COSTA RICA CONFIDENTIAL – Law can be defined as a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behaviour. Since there is no law in Costa Rica prohibiting prostitution, it can be said that prostitution or “Sex Social Work” in Costa Rica is legal.
But, many of the activities surrounding it are illegal, as the law forbids promoting or facilitating the prostitution of another, and therefore pimping, brothels or prostitution rings are illegal.
“Sex Social Work” is common and is practiced openly throughout the country, particularly in popular tourism destinations. Websites (like us) list detailed locations and hotels that allow Sex Social Workers (SSWs). These online fraternities provide forums for sex tourists to compare experiences and act as a guide for future sex tourists.
What is confusing are reports in the international media saying that the sex trade in Costa Rica, more than being legal, is government-regulated. Fact: the sex trade in the country is not government regulated. There are no government requirements for SSW to be tested.
Sex Social Work can be found in just about every corner. At the local malls, hotels and bars and not just in the seedier parts of San José. The reality is that a “Sex Social Worker” can earn up to ten times the hourly minimum wage, which in most cases is used to support the immediate and extended family.
Sex in Costa Rica can run from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars per bang, depending on a number of factors. Massage parlous tend to offer more bang for the buck, ranging from a few thousand colones (US$5-$10) on the streets around the Mercado Bourbon, to US$50 or more at higher end locales that offer showers, clean sheets and bar service. Typically massage parlous operate during the day, some closing by 6pm, others later into the evening. A rule of thumb, the darker outside, the higher the cost inside.
Several bars and hotels in San José allow Sex Social Workers to mingle, hustle for clients. These bars have become famous for this, attracting a specialized clientele. At the Sportmen’s lodge, Key Largo and Hotel Del Rey, Sex Social Workers are allowed to come and go, freely, offering their special kind of charms for the usual entry fee of US$100. On the beaches of Puntarenas (Jacó and Quepos) and Guanacaste (Playas del Coco, Tamarindo, Flamingo, etc), the same thing.
Supply and demand is the main key factor in determining the entry fee. The location, the time of day, a particular client, a particular girl, etc. can see the price drop to half to increase to two, three, four even five times the usual entry fee.
Nightlclubs (stripclubs) in Costa Rica are another source of income for Sex Social Workers. From the dives in the Zona Roja (Red Zone) of La Coca Cola, for example, to the high end of Tango India and everything in between, customers can see the merchandise, get up close and personal – even touch (such as in a lap dance) and take care of business in the same location.
At the Pantera Rosa, a few blocks south of the Parque Morazan, the cover is only ¢6.000 colones (US$11) that includes two drinks and a continous show. Partaking on the special charms of the Sex Social Worker can run between US$75 and US$150 dollars. At the Tango India, the cost is more than double that. The locale is upscale, the scenario is top notch, the girls, well…it is all matter of choice and the deepness of the wallet.
Besides the above, Sex Social Workers in Costa Rica can be found everywhere. Sometimes in places where you least expect, like the check out girl at the local supermarket. Or the waitress at your favourite drinking hole. Or just hanging around many of the plazas in downtown San José and smaller communities.
Of course it is not as obvious, the Sex Social Workers outside the “usual spots” are not as open and vulgar and even offended if you suggest payment in exchange for sex. But in the end it always comes down to money. Sorry to burst your stud bubble.
In many cases the woman turned part-time Sex Social Worker is married or has a significant other, is a mother with children and even lives in an upscale neighbourhood, Like Rohrmoser or La Sabana.
The benefit from sex with men other their husbands is about money. Or what money can buy. It could also be the a way of acquiring a better husband, not necessarily today, but in case it becomes time to find a higher-quality partner. Sometimes, these women will use you for “revenge” sex, while making some money on the side. Does it matter ?
I am not surprised any more to open the pages of La Teja or Diario Extra (two daily newspapers in Costa Rica) and staring at me, with little in the way of clothing, last week’s “postre” (dessert) described as a…well, girl next door.
Sex Social Work allows women to gain access to men with better financial resources. And since she is not working in a massage parlour, bar, hotel or night club, she is not a prostitute. Just a woman in need of…you.
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One of the best articles I have read about women in Costa Rica – notice I did not say prostitutes. Making prostitution illegal is inhumane. It also create a monopoly on sex that for the most part women control – and gives them an unfair advantage as all monopolies do.
Its time for men to champion the virtues of “pay for sex” services and dump the stigma of the word “prostitution.”
How many men will disagree that they pay for sex? How many women will disagree that in one way or the other men pay for sex? Honest ones won’t. For men, the cost of sex where prostitution is illegal can be devastating. The point is that withholding sex also creates an artificial need for sex, just as with any prohibited product or service.
Men need to repeal these anti sex laws in the US and elsewhere – and if you look around on the net you will find that most countries allow people to freely negotiate for sex. The key word being “Freely.” After all, isn’t freedom really the issue. Just a women pressed for their liberation which in a large part meant their sexual freedom, so to is it time for men to seek their sexual freedom to freely negotiate sex with what I call “Small Game Hunters” that charge a market rate for their services – as to opposed to the “Big Game Hunters” that are mostly western women looking to rob or emotionally enslave men by withholding sex and enforcing their monopoly on sex by manipulating a man’s need for sex to entrap men into paying financially emotionally and even physically,
The time commitment and almost indentured servitude to women for sex is inhumane and cruel. The never ending “Honey do” list that receives sexual favors after its completion must stop.
Men, stand up for your sexual rights! Demand honest pay for sexual freedom. We all know most women in one way or another charge for sex, so lets acknowledge it openly and level the playing field by making sex for pay legal everywhere.
Spot on! The emasculation of the North American Male has been happening for some time. When women know that men cannot go out anytime and legally obtain sex (a basic human need) they can (and most often, will) easily use and abuse men with this power. At least in Costa Rica there are still legal low-cost options readily available that empower men and limit women’s power over them. I also find it much cheaper to pay up front than risk all those hidden “Honey Do This Because I Control Your Body” costs down the road – especially with marriage.