The price of sexual services in nightclubs and massage parlors of San José, Costa Rica: biological and anthropological interpretations

Humans and other primates exchange sex for resources. In the case ofhumans, this exchange includes sexual work. There are few previousstudies on sex work in San José, Costa Rica that include data on howmuch is paid for sexual services. We studied the price of female sex work,and how the proï¬ts are distributed among all parties, in nightclubsand massage parlors, by obtaining data from interviews with workersand owners, and from telephone calls, from 1994 through 2010. Pricesranged from US$6 for a lap dance to US$300 for intercourse and wheninï¬‚ation is taken into account, they have not increased much in the lastten years. The prices per hour can reach 125 times the minimal wage perhour of work in the country. In comparison with independent sex workdone in the streets, parlor and club women beneï-t from the associatedinfrastructure, access to clients, and safety, and they receive 40-50 % ofthe fee paid by men for their direct services (dances, sexual activity), sothere is no indication of exploitation on either side. Nightclubs havearound 30% of proï¬t after expenses are deduced. Sexual services arerelatively expensive but men pay them because they are biologically andsocially oriented towards wanting these services.

TALENTO COSTA RICA