"Life begins at 66," reads an advertisement aimed at old people in Germany. But it's not promoting orthopedic shoes -- it's for a brothel which is offering a 50-percent discount to senior citizens.
If you have to get old, Germany isn't a bad place to do so. As well as generous state pensions, German senior citizens enjoy a host of benefits during their twilight years. Now, in addition to discounted rail travel, cut-price cinema tickets and cheap museum entry, Germany's old folk have a new perk to take advantage of: a 50- percent discount at Germany's largest brothel.
The brothel "Pascha" in Cologne is now offering senior citizens a 50 percent discount on sex services -- but only between the hours of 12 and 5 p.m., and only upon proof of age. The offer, which many would argue beats free coffee at McDonalds, is valid for clients aged 66 and over.
"A normal session costs €50 with us -- and we're now paying 50 percent of that for these older guests," a spokesman for the brothel told the news agency Reuters. "We don't earn as much money, but we're establishing ourselves across a broader range of age groups." Prostitution is legal in Germany.
An advertisement for the new special offer on the brothel's Web site reads "Life begins at 66" and features a picture of a leather-clad active senior citizen on a motorcycle. Senior citizens also get a discount for the brothel's nightclub -- although opening as it does at 9 p.m., that might be a bit late for some.
The brothel tested the subsidized sex scheme by offering reductions once a week. The offer was so successful it has now been extended to every day. "There's been plenty of demand and people have certainly been taking advantage of the offer," the spokesman said, adding, with a certain understatement: "Older folks are more active than you think."
Cologne is something of a center for sexual innovation in Germany. The city introduced a so-called "sex tax" on the sex industry in 2004 in an attempt to balance its budget. However the discount is not the first of its kind to be offered in Germany. A brothel in Dresden in economically hard-hit eastern Germany made headlines in 2005 when it introduced a 20-percent discount for the long-term unemployed.
