Did Spitzer Get Caught Because He Was A Cheapskate?
The cost of hookers these days, by Sudhir Venkatesh, on Slate:
At the lucrative end of the market, I have found it useful to think of three tiers of women (men constitute only about 10 percent of high-end prostitutes). Spitzer was paying for "Tier 1" sex workers: Fees usually range from $2,000 to $5,000 per session; women come in all ages and ethnic stripes; they rigorously guard their health and watch for STDs; and most have a high-school degree but have limited work experience. They can promise you discretion, but most work through escort services that are routinely under surveillance. In practice, this means buyer beware."Tier 2" includes women who charge up to $7,500 for a session. These women tend to be white, they may have a college degree (or be actively enrolled in school), and they usually require a referral before they will take on a new john. They also have a small, exclusive clientele, sometimes as few as a dozen men whom they service. Unlike Tier 1 workers, they do not rely on escort agencies, so they keep all of their money.
Finally, there are the "Tier 3" sex workers, who can charge in excess of $10,000 per rendezvous. They may have only four or five clients, and they typically charge their clients an additional monthly surcharge for their various needs—rent, clothing, medicine.
Both Tier 2 and Tier 3 workers can typically do more to safeguard a client's privacy. There are no guarantees, of course, but they tend to shun contractual relationships with agencies that advertise their services. There is less of a paper trail. They typically will only take a john via a referral, and even then, they may require that the john "date" them for weeks before deciding to offer up sex. I have heard of Tier 2 and 3 sex workers who vet prospective clients for months, sometimes hiring a private detective to see if the john is stable—psychologically and financially. As a former attorney general, Spitzer must have known all this.
What high-end clients pay for may surprise you. For example, according to my ongoing interviews of several hundred sex workers, approximately 40 percent of trades in New York's sex economy fail to include a physical act beyond light petting or kissing. No intercourse, no oral stimulation, etc. That's one helluva conversation. But it's what many clients want. Flush with cash, these elite men routinely turn their prostitute into a second partner or spouse. Over the course of a year, they will sometimes persuade the woman to take on a new identity, replete with a fake name, a fake job, a fake life history, and so on. They may want to have sex or they may simply want to be treated like King for a Day.
Tier 4: Lifelong commitment. If you obtain the services of any other worker from any other tier, the Tier 4 worker can end the contract and get half of everything you own. May take your last name, at her discretion.
Jim Treacher
at March 13, 2008 8:18 AM
As a Nevadan, I always wonder why our Ladies are left out of these stories. I dated one for about 8 months, she has a MBA, we met at an alumni meeting, works here for 6 months and as a CPA in California the other 6 months. I do not know how people would rate the discretion factor, but I know the girls and the houses are very discrete. Health is monitored by the government and the ladies are very careful about any health issue. They are independent contractors and pay the house a fee for use and rent, but they set the price.
BUT even if it is legal, I believe Jim is right about the Tier 4 workers in this state also.
Piper at March 13, 2008 9:14 AM
This reminds me of the scene in "Barney Miller". A prostitute is waiting for word on her case from the Captain, and is waiting outside his office. His ex-wife comes in and strikes up a brief conversation:
"Hello. Why are you here?"
"Prostitution."
"I could never understand sleeping with a man for money."
"Oh yeah? Why are you here?"
"To pick up a check."
Radwaste at March 13, 2008 6:37 PM
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