Private Sex Workers

Who They Are

Private sex workers (private escorts) work for themselves rather than escort agencies or brothels. Private workers set their own prices, arrange their own advertising, take their own calls and make their own way to bookings (visits to clients). Private workers do not share any of their income with third parties and are responsible for all their own costs including advertising, transportation, phone, safer sex supplies, accounting services, etc.

Almost all male sex workers are private workers. A significant number offer an erotic massage service not including full sex. Erotic massage therapists may not identify as sex workers, despite being classified as sex workers according to the law.

Across Australia private sex work is the most common form of sex work albeit the least visible. ¹ ²

How They Work

Much of a private worker’s time is spent on advertising, marketing and promotion via social media. There are dozens of websites on which to advertise, some are free and some require the private worker to pay for ads. Although many private workers operate alone, on occasion they work in pairs doing ‘double bookings’, which means two workers attend to a client at the same time. This can provide companionship, financial rewards and additional security for the workers. Many private workers have day jobs, work part time in other industries or in other sectors of the sex industry. Many are students, many are parents. People frequently move in and out of private sex work.

Private workers are particularly active in online communities and on social media, which combats social isolation and allows for the sharing of skills.

Locations

Most private workers are based in the CBD and the inner suburbs of Melbourne. Many tour around Victoria, and sometimes work interstate and/or overseas.

A private sex worker may offer their services via incall and/or outcall:

Incalls

The client visits the sex worker at the sex worker’s home or a hotel/motel booked in the sex worker’s name.

Outcalls

The sex worker visits the client at the client’s home or a hotel/motel booked in the client’s name.

Prices

The private worker sets their own prices, usually at an hourly rate with additional fees applying to special services and for transportation costs if required. Some workers will see clients for brief periods of time (15 or 30 minutes), while others will insist on a minimum one hour booking. Private workers set their own rates for overnight or longer stays. Hourly rates for a full service booking usually range from $200/hr to $1200/hr. For happy ending massage services, prices typically range from $80/hr to $250/hr. On average, male workers charge a significantly lower hourly rate than female and transgender workers.

Advertising

There are more than 40 websites displaying private sex worker ads catering to the Victorian market. In any given month there are more than 10,000 ads online. This doesn’t represent 10,000 individual sex workers as many workers advertise on multiple websites.

Advantages

Private sex work offers high levels of autonomy and flexibility. It also allows the sex worker to keep all of their earnings.

Disadvantages

A major obstacle faced by private workers is that under Victorian law they cannot provide services in their own home/place of residence (‘incalls’). Neither can private workers provide services at hotels, motels or other premises booked in their own name, even if the client offers to reimburse the cost of the hotel/motel. As a result, in order to work legally, private workers are required to meet clients in unfamiliar places.

Working alone can be isolating. Private sex workers may not be acquainted with other sex workers, and due to stigma, misunderstanding and prejudice, they’re often unable to talk freely about their working lives with others; something experienced by all sex workers. This physical and social isolation means most private sex workers are unaware of the support networks available to them.

"We need to be free to talk about our experiences without shame, guilt, or fear."

sex workers Consumer Affairs Victoria
Source: Consumer Affairs Victoria

Notes on Data

  1. The graph above excludes the estimated 4000 unregistered private (self-employed) sex workers.
  2. Following the passage of the Consumer Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 (Vic) in late 2019, data from 2020 onwards is not available.
  3. Following the passage of the Sex Work Decriminalisation Act 2022 (Vic) on 1 March 2022, section 24 of the Sex Work Act 1994 (Vic) was repealed on 10 May 2022. This means self employed sex workers will no longer need to register with the Business Licensing Authority after 10 May 2022 and the corresponding register will be closed and cease operation.
sex work and gender Victoria Consumer Affairs Victoria
Department of Justice and Regulation (now called Department of Justice and Community Safety)
  1. Data dated 30 June 2018
  2. CAV categorises individuals according to their nominated biological sex, not gender identity 
  3. Data based on all 1008 registered private workers as at 30 June 2018 
  4. Data only includes registered private sex workers, excluding street-based sex workers, brothel workers and escort agency workers 
  5. Data excludes unregistered private workers (the majority)
  6. This data was released via freedom of information on 7/12/2018 by the Department of Justice and Regulation. Find the source document (freedom of information documents) at the following link:

    https://sexworklawreformvictoria.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Victoria-Private-Sex-Worker-Gender-Data-2018.pdf

  7. On 10 May 2022, the requirement for private sex workers to register with the Victorian Government ended, following the passage of the Sex Work Decriminalisation Act 2022 (Vic).
  1. Selvey, L., Hallett, J., Lobo, R., McCausland, K., Bates, J., & Donovan, B. (2017). Western Australian Law and Sex Worker Health (LASH) Study. A Summary Report to the Western Australian Department of Health. Perth: School of Public Health, Curtin University, page 16, Table 4

The above study found that in Western Australia in 2017, 55.4% of sex workers were engaged in private sex work

2. R v Anwar et al [2020] 

 

 

This Canadian case in the Ontario Court of Justice relied on an expert witness, sociological and criminological researcher of Canada’s sex industry Chris Atchison. In paragraph 26 of the Reasons for Judgement, Mr Atchison referred to research that 77.9% of sex workers in Canada work indepenently. Culturally, politically and economically Canada has a similar profile to Australia and as such figures are likely to be comparable to Australia.

© Sex Work Law Reform Victoria 2022

Last updated: 23 September, 2022