Planning the next trip for Nov or Dec.
If you're planning on spending any time in the Red Light District, I'd suggest doing some research online about the how to handle the prostitutes and street people. For example, if you're going to solicit any of the girls be sure to know the basics of how to make a deal and what is acceptable. As for the street walkers (beggars and drug peddlers), just keep on walking -- don't even acknowledge them or else they'll pester you for blocks.
When I was in grad school (have since dropped out, but there's a slight chance I might decide to finish someday, but I digress) I started writing my master's thesis on Amsterdam's pro-prostition vs. prostitution the U.S., advocating legalizing sex-work in the States and arguing that sex-work qua sex-work is not socially problematic and abusive lifestyles commonly associated with prostitution in the US are a product of the law systems, not the actual trading of sex for money.
After returning to the States from Amsterdam I have the sense of just how conservative, possibly even repressive, it is here sexually. So often we hear of people complaining about how American TV often depicts sexual situations and how we are bombarded by sexual themes in all forms of mass media. In comparison with Amsterdam, and most of Western Europe, the U.S. is actually conservative. For example, full-frontal nudity (mostly female, but some male) on popular television channels in the middle of the afternoon.
I like to watch the MTV in Holland because the videos are uncut. A lot of rap videos that are on regular rotation all day long there would be banned in the USA. I remember a Nelly video: lots of bling-bling, the cars, fully nude dance girls shaking their booty. If they showed that in the US millions of people would be outraged, their heads spinning around in cirlces before exploding.
Here's a few excerpts of emails, postings, and other random notes:
Email correspondence (2004):
There's over 500 windows of prositutes in the red light and every hour of the day, 24/7, there are thousands of tourists walking the streets to see the girls.
Even if a person is disgusted by the idea of having sex with a prostitute, he or she still takes a walk through the red light district if they are visiting the city. Besides the coffee shops of marijuana, the Red Light is what makes the city famous. Many people walk the streets and alleyways just the same as if they were to see any other tourist attraction. When you're in Egypt you see the Pyramids, and when in Amsterdam you walk through the Red Light District.
[...] = edit
In each room there is a red switch. If things get out of hand, the girl hits the switch and immediately some presumably large and dangerous men enter the room and get her out of harm's way. Every room has a red switch. [EDIT: Someone has taken issue with this, saying the red switch is a myth, but I did in fact personally see red switches, or buttons, in the kamers (inside the prostition windows). While technically there may not be "red switches" in every, or even most, kamers, I still say there is some equivalent. At the very least the girls all have cell phones with their "bad-boyfriends" (not official pimps), and or security in the form of bodyguards that patrol the area, on speed-dial.]
In Amsterdam being a prostitute in a legitimate line of work. The prostitutes have to pay taxes on their income just like everyone else and have the same rights and obligations as if they worked in any other industry.
I knew one, Anita, who worked for 6 days a week for a month and made a significant income, then took her money and left the city and live in reportedly very well for several months onths. She worked one month, then went back to her home country to be near her mother.
Another, Shirley, was pretty much a stonecold professional. When I met her she had been working in the red light for 4 years and talked about her work just the same as any other professional in any other industry would matter-of-factly discuss work related details. She has a boyfriend of six years with whom she said she had a normal relationship with, including passion and emotional bonds, etc. She described sexing the guys whom approach her off the street as something without any emotional meaning to her. [EDIT: In hindsight, I don't trust much of anything she told me. In fact, she tried very hard to rip me off, which she did]
Another one I met, [...], claimed to be a marketing major in a nearby university with dreams of someday moving the New York City. She said outright that she loves sex, but doesn't want any relationships, so being a prostitute is a good move for her. The facts support her story; of all the women I became acquainted with in Amsterdam, she was the only one that actually seemed to have a bona fide good time sexually and emotionally. I think she may have been a nymphomaniac because, compared to all others, I got the impression she actually enjoyed the sex beyond just doing it for money. For example, most of the girls had a very professional, evenclinical, demeanor and came across as if they were providing a service. [...], on the other hand, was wild.
[...]
A prostitute typically sits or stands behind a window in one of the many many alleys and streets in the red light district. Hundreds of people walk buy and most of pass buy and "check out the goods". Sometimes groups of guys will form small crowds in front of the windows if the girl is especially sexy. The girls, wearing some sexy lingerie or bra and panties, wait for a guy to approach their door.
