I had a similar issue... it was best for me to move on and mark her off my list of ladies I wanted to see.  

If you really want to see her then being honest with her from the beginning is crucial.  She needs to also make the decision to want to see you.  For me it would be a hard no.

The best way to get your answer is to ask her.  

Since you already know her, you should have an honest conversation.  If she's OK with it, great.  If not, respect her wishes and move on.

Friends FORMER girlfriend  

If you’re attracted to her  now via her ads , I’m sure you were attracted to her then  

So after  they broke up would you have / did you consider asking her out?

Well. This is that just skipping the middle man of several dinner dates ($$$$) before seeing if she would sleep with you  

The ONLY question is, do you tell your friend    

And that depends on IF he knows you hobby  

But I wouldn’t  

Why?  

Again. FORMER girlfriend so it’s really none of his business as to what she’s up to now  

 
As to the “thoughts” she would have?  
Aside from MAYBE her being worried you’ll tell your buddy at first she may feel awkward but once the transactional portion of the date is concluded she most likely would just continue with business as usual  

Again. You stated its been a “number of years ago”

face to face?

If not, then no problem, but if so then you might want to just be upfront and hey I'd like to spend
some time with you, professionally of course.

Just send her your ID and see how she handles that.  Was she hot and worth the effort?  Would your friend care that you're seeing her?
Keep us posted.   Interesting dilemma

If (when) you do contact her be up front and open  

Tell her you are (so and so’s) friend from back in the day and will that be an issue

First saw this lady pop up on the radar around 2011...  Have always had her on the radar, and always wanted to see her, however, lost my job, and that upended things for many years.  About 6 years later, my friend introduces me to his girlfriend.. over the next few years up until about a year ago, the two of them date, break up, get back together again, then break up for good.  I had always thought she had some features that were similar, but it wasn't until a few days ago that I wound up realizing that I was looking at the same girl all along..  Of course, now I can't unsee it.  

Now, as for the friend.. I'm sure he hobbies from time to time, as I've spotted another girl he was seeing on and off that was also a provider on backpage..

Definitely see her and never tell your  friend

"Hoes b4 Bros" LMAO!!!

Loved that response,  still cracking up.  LOL

If you like the look of her, go see her and have fun. I’d wait until after the session to remind her that you’re her ex friend.

If your buddy is a hobbiest too, he shouldn’t care - frankly, he should be pleased that he got it for free all that time jk 😄👍

There’s no compelling reason to put this off any longer.

how well does she know you? would she recognize you if you met in the grocery store? when she was dating your friend, how many times did the two of you actually meet? If you are sure she will recognize you I would embrace it upfront. If you don't think so I wouldn't make it unnecessarily awkward. Either way I would still try to see her.

Share her link so we can see this woman.  😂😂😂😂

Did you go see her?

If you can keep a secret, I don't see a problem.

That being said, if I were a provider, I don't think I'd want to see someone who I had a real life connection to.