escorts in the pre-internet era?  

Being I'm 20 & only became a provider as of last year, all I know is the web. I'm curious as to how ESCORTS were found back then..

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I'm old enough to remember seeing specialty magazines and even in the ad section of the regular news paper.  In some cities, especially in the novelty shops, you'd find magazines or neighborhood papers that catered to ads for massage and erotic services.

I remember the ads in the Atlanta and Nashville papers were in the Sports sections. THAT was good marketing!

The only options I knew was the back of free magazines about what's happening in town or calling escort services in the phonebook.  It was pretty scary compared to today.  I was outright robbed once and the girl grabbing the cash and dashing was pretty common.  There were several times I would open the door and they were so fugly I would not have fucked them if you paid me!  Turning them around to leave was best case a $20 and worst case a major scene in the hallway of a hotel with a BSC bitch making a scene.  One who advertised as in her 30's showed up and was easily 70!  There was some really pleasant surprises along the way with total hotties but that was best case about a quarter of the time.  I think getting a hookup at a strip club was more common back then as well.  Some towns had "Lingerie Modelling" places and had some amazing experiences in them.  Then the really dreaded street walkers where they would be walking around areas known for having hookers and you could at least get a look at them first but many were nasty drug addicts.
You did not miss anything.  I'm sure the escorts had just as bad of stories about hobbyists back then.

If the ways of escorting were still the same I probably never would have joined! It sounded like a big risk, one too big for me to take lol...

massage parlors and strip bars. Girls would stand on the sidewalk and practically grab you as you walked by. Some of the girls were lookers, others would make a mailbox run away! Ah, the good old days!

In the 50's there were still whore houses, 60's streetwalkers were around and pretty safe and some hot ones,70's the streetwalkers were getting kinda bad, 80's massage parlors, 90's Yellow Pages and throw away newspapers,  and finally the internet around 2000.  And I've been involved in all of them, Yeah I'm really old.

When I found a gal who I really liked, I'd go back and see her many times until we got chummy, and then we'd exchange phone numbers and meet at hotels where we could pursue more expansive menu items than we could at the MP.

That and the personal/massage ads, and phone book were all we had

..they walked the streets.

On the back pages of alternate newspapers there were ads.  And that's where they got the name for the website "Backpage"

There was the Hollywood Press "newspaper."  Sold in street corner newspaper vending machines.  Cost was 50 cents, and this was back when a copy of the Los Angeles Times could be bought for 25 cents.  

A put the term "newspaper" in quotes because it was nothing but ads for providers and agencies.  It later changed its name to the LA X-Press.

in my day gentlemen who were seeking the special kind of relaxation had to wait until the rotogravure published the latest meeting venue which would hopefully be far away from the constabulary's watchful surveillance.  then we'd take our carriage to the assigned spot, usually behind the ice house or near the boot black's stand, and wait under the gas light until a lady which struck our fancy would wander by.  the lady would then drop her kerchief, or her nose gay, indicating she was available and willing to perform the services one's own spouse often refused in the name of our father the lord.  thereupon the gentleman who wished to procure the lady's services would tip his top hat, indicating he wanted to indulge, and the two of them would then proceed to the nearby boarding house attic, wherein resided a bed, a chamber pot, and any accouterments needed for whatsoever gratification the gentleman may inquire about.  money would be exchanged, usually no more than a tuppence, but tipping was often involved if the lady performed for queen and country.

of course, the invention of the telegraph soon changed everything.  and as the old joke went, thanks to mr. morse, we made a dash for dot.  jolly good!

My first experience was with street walkers. But you had to be really careful. One because they were living life on the edge, and anything could happen. And two, the obvious presence of decoys. Once you found a lady you were comfortable with, you went back to see her. That didn't happen that often because of high turnover. Before I would drive up to a lady, I would scout the area. I saved myself a lot of trouble by knowing who not to pick.  

