New Developments In Nevada Brothels
Even though the small survey that was posted in the Las Vegas Review Journal late last month said that 64% of 405 people didn’t want prostitution legalized in Las Vegas (or Clark county as a whole,) there have been recent moves in the closest legal county next door to revamp two of the brothels out in Crystal, Nevada, since Dennis Hof of the famous Moonlight Bunny Ranch near Carson City bought them. There’s another brothel being built (wow when was the last time they built a brand new building for a new brothel??) south of Beatty. The two are in different directions when leaving Las Vegas but both businesses are in Nye County. I’m definitely going to have to add these stops to my brothel tour I want to take once they open!
I find it interesting that it took this long for Dennis Hof to do something in southern Nevada. His name and reputation are famous from the Cathouse series on HBO over the years and many local vistors get his brothels nearly 450 miles away from Las Vegas confused with the brothels located about 70 miles away. In fact I almost giggle when guys almost threaten me with a, “Well I’ll just go to the Bunny Ranch!” when they can’t agree on entertainment and a lower price. I say, “Ok you can definitely drive 450 miles one way if you want to!” That usually warrants the response of, “What? 450 miles?!” Nye County is also happy about the Dennis Hof movement since the previous owner of the brothels out in Crystal, Nevada, was convicted of bribery of a local commissioner (bribing a commissioner in Nevada? Never heard of such a thing!) These brothels in the county (if they have a certain number of girls) bring in an average of $126,000 annually to the county in fees! I also was digging around and found out each girl must pay a fee every quarter to the county as well. These fee figures vary by county, but in the end they bring a lot of money in to help out with county services (apparently the Veterans Association even gets a good chunk.) I’m curious though how the out-of-the-way brothels in Crystal and Beatty will do. The Denis Hof purchase is 17 miles past the turn off for Sheri’s and the Chicken Ranch while Beatty is a whopping 120 miles from downtown Las Vegas to the new location. The lucky thing about Mound House, where the famous northern Nevada brothels are located, is that they are one split hair away from the Carson City limits and 35 miles from Reno. The little community of brothels gets the advantage of being so conveniently located. That sort of convenience can’t really happen for Las Vegas to Nye County, so will these brothels ever be really busy out there? And why isn’t there another mini-community set up right on the Nye county border on the way out to Pahrump?
Though from my previous post on legalizing prostitution in Las Vegas, I wasn’t much of a fan of actual houses in a certain part of town, but really, if we had some sort of standardization then we wouldn’t be so criticized in the news like prostitution in Las Vegas was just running rampant and some random figure of 3,000 sex workers roaming the streets working here like this is the wild west. I don’t think a lot of people realize how much money the business brings in for the rural counties. In the end I think it could bring a better opinion to the sinfulness of Sin City and keep the shady operations, like the ones just shut down, from scamming our visitors.
Tags: bunny ranch, las vegas review journal, pahrump, prostitutes, Sex Industry
I am surprised nobody has tapped you yet as a freelance reporter. You are getting real good at this. Your latest plan to cover and report on the brothels seem to be most daunting. Not only does it cover a lot of territory to hit all the stops but will also cost a lot of time and money. Have you attempted to get a local publisher sponsor your endeavour? I am sure some business out there must be interested in what you are attempting to do. Even the brothels should be interested in getting coverage and the resulting advertising and business that will result. I don’t believe there is a prior comprehensive report on Nevada brothels like you are proposing to accomplish. Good Luck.
September 12th, 2010 at 5:45 pmDon’t let an unscientific, obviously biased and bought-off poll make you think the average working stiff in Las Vegas wouldn’t appreciate the convenience of getting laid locally. And these average Joes are plentiful and they do vote, they just need galvanizing. Big business ( the gaming industry ) doesn’t like sharing their take with anybody.
Some enterprising entrepreneur ought to incorporate their own township just over the county line, but it takes utilities–electricity, water, sewer, etc. to do any development and the Mohave Desert is a real bitch when it comes to water. Pahrump isn’t far from Death Valley. I remember visiting the Grand Canyon West Ranch in 2007 with my girlfriend and one of the workers there related that their small town near the rim had to have water trucked in, even though they were close to Hoover Dam.
September 12th, 2010 at 10:25 pmHas anyone ever considered opening a brothel in nearby Lincoln County to the north? It might be a long drive to Rachel, but the girls could all dress up as extraterrestials since this is near the original Area 51. Too bad someone hasn’t put a floating Mississippi river boat brothel on Lake Mead ( illegal as hell but what fun )!
“…the girls could all dress up as extraterrestials…” A twist on, out looking for something strange?
It’s not just rural Nevada that communities derive a great deal of revenue off sex businesses. I lived in St. Louis for a number of years and a few cities on the ‘east side,’ southwestern Illinois actually, received 25-30% of the the cities budget from licensing fees and property taxes of the strip clubs and saunas that are located there. Also the clubs are among the largest fund raisers for local charities. Needless to say the clubs are lightly policed and in some it is not difficult to receive a discreet HJ or BJ and in most arranging a “date” is at the willingness of the dancer.
September 13th, 2010 at 6:55 amActually… Lincoln county is one of a couple of counties that had allowed prostitution to be legalized only to overturn it in the late 70’s and is now illegal to operate a brothel there. I don’t understand that since it’s the only other county bordering the north of Clark county so too bad for them to drum up some extra business and money from fees. I like the alien idea lol. Don’t think that will be too big of a hit though.
Yea I wish I had the time and man-power to conduct my own poll. Sit outside of the grocery stores in every sort of neighborhood with every demographic and then see.
September 13th, 2010 at 6:18 pmOoh and I’d like to see myself as a reporter but only for an opinion article. That would be interesting if I could find a sponsor so it could be published… any takers!?
September 13th, 2010 at 6:20 pmGlad the alien idea gave you a laugh. Hey, they could make the brothel buildings in the shape of flying saucers–sort of retro Route 66 architecture. And the working girls could wear metallic mini-skirts with clip-on antennae. And they could use glow in the dark condoms.
I believe you have much more than one opinion article in you and I hope you find that sponsor.
This could be a series on the cable channels with you reporting each week from a different brothel and reporting on the escort business in Las Vegas and other cities, and the sex worker industry as a whole. Maybe HBO, MTV, Showtime or the 101 Network would be interested in your show. They could run it right after Trailer Park Boys. Or the Travel Channel. Instead of Bridgette Marquardt’s Beaches, it could be titled Cali’s Bitches…
Like it or not, you have started something here and you may well be destined to be the expert authority on sex workers and their industry–a carmudgeon-at-large, if you will. Ever hear of Xaviera Hollander–the Happy Hooker, and how she cashed in on her experience?
September 14th, 2010 at 9:50 pm