Is there anyone on this board active in the hobby before the internet?  I started in 1990, but didn't have the money to be real active until the late 1990s and the internet was in wide use.  How did providers advertise?  Did everyone TOFTT more often, since it was hard to know anything about a provider before going to see her?

You are so right about TOFTT. One had to visit clubs often to meet providers and that was good and bad. The good was you could got a good feel if there was chemistry but there was no place to see any reviews so it was still a bit of a crap shoot. The other thing to remember there were no cell phones so getting in touch again could be difficult. There was also ads in news print like city pages but they had no pictures. There was also much more street walker action. The internet and cell phones has really made it easier and safer to hobby as long as they have reviews so you know if pictures are real. Also you very seldom met anyone from out of town back then. Today I had the pleasure of a well reviewed provider from Atlanta who was a true 10 and to think 20 years ago most likely she never would have come to Minneapolis for a few days especially in this weather.

Before the internet the only places Providers could advertise were Weekly Newspapers, The Yellow Pages, and of course the StarTribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press.  Every phone booth had yellow pages, and most of the pages for escorts or dancers were torn out.  (Yes, the yellow pages had a section labeled "Escorts". )  

There was a lot of street or bar action.  You could meet a street walker, and she would take you home or to an apartment or hotel.  Nearly every bar had a few women who regularily worked that bar.  Bar gals were generally the cheapest because you didn't have to pay an agency.  Of course, street gals were practically free, and werent always crack heads or lowlifes.  Often some of the street walkers were not really pro's at all, just a young woman who ran out of cash for the month and needed a little help.  The tough street walkers worked Lake Street, but the decent/clean gals worked Nicollet Avenue South  between 24th and 28th.  

There were plenty of massage parlors, most with services beyond a happy ending.  And, of course, there was one notable business run by a great gal, where a guy could go, anytime day or night, and have his pick of 5 to 10 women and nice clean private rooms.

There were very few independants.  Nearly all the outcall, and most of the incall, was run by agencies.  Some were very good, some fly by night.  If you found an agency that you liked, you kept going back to that agency, and they could send you many different women.  A few of the big agencies got busted from time to time.

AGency fees were anywhere from $40 to $150 and you negociated extras with the provider in addition to that.  So, it could get spendy.  

Maybe this is too much information, but it is fun to remember the good old days.  

And, finally, my first trip to a massage parlor was in St. Paul.  I paid $15 to get in the door, and got a Hand Job for $10.  Oh, how I sometimes long for those good old days.

There were yellow page ads.  My first was Dial a Blonde.  I soon found Relax a Lounge.  WOW what a great place.  You would walk in and be introduced to 3 - 5 beautiful ladies and the menu was on a board hanging on the wall.  I met some of my ATF there...Jean...Roxi...Lisa.  It was a different world,

Even if you took one for the team, there was was no way for the team to know about it.  

And half of the guys that post here now used to have to write on rest room walls.  

So I guess that's some progress.  

about the hobby back then... I would be totally broke now

when I first lived in MSP(1977) I tried City Pages "Erotic Massage" section, and "Lucked Out".
First provider that answered my call was a retired dancer from St.Paul.  She did FBSM out of 6-plex she owned, less than a mile from where i lived. Made the appt, showed up on time, and met my first totally hot MILF (35yo). $50 for the hr, great massage with HE, clean place with great shower.
She had massage skill, and a dirty mind.  Sweet gal.  Miss her ALOT!

a dinasour, shoot I remember my first appt. I advertised in the City Pages and word of mouth, it was an easier time then.
There was a News article like there always is, saying how these mini newspapers are taking money and promoting prostitution so the Owners decided not to advertise any more , then we went to the lil paper that had an office on Minehaha av in South Minneapolis, they then sold and the only place you found then was Sex World and I was not getting the kind of Clients i wanted and they had raised the prices because at that time they were it for advertising, I did not even look for advertising online at this time, Then City Pages decided to advertise again so there we all went, I found out about TER by accident and to be honest I was not very Happy to be here.
I liked being in a bubble of my own, but it burst through TER, I have mid to high reviews and I just learned to except it, the problem I have is the power that can be used in a bad way here. But I will not go into all that.

I kind of go with the flow and work off my instincts that I perfected over the years, I have always worked on my own, have worked in brothels in NYC , Texas and Florida, but prefer the one on one appts and the freedoom of my own schedule. I have never been arrested in this business in any state.

Of all of the online sites TER is the best, I still would never put my photo on the web, for many reasons. I have to say one is that I often living where I do see X clients by accident but because I am dressed and with makeup on they do not reconize me, I can see the thought that maybe they met me before but not sure where, funny really.
Ok, Done rambling . I will not say how old I was when I started or any other details then what I have said here.
Good Hunting. Heather