My next experience was the Nevada Brothels. While Mustang Ranch was the highly visible one, I much preferred a different one, nearby. It was more out of the way, and the girls were down to earth, not trying to hustle you. I could go in there and spend several hours before deciding on which one. Very low key. I did that scene off and on when I was in the area for other reasons. Once the Hoffster took over, and jacked up the prices, I stopped going. Hey, that's kind of what happened here.  

When I couldn't get to the brothels, it was the massage parlor scene. Before the big crackdowns, they were very prevalent where I lived. I'd often go to ones in other cities, if I had other business there. I used to take yearly trips to San Francisco, and there was one there that was awesome. The girls were attractive, and very willing to explore. Plus, you'd get  a mediocre massage out of it. My favorite MP was in town here. It was called THS, and was the best MP I've ever been to bar none. The lady would start you with a shower. Then you would hop in a series of pools, saunas, or jacuzzis, and relax with her for awhile. Then you'd have wild sex with her, and finish with a great massage. The ladies were all beautiful too. I really miss that place.  

Lastly was the strip club scene. San Francisco was particularly wild, but even away from there, there was some action. It was very inconsistent though. But I've had lap dances turn into dkf, bbbj, hj, and full on daty.

hahaha , or you started really young.  (its all perspective)  

One of my SD's started hiring when he was 18, he's now just under 60.  He's seen it all and loves the trill of the unknown.

OH the days of paper ads.  All I had to do is run an ad with my website and a picture and I'd bank without any effort.

Now men come with this list of 'demands' and menu items of expectations and dont even understand the concept of gfe. (gfe is a feeling NOT a list of acronyms)  

While I am grateful for the review sites, this method has sifted the good from the bad, it also allows men to be demanding and expect more then advertised.  Some how, I believe, the tables have tilted in favor of the client, when we women should hold full control.  Its still our body and still our virtue. (for sale or not, let not debate this please).

Lets all take a moment and salivate the good old days )

There was a recent discussion on General:

Subj: Just curious, was there prostitution before the internet?
By: Nago8
Posted on: 2/26/2016 12:05:38 PM
http://www.theeroticreview.com/discussion_boards/viewmsg.asp?MessageID=835313&boardID=12&page=#835313 There was Gentlemen's Companiion pamphlets in NYC in the 1870s and probably earlier (see thread above for picture).

Have you seen the musical Miss Saigon (1970s Vietnam; bargirls)? And that is based on the opera Madame Butterfly (1900s Japan). How about the musical Les Mis (1815, France)? Lovely Ladies hanging around under the bridge didn't need more than word of mouth advertising, c'est vrai?  

Did you see the musical Jesus Christ Superstar? 2000 years ago, in Jerusalem. I don't know if Mary Magdelene advertised, but she was reviewed in The Epistles. (And it has been argued whether she was or wasn't.)

Internet, newspapers (Screw, Village Voice in NYC), "personal ads" in newspapers, yellow pages, ... smoke signals, ... there has always been a way.

-- Modified on 3/25/2016 3:04:25 PM

There was an escort section in the yellow pages....Of course they were all agencies, but you'd get to a hotel room and pull out the phone book.  Then cross your fingers when you opened the door...OMG those were the days!!
 

I arrived in "America's Finest City" in 1973.  While there was at least one strip bar (and Seven Seas locker and a bowling alley) on Broadway there was no massage parlor.  There were two parlors south of Broadway but "wall-to-wall" is no where near an accurate description.  City Hall is one block north of Broadway and the Police Department was then a few blocks south on Market.  With that many public officials walking and driving along Broadway there is no way girls could get away with standing on the sidewalk.

Redevelopment under Mayor (later Senator and Governor) Pete Wilson began by the mid-1970's and the strip bars and massage parlors were gone.  

If you visited Tijuana, perhaps it is there you saw wall-to-wall senoritas.  However, the street senoritas do not "grab" at guys walking by, at most they go "pssst".

the "Wild West".