Nevada Brothels

Nevada alone among the U.S. states allows legal prostitution. Prostitution is only allowed in heavily regulated brothels. Brothels are only allowed in some of the Nevada counties.

History:
Brothels have been legal in Nevada since the middle of the 19th century. In 1937, a law was enacted to require weekly health checks of all prostitutes in brothels. Reno/Sparks and Las Vegas had red light districts prior to 1951. During World War II, all prostitution near military bases was suppressed, beginning in 1942. The suppression order was lifted in 1948. In 1949 Reno officials shut down a brothel as a public nuisance, and the action was upheld by the Nevada Supreme Court. By 1951, both Reno and Las Vegas had closed their red light districts as public nuisances, but legal brothels continued to exist throughout the state. (Note: Reno and Sparks are adjacent communities near the intersection of Interstate 80 and US 395.)

In 1970, Joe Conforte, the owner of the famous brothel called Mustang Ranch near Reno, managed to convince county officials to pass an ordinance which would provide for the licensing of brothels and prostitutes, thus avoiding the threat of being closed down as a public nuisance. Officials in Las Vegas, afraid that Conforte would use the same trick to open a brothel in or around Las Vegas, convinced the Nevada State Legislature to pass a law, in 1971, prohibiting the legalization of prostitution in counties with a population above a certain threshold, tailored to apply only to Clark County (NRS 244.345) .

In 1977, county officials in Nye County tried to shut down the Chicken Ranch brothel as a public nuisance. Brothels did not have to be licensed in Nye county at the time, and several brothels were operating. The owner of the Chicken Ranch filed suit, claiming that the 1971 state law had implicitly removed the assumption that brothels are public nuisances per se. The Nevada Supreme Court agreed with this interpretation in 1978 (Nye County v. Plankinton, 94 Nev. 739, 587 P.2d 421 (1978) ) , The Chicken Ranch was allowed to continue to operate.

In another case, brothel owners in Lincoln County protested when the county outlawed prostitution in 1978, after having issued licenses for 7 years. The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the county had the right to do so (Kuban v. McGimsey 96 Nev. 105, 110 (1980) ) .

The state law prohibiting the advertising of brothels in counties which have outlawed prostitution was enacted in 1979; it was promptly challenged on First Amendment grounds. The Nevada Supreme Court declared it to be constitutional (Princess Sea Industries, Inc., v. State, 97 Nev. 534; 635 P.2d 281 (1981) ) . (Princess Sea Industries is the company that owns the Chicken Ranch brothel.)

Several towns enacted rules prohibiting local brothel prostitutes from frequenting local bars or casinos or associating with local men outside of work. After the filing of a lawsuit in 1984, these regulations had to be abandoned, but as a result of collaboration between sheriffs and brothel owners, they remain in effect unofficially. For instance, most brothels do not allow the prostitutes to leave the premises during their work shifts of several days to several weeks. However non-brothel prostitutes frequent most of the larger city casinos and hotels.

Legal situation:
All Nevada counties except the biggest one, Clark County, are allowed to legalize and regulate brothel prostitution if they so choose. Clark County (Las Vegas) and Washoe County (Reno) do prohibit brothels. However, there are legal brothels within easy driving distance of both Las Vegas and Reno/Sparks.

As of March 2004, prostitution is illegal in Carson City, Douglas County and Lincoln County. Eureka County neither permits nor prohibits brothels and does not have any. The other 11 counties permit licensed brothels in certain specified areas or cities.

The brothel licensing requirements vary from county to county. License fees for brothels range from an annual $100,000 in Storey County to an annual $200 in Lander County. In order to be licensed, prostitutes have to be at least 21 years old, except in Storey County and Lyon County, where the legal age is 18.

State law requires that registered brothel prostitutes are checked weekly for several sexually transmitted diseases and monthly for HIV; furthermore, condoms are mandatory for all oral sex and sexual intercourse. Brothel owners are held liable if customers become infected with HIV after a prostitute has tested positive for the virus (NRS 041.1397) .

Nevada has laws against engaging in prostitution outside of licensed brothels, against encouraging others to become prostitutes, and against living off the proceeds of a prostitute. The laws are enforced regularly. However, all of these behaviors are quite common. Brothels are also not allowed to advertise their services in counties where brothel prostitution is illegal.

The big casino towns, Las Vegas and Reno, have tried to attain a family-friendly image by cracking down on the once-rampant street prostitution. Prostitutes continue to work in casinos, where they wait in bars and attempt to make contact with single males. Escort services offering sexual services are ubiquitous, with many, many pages of the various yellow pages devoted to escorts/entertainers.

Politics:
Occasionally, conservative lawmakers attempt to introduce legislation outlawing all prostitution in Nevada. These efforts are typically supported by owners of casinos and other large businesses, claiming that legalized prostitution harms the state's image. The Nevada Brothel Owners' Association lobbies against these laws. Their typical arguments are "this should best be left to local government" and "it is safer regulated than unregulated". Rural lawmakers normally oppose these laws as well, since legal brothel prostitution provides a significant amount of income for some poor counties.

Organizations supporting the rights of prostitutes typically favor deregulation and oppose Nevada-style regulation, because of the large power difference between brothel owner and prostitute, with virtually no way for the prostitute to influence working conditions.

A poll conducted in Nevada in 2002 found that 52% of the 600 respondents favored the status quo of legal and regulated brothels, while 31% were against laws that allow prostitution and the remainder were undecided or did not offer an opinion.

