A Call to the Old-Timers: Tell Us your Stories about Booking Escorts in the Newspaper Era

[AnthonyAnderson]

We all know that, prior to the Internet, escort agencies used to advertise in the Classified Ads section of newspapers. Personally I am too young to know much about this era.

I am curious to hear about the client experience back in those days! Were there pictures in the ads (I think not). How were the bookers? How good were they at providing descriptions of the "girls" (adults)? (Une belle grande blonde avec des beaux seins naturels. Ouverte d'esprit. Je suis sûr que tu vas l'aimer) (??) Were there frequent disappointments or maybe pleasant surprises? Were there independant escorts advertizing in newspapers? How were logistics, if we go back to when there were no or few cellphones?

Share your stories!

P.S: When I have time, I will look into online newspaper archives (PDF) and try to find old ads to enhance this thread.

 

[Giselle Montreal]

P.S: When I have time, I will look into online newspaper archives (PDF) and try to find old ads to enhance this thread.

Oh yes, I would love to see some archives!

 

[DetectiveDavidMills]

Once upon a time....

It was at the end of summer 1998, beginning of fall 1998, i just had a thing to go to Strip Clubs. Then a childhood friend join me in my quest to tour strip clubs.

Then came january/february 1999, after another evening being teased at Super Sexe. We decided to book escorts at his apartment. We consulted Le Journal de Montréal, so there was no pictures. He was the one who called to have two ladies go to his place. At the time, it only costs 200$ for 2 ladies. A sweet deal lol.

Anyways, they were not the youngest. I was so horny i didn't care lol. I remember being nervous too.

One lady went to the living room with my friend. The other joined me in my friend's bedroom. I remember having a good session overall.

I think, two weeks later, we repeated with a different agency. It cost around the same amount.

So yeah, early 1999 was the time i got to book escorts for the first time using "Le journal de Montréal".

 

[Marsouin]

It was under ‘Services Personnels’ or ‘Autres’ , you had to read between the lines, no pictures, you picked up the phone and made a man of yourself by calling.
The odds of getting something good back then was higher than getting something good on LL or EI today

 

[Lunaseraphim]

Oh yes, I would love to see some archives!

Me too! I would personally like to hear stories from escorts themselves as well. Women who worked before the Internet became what it is now. I know even in 2010, people used the internet a lot less...

 

[kstanb]

most were just a phone numbers in the newspaper, maybe some generic picture of beautiful women. it was not common to see a real pictures thus you had to ask the assistant to describe who she had available
then wait for her arrival (or go to the incall address) and hopefully she was how they described her
it was critical to find trusted escort agencies, because there was a lot of bait and switch, and also to find someone that had your same taste or that can describe well the lady. This was the golden era of client-agency relationship

Of course there was also other ways, you would exchange telephone numbers with girls you met at the street, pickup bars, brothels, massage places, escort agencies.
and you would end up with a valuable, coveted, secret "black phone book"

 

[Lunaseraphim]

most were just a phone numbers in the newspaper, maybe some generic picture of beautiful women. it was not common to see a real pictures thus you had to ask the assistant to describe who she had available
then wait for her arrival (or go to the incall address) and hopefully she was how they described her
it was critical to find trusted escort agencies, because there was a lot of bait and switch, and also to find someone that had your same taste or that can describe well the lady. This was the golden era of client-agency relationship

Of course there was also other ways, you would exchange telephone numbers with girls you met at the street, pickup bars, brothels, massage places, escort agencies.
and you would end up with a valuable, coveted, secret "black phone book"
View attachment 123771

@AnthonyAnderson the fact that brothels and massage places existed back then proves that there were clients who saw escorts indoors. There were independent escorts who put up ads in the news, too. In the movie and graphic novel "paying for it", the main character sees a few.

Also I think it's always been a thing that strippers followed certain clients home or to their hotel rooms. I think some escorts even worked at hotel bars and other similar type of venues and went back with clients to their rooms. Some people still do that and call it "freestyling"...

I think back then escorts were able to remain far more anonymous, and would still get a ton of business.

The portrayal of the escorting world in movies & TV shows is often overly simplistic and inaccurate.. and I remember in the past the cliché was "Pretty Woman"

 

[kstanb]

something that now will feel weird is that there were no personal phones, you called a house phone
thus it was common that someone else would pick and you would need to leave a message to "Lola"
also, since you didn't see the number that was calling sometimes the escort agency would call back to verify the number (and then they would verify that the address of the phone was correct), to avoid time wasters and prankers

word-of-mouth and face-to-face meeting (pickup bars) was important, especially for independents; no other way to verify clients

 

[AnthonyAnderson]

Part 1 Here`s a section of classified ads taken on a random date in 1998 (@DetectiveDavidMills). I hid the phone numbers juuuuuust in case. Read carefully Remember that you paid "by the word" for your ad, hence the very short format!

 

[AnthonyAnderson]

Different topic...Before dating apps... I read this and I have "a pincement au coeur"...