There's a common way of doing business that everybody knows. The guy makes eye contact with the girl and steps up to the door. This is the beginning of the deal. The girl will often say something like "do you want to come in" or if the guy says "how much", she'll outright say "a suck and a fuck for fifty?". A suck and a fuck for fifty Euros is the common deal. For fifty euros, which the guy pays up front before anything else happens, the girl closes the curtains on her window then often times leads the guys to a nearby room. Condoms are used of course, even during oral sex. In addition, some girls use alcohol swabs.
They commonly take every precaution to insure that the sex is safe and clean, as much as possible. Some of them are particularly attentive to this. Of course, it's understandable why they are so concerned, They're putting their bodies at risk every time they accept a stranger inside them.
The sex-session typically is expected to last 15 minutes. Anyting longer than that amount of time costs extra. For 100 euros, a guy can have one half-hour, plus a massage with oil. The basic suck-fuck for fifty combo is the standard, anyting else should be talked about beforehand and paid for. I've heard that it's not difficult to have two girls as the same time and most of them are willing to double-team a guy because they have to do less work.
They aren't laying there to have an orgasm; they're laying there because they are providing a service for money. To them, sex is sex and nothing more [EDIT: unsubstantiated]. The emotions that most women associate with sex aren't appropriate in a business relationship. The prostitute-john relationship is business. I suppose that some women may have a hard time imagining why one would have sex without expecting to orgasm, but that's probably because they've never considered selling their sex. Their sex is a product, the guys want and pay for it, and by the laws of supply and demand, she is making a living.
[...]
It may seem very seductive on the outside, it is actually not as great as it may first appear: According to Shirley, the pro who has been working in the red light for four years almost all of the girls had histories of sexual abuse. The abuse may have been during childhood or more recently, and it falls within a range of brutality, but at some point in time there may have been a rape or emotional and/or physical abuse which created a psychological division between sex as a physical act and the usual emotions associated with sex, such as love, intimacy, trust, etc. As survivors of sexual abuse they have the ability to make a living as a prostitute without feeling guilty because, from their perspectives, there is nothing to feel guilty about-sex is sex and, being nothing more than a physical act, having sex with anyone, even strangers off the street, is acceptable. [EDIT: Again, on second thought I don't have much faith in Shirley's explanations. She is a proven thief, so her being a a liar too is likely]
[...]
Despite the risk to sex-workers in Amsterdam, it's even worse here in the US. It's worse because it's illegal and the prostitutes have no protection, even the police are their enemy. The three most important people in a prostitute's life in the US are her pimp, the police, and the judge [EDIT: cite this]. How's that for hardcore? At least in Amsterdam, and many places in Europe, they have rights are protected. Every prostitute in Amsterdam has a cell phone with the police on speed dial. If a guy gets out of hand, then not only are they protected by the house bouncers, they are also protected by the law.
[...]
Another thing I noticed was that the prostitutes there where not unhappy. In fact, many of them seemed to adore the attention they were getting by the passers-by. I saw many of them smile and pose for the crowd, often times curling their index finger or tap on their window to myself and others in a "come hither" manner. Some of them had bored looks on their faces or were busy chatting with the girl-next-door. It's certainly not that they hated being there, it was the opposite; they actually seemed to enjoy the work.
On my last day there, about an hour before I was scheduled to catch a train back to [...], I decided to take on last walk through the red light. While passing through an alleyway, a not unattractive African (African-Dutch?) prostitute tapped on her window as I passed by. I kept walking and, to my surprise, she opened her door and yelled out to me "Hey American, I see you walking these streets all weekend. Come here and I'll suck your dick!" I checked my watch and only had about a half-hour to get to Grand Station and if I took time out with I'd be cutting it very close to missing my train, which I definitely didn't want to happen as it was [...] and I had to get back to [...]. I said "No, I have to catch my train" and kept walking. She stepped out into the alley and said "I'll suck your dick real good. Don't go!" I said "I got to catch a train!"
A post here at the Rx not too long ago about Amsterdam:
There's a nice ESPNZone bar located on the North end of the RLD that I go every day when I'm in the city, and American sports (especially NFL) are popular there. There's standing room only during the playoffs. Lots of international chatter, laughter, and revelry.