Prices:
Remote cities like Ely, Wells, Beatty, Winnemucca, Carin and Elko differ as rates are basically set by time rather than in separate negations with ladies acting as independent contractors. If you're willing to travel and not too demanding of glamor, the remote ranches offer a better value. However, the best selection of ladies is usually found near Reno and Las Vegas.

It's still possible to party for $60 in Nevada with the average being $100. Reno, Carson City and Las Vegas Area ranches charge a premium so a $100 minimum applies. Remember it's like buying a car, the dealer will basically lie to get you to shell out more cash. As of March 2004 the $100 rule still applies. Don't expect more then 30 minutes and more then 1/2 and 1/2 or a few positions for your $100. Visiting during peak periods (Friday-Saturday evenings or during a convention) may result in higher prices. Plan your trip during off hours and don't be afraid to walk on a girl and obtain several prices. You might be surprised how many women will accept lower rates when they know you're willing to go elsewhere. Also remember that the brothel owner wants to see cash flow. The girls have to justify turning down a customer. Remember to be kind when you turn down a price, being nice may close the deal. Most guys that don't bargain manage to party from 30-60 minutes for about $250.

When compared to the rest of the world, Nevada brothel sex is seriously lacking in value. Make a visit to the Cherry Patch or Madam Butterfly Brothels north of Vegas to see probably some of the ugliest looking women in the business. You could compare this to the Moonlight Bunny Ranch in Mound House just outside of Carson City which has probably the best looking Nevada women. This does come at a price as the Moonlight Bunny Ranch minimum is $150 with the better lookers asking $250 and up per hour. However money really never guarantees good service. That's been a line that most Nevada brothels have used over the years "You get what you pay for". The girls do vary in skill level and their skills really have nothing to do with what they charge. There is no college degree for sex.

If you have visited places for sex world wide you realize that the US comes in last place when it comes to quality and value for paid sex. The cost of living in the US is high and that includes prostitutes.

Ladies:
While the life of a brothel prostitute may be lucrative, there are also some problems. The ladies are independent contractors and the brothel takes a 50% cut of the lady's wages. Each lady also typically has to pay for room and board. The ladies are not permitted to date men in the area of the brothel.

The ladies range from very pretty to downright ugly. The better they look, the more they charge.

Can you rent a Holly wood star? No way! Can you rent a porn star? Perhaps. Some porn stars do work in the more upscale brothels, such as the Moonlight Bunny Ranch or the Wild Horse Resort & Spa. Expect to pay at least twice the going rate for a porn star and up!

In general, you choose a lady from a lineup. Most of the larger operations will have a dozen or so ladies working on busy nights (weekend and holiday) and less on midweek nights. Once you choose a lady, you negotiate price with the lady.

Law Enforcement:
If a customer gets out of line in a brothel, the police may be called. Remember, brothel prostitution is legal in Nevada. The fact that the customer is dealing with 'whores' is not an issue. At least most of the larger brothels have their own 'police.' The customer is better off dealing with the 'real' police.

Behavior:
The customer who arrives drunk and disorderly will, at best, be refused service and may wind up in jail. A tuxedo is not required, but filthy work clothes are not the proper uniform. If the customer gets nasty in a brothel, the employees will get nasty with the customer. The employees are better at the nasty game than the typical customer. In any case the police are better at the nasty game than any customer.

Brothels:
The locations of the brothels are very approximate. Most brothels are located on the very outskirts of the listed city. However, any taxi driver can get you to a brothel. Nevada brothels are owned and operated mostly by individuals. The brothels are, from time to time, bought and sold or even go under like any other business. The following list is not guaranteed to be complete. However, it is the result of a great deal of research in March 2004.

Name / City / Phone / Comment
Angels Ladies Ranch / Beatty / (800) 270-3793 or (775) 553-9986
Bella's Gentlemen's Club / Wells / (775) 752-9914
Blue Fox / See Donna's
Calico Club / See Donna's
Chardon's Club / Elko / (775) 738-9923
Cherry Patch / Crystal / (775) 372-5574
Cherry Patch II / Amargosa / (775) 372-5551 / Valley
Chicken Ranch / Pahrump / (877-585-2397) or (702) 382-7870
Circle C Ranch / See Angel's Ladies
Cottontail Ranch / Lida Junction / (775) 572-3111
Cozy Corner / Winnemucca / (775) 623-9959
Donna's Battle / Battle / (775) 635-2764
Mountain Ranch / Mountain
Donna's Ranch / Wells / (775) 752-9959
Dovetail Ranch / Carlin / (775) 754-6436
Fran's Star Ranch / See Angel's Ladies
Inez's D & D / Elko / (775) 753-5398
Kit Kat Ranch / Carson City / (775) 246-9975
Kitty's Cathouse / Mound / (888) 675-4889 / House - Same owner as Moonlight
Mona's Ranch / Elko / (775) 777-7469
Moonlight Bunny Ranch / Mound / (775) 246-9901 / House (775) 246-3825
Mustang Ranch / Mustang / Closed
My Place / Winnemucca / (775) 623-9919
Pussycat Ranch / Winnemucca / (775) 623-9939
Sagebrush Ranch / Mound / (888) 852-8144 / House
Salt Wells Ranch Fallon / (775) 423-3005
Shady Lady Ranch / Hwy 95 & Scotty's Junction / (775) 553-9100
Sharon's Bar & Brothel / Carlin / (775) 754-6427
Stardust Ranch / Ely / (775) 289-4569
Sue's Fantasy Club / Elko / (775) 738-9962
Villa Joy / Winnemucca / (775) 623-9903
Wild Horse Resort & Spa / Sparks / (775) 343-1003 or (775) 343-1055
WildKat Ranch / Mina / (775) 573-2521