 

[Lunaseraphim]

something that now will feel weird is that there were no personal phones, you called a house phone
thus it was common that someone else would pick and you would need to leave a message to "Lola"
also, since you didn't see the number that was calling sometimes the escort agency would call back to verify the number (and then they would verify that the address of the phone was correct), to avoid time wasters and prankers

word-of-mouth and face-to-face meeting (pickup bars) was important, especially for independents; no other way to verify clients

I have a question.

If you met escorts in person at places like pickup bars, how did you know that she was an escort? I don't imagine myself approaching random men and telling them my rates. I've always wondered.

 

[DetectiveDavidMills]

I have a question.

If you met escorts in person at places like pickup bars, how did you know that she was an escort? I don't imagine myself approaching random men and telling them my rates. I've always wondered.

Back then, there used to be a bar located on Bélanger that was designed specifically for that. And it was advertized in Journal de Montréal, in a very subtle way.

also there is also a thread about that bar

https://merb.cc/xenforo/threads/bar-1650-belanger.13389/

I remember i went to that place. And the women looked straight at me once i entered. I felt like a star lol, it felt like the world was upside down. It was an odd feeling. I left with a lady once. The meeting ended up being alright.

 

[kstanb]

simply be going to places that so well known as escort pickups that only escorts and "Johns" go. And/ or street walking near these places (street walkers were a lot more common then, now it is almost gone, thankfully)

this was actually common in places like Moscow (by the end of the Soviet Union); there were bars in which all the male customers were foreigners and all the female customers "open" to be contacted

 

[PatHibulaire]

I believe it was 1995 (or very close to it). Took a chance on one of the adds in the paper and I picked up the phone and talked with Steve. He suggested an hotel on Taschereau boulevard that the girls liked (nice place with whirlpool bath that you could have for a few hours). Price for the lady was 120 for one hour or 220 for two. I took 2 hours and I brought a bottle of cheap white wine. I was so nervous that when the lady explained the rules to me, I misunderstood what she said and I laughed thinking she said she did not cook (je ne fais pas a manger) when she said no DATY (je ne me fais pas manger). She was very nice and good looking. I had a hard time getting it hard so she caressed me gently, got it hard, put on the condom and went on with what we now call a covered BJ.

I repeated with the same agency and the problem I found (among others things) was that it was difficult to book with the same girl. At one point I got to see a girl a few times and we got along very well and I asked her if I could kiss her and she accepted which was very rare at the time, I believe that the night we kissed, I was the last client she ever saw because she was quitting the industry.

I prefer the way things are now with Indys and GFE. Easier to develop a real connection and the intimate time is much more pleasant and similar to what happens with a real girlfriend.

 

[GiantJeanFerre]

Four letters: L.F.M.J. Says it all!

 

[Lunaseraphim]

Back then, there used to be a bar located on Bélanger that was designed specifically for that. And it was advertized in Journal de Montréal, in a very subtle way.

also there is also a thread about that bar

https://merb.cc/xenforo/threads/bar-1650-belanger.13389/

I remember i went to that place. And the women looked straight at me once i entered. I felt like a star lol, it felt like the world was upside down. It was an odd feeling. I left with a lady once. The meeting ended up being alright.

But ... Was the bar taking a cut from the women? lol Why did they all have the same rates? It's kinda strange.

simply be going to places that so well known as escort pickups that only escorts and "Johns" go. And/ or street walking near these places (street walkers were a lot more common then, now it is almost gone, thankfully)

this was actually common in places like Moscow (by the end of the Soviet Union); there were bars in which all the male customers were foreigners and all the female customers "open" to be contacted

So some bars were known for that? Do you remember some in Montreal that were this way? And were the owners of these places profiting from this aside from selling drinks? I'm just wondering how a regular bar could become known as a pickup bar.

I know in some cities there are "exclusive clubs" ... Basically bars for very wealthy people.. where some high end escorts pick up clients. But that's not the main attraction of these types of places

 

[Marsouin]

You could go to Thursday’s and then upstairs at Hotel de La Montagne …

 

[DetectiveDavidMills]

But ... Was the bar taking a cut from the women? lol Why did they all have the same rates? It's kinda strange.


So some bars were known for that? Do you remember some in Montreal that were this way? And were the owners of these places profiting from this aside from selling drinks? I'm just wondering how a regular bar could become known as a pickup bar.

I know in some cities there are "exclusive clubs" ... Basically bars for very wealthy people.. where some high end escorts pick up clients. But that's not the main attraction of these types of places

From what i remember, the women were totally independant. I can't confirm for sure. But i think it will be headache for the owner to keep tabs on cuts. On busy nights, there were lots of ladies. Every ladies had their own rates. There was also a variety of women too.

Possibly, the owner indulged after hours. But that was only hearsay.

That bar advertized in Journal de Montréal, they used the term "bar pour personne ouverte d'esprit", or something like that.

Even there was a section for swingers as well. There was a couple who advertized their number, they hired escorts, then they couples and men going to their houses for swinging parties.