The shopping near Grand Central Station is awesome, as are the ubiquitous bars, clubs, lounges, and coffee shops. And then there's the hundreds of prostitutes. It's very easy to window shop for any type of girl you're looking for: blonde, brunette, red-head, white, black, indian, indonesian, thai, polish, whatever. I'm talking about hot international girls with tanned asses. The girls I visit there would rank no less than an 8 by most guys' standards. It's not like out in Nevada where most of the girls are unattractive, in Amsterdam there's Hustler magazine material on every street practically (now not all are great looking, but defintely a significant amount are).
On previous trips I've gotten a hotel room located directly in the middle of the RLD, but I've decided from now on to get a room (or rent an apartment) just outside of the RLD. Still within walking distance, but not right in the middle of the all the action.
The only negative thing I can stay about the RLD in Amsterdam is there's way too many illegal drug pushers ("cocaine, friend"?), beggars, and muggers. Literally on every street and street corner are a myriad of assorted bad types attempting to take advantage of the tourists. It ranges from annoying, such as being called out to by beggars, to outright dangerous, such as pickpockets physically trying to mug people. I personally have never been mugged, but I have been swindled and harassed. It's best to keep on walking and don't even acknowledge that they're calling out to you; even if you say "no" they will persist.
But besides that..
The city of Amsterdam has a very "chill" vibe. Any city that has legal shops selling psilocybin mushrooms along hash and with sex shops is heaven for the brain, lol.
My modus operandi involves getting acquainted in the hotel and hiding money cards, passport, etc. Then bouncing around locations from ESPNZone, the Hell's Angel's bar Excalibur which right around the corner, visiting at least one girl per day, shopping, and repeat, repeat, repeat.
Sorry for the long reply, please indulge me one more:
A pool of intial questions I came up with toward a mixed-methods research design of prostitution in the RLD, Amsterdam:
1. Drug Use: What percentages of prostitutes are addicted to drugs? Which drugs? To what extent does their addiction affect their employment? How does their drug use or abuse relate to their employment? To what extent to the drug-tolerant laws in Holland affect their status as users or abusers?
2. Violence: What experiences of violence have they had while working? How do they expect to handle future violent experiences? Do they feel safe? How do their bodyguards handle unruly customers?
3. Rape and sexual abuse history: What percentages of prostitutes have been raped or sexually abused? What was the nature of the rape or abuse? How old were they when they were raped or abused? How do they perceive their histories of rape and abuse (or lack of abuse) as affecting their profession as prostitutes?
a. Sense of control as motivation: If raped or abused, do they acknowledge any relation between seeking a sense of control over their lives and bodies and working as prostitutes? How does the seeking of control manifest while working? What are their attitudes toward this?
b. Childhood abuse and adult abuse: What percentage of prostitutes were raped or abused as children versus as adults? Is there a significant difference? If thereâs a difference, what it itâs meaning?
4. Attitudes/Experience regarding HIV: What are the prostitutes attitudes and beliefs regarding HIV? What percentages of prostitutes are infected with the HIV virus? What are their attitudes toward the infected workers? Do they feel safe?
5. Economic situation: How economically secure are the prostitutes? Specifically, how much money do they make per day? Week? Month? Year? Since there is some variance in charges for services, how do they personally arrive at the charges for specific acts? Do they charge more because they believe they are more attractive than the majority of other prostitutes? Which sexual acts are costlier than others? Why?
6. Steady partner relationships: What is the status of their steady partner relationships? How do the prostitutesâ partners perceive the lifestyle of having a relationship with sex industry worker? How do their partners feel about health risks? What are the emotional issues of this type of relationship?
7. Attitudes toward sex work: Do the prostitutes enjoy or dislike their work? By what means do they detach the usual emotions of love and intimacy from the physical act of sex? Is the means related to a history of rape or abuse?
8. Attempts at leaving sex industry: Have they attempted to leave the sex industry previously? How long do they envision themselves working as prostitutes? What are their plans for the future?
9. Conditions of employment: How much money do they have to pay rent on their window booths? What are their professional and casual relationships with the building owners? How many hours per day do they work? Week? Month? Year?
10. Workers' perception of public opinion: What are the prostitutes attitudes and beliefs regarding public opinion of the sex industry? Are public attitudes and beliefs similar or dissimilar to their familiesâ and friendsâ opinions? Do they even share knowledge of their working status with family and friends?
