man is completely faithful
THE FRONT LINE
Rebecca is Romanian and has been a top class prostitute for the past four years. She claims to be nineteen but looks in her early twenties. She has raven black hair, beautiful skin, intelligent eyes and a truly stunning figure. She is ‘off-duty’ and wearing tight, white jeans, pumps and a modest, sleeveless tee shirt. Rebecca makes direct eye contact, is confident and assured. She has a reputation as someone who is very independent.
“The most that I earned in one night was 2,500 Euros – when I was with a man who paid 10,000 Euros for four girls together. Normally, I charge 150 Euros for an an hour but I do not like having more than 2-3 men a night, although some girls will have 6-8. Once, I had sex with 4 men in one day but that that was too much for me.
I am always in demand and I have a lot of clients who keep coming back to me or who recommend me to others. I am special because I am very beautiful and there are not many girls like me. Because of this I can easily earn 10,000 Euros a month if I want to work hard. Normally, though, I work when I want to and I then choose my clients carefully.”
QUOTES
‘When the British come, they often do so in a party. They normally break all the rules, get terribly drunk and cause chaos.’
Naomi (Majestic)
‘Increasingly, we see more married couples coming together, generally to share one of the girls – but sometimes a man, as well.’
Naomi (Majestic)
‘The most a client spent in one session was 17,000 Euros – but he had a lot of ladies and champagne etc.!’
Naomi (Majestic)
BY NICK SNELLING
(Noms de plume: Alexander Peters, Elena Suarez, Alberto Diaz)