HBO has a new show The Deuce, revolving around 1970's NYC prostitution,
It got me googling about the NYC hooker scene from 40+ years ago, and it looked rough.
I doubt many of today's $600+ escorts could survive that. Indies walking the streets, or managed by ruthless pimps.
There was no internet, craigslist, backpage.  
Girls seem to have it much easier now. I wonder if some girls would still take escorting for granted if they knew how things were in the past.

.... Don't be stupid enough to believe Hollywood's take on that scene.

thanks to cell  phones and the internet.

bar/lounge in Tampa and the ladies would approach you about what you were interested in. Once a deal was made the lady told you which motel and the room number and she would meet you there. Only ventured into the place a few times and each time was a HR. No GFE but a S & F for less than $50.

but I will confess, I am not optimistic about it being realistic. Hollywood tends to either glamorize or otherwise distort reality in the interest of "selling tickets"  

In my opinion the industry has not changed for better, at least not here in the US. If you look at the trends in the sex trade from the early 1900's, compare it to the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80' 90's and even now, you will see that things are pretty much still the same. Of course there are eras where it was a prosperous industry, but we take a step backwards every decade that goes by.  

I'm sure there was ancient graffiti ("For a good time, see Clytemnestra, VI VI IX II IV VI VIII."), but the oldest commonly known review would probably be that of Mary Magdalene in The Epistles.  
.
There are other threads on this history topic. See, f'rinstance:  
https://www.theeroticreview.com/discussion-boards/ter-general-12/gentlemens-companion-1870-835348?frmSearch=1#835348
Posted by: Nago8  
Date: 2 years ago  
Subj: Just curious, was there prostitution before the internet?
.
(Click on link under pic in original post for PDF of 19th Century Pre-Internet Ad Board.)

If.." Your A Good Learner,  &  Practice Makes Purrrfect....Meowww

I started hobbying over 20 years ago, and things are much better now for both providers and mongers. For starters, the internet and cell phones make it a lot easier to find each other and meet up discreetly.

I still hit AMP's every once in a while, and in certain states it's a relative bargain. Texas for example has a thriving MP scene, both AMP and LMPs can be found in all the major Texas cities, complete with GFE type services like CFS, BBBJ, DFK not to mention the usual MP's services like a Table shower and at least a "decent" massage, all for under $200.

I started travelling to the US around 1982. Research was done by opening up the Yellow Pages in the hotel room. If you were really lucky, some other monger had left notes about the agencies or providers , written on the side of the page.  If you were really unlucky, the pages were ripped out . Some agencies paid for ads and rarely a provider would.

A few examples are the casino girls back in the 70s and 80s in Las Vegas, some of those girls were smoking hot, gave the same service as today's GFE and you got to meet them in person before making a commitment. Not to mention they were only about $50 for the hottest among them, even less for the more average looking girls.  

I think that many of today's $600+ escorts wouldn't do well in "outdoor" work environments. It's all sexwork, but the market and the risks are different. Whether or not the lines have become even more distinct, perhaps that's an open question?

but compared to "working the track" back in the day, today's $600+ hr sex workers have a VERY cushy life. Much the same as "internet marketers" have it a lot easier than salesmen who grew up knocking on doors.

I agree with your point that laws that allow the government to confiscate an asset used in the commission of a crime are relatively new, very punitive (not just to sex workers), and abused in some areas.

If you're interested in somewhat less recent history, this BBC miniseries focusing on a prostitute in 1870's London is quite good: The Crimson Petal and the White (link below)

A lot of Americans like hearing about the dark side of the story, whether its then or now.  
People in America like dirty dark prostitution stories, and there is like, ONE Happy Hooker story in the mix.  
For me personally, the availability of STD cures, pregnancy prevention, and onlne communication about this underground scene, make the current time way more workable !!  
I would not like working when syphilis was very deadly, contagious , untreatable, etc.

They were too expensive for most people to consider but there were two large markets, doctors and hookers.