Positive changes over the years.

[Rebaynia]

Trying to bring over an intended positive spin on what times have changed in the industry over the years. That has benefited both for providers, and clients.

Ok it makes it easy for me, as my sample sizes have 2 decades between them.

☆ In the spirit of good will, I will start with the clients.

- The ability to see all your options on a screen in live color. When I was available back then, you got a vague description of the girls and their measurements by phone. The provider didn't get a say in how they were described, refusals at the door were a regular thing for many. If there was another available person in the car, they might try their luck at being accepted, or the client wait another 45 minutes for one of the other cars to pass. They were busy making other dropoffs.

-Choice of Incall/Outcall. Agencies and Indies are able to provide incall locations now, and don't worry as much as they used to about being raded. We couldn't. It would have been a lot cheaper for the agencies if they could.

-Review boards. You can compare notes, and report when someone is scamming, and are often able to report to try and take them down. In my day, they would go unchecked.
_________

☆ For providers there are many benefits as well. I can't speak for those in agencies, I don't know how that part of the industry has aged.

-Self representation. We can let potential clients get a window into what we provide, and a taste of our personalities and expectations. This way clients have an educated idea on if they want to invest in us specifically, or someone else. We want you happy, and attempt to inform those interested in us what time with us will consist of. (I am not talking about scammers, I am talking about those of us who share in this board and others who intend to run an honest business.)

-Screening. Looking into some kind of verification, or validation, for a sense of security.

-Booking. It can be time consuming, and sometimes stressful to deal with time wasters, but we have the ability to choose who makes it threw the booking process and who doesn't. It can also save either or both from a bad expierience where expectations are discussed and confirmed or denied as viable options.


Please keep it to the things you like about what has changed. Thank you.

 

[urquell]

Ladies have come off the streets, making for a generally healthier and safer environment. That's a big deal. Better internet services/photos etc. (when you can believe them) , but boards existed 2 decades ago so that's not new. For me that's pretty much it. I hate to say it but pretty much everything else is is underwater from where it was before.

 

[happyfranc]

Surely this has translated to more clients and business for the agencies/providers, so it's a net positive for them?

"A new report from Quebec’s statistics institute says many of the province’s regions grew at a record or near-record pace between 2023 and 2024, due in large part to immigration, while deaths outnumbered births for the first time. Montreal led the way, adding more than 91,000 people between July 2023 and July 2024 for a 4.2 per cent growth rate — one of the highest ever recorded in any region."

 

[LC18]

I remember when I started working, I met up with a veteran that was explaining that she had to pay for ads in La Presse to advertise her services back in the days. I couldn’t believe it.

Men often seem disappointed by blurred faces but imagine how vague it was back then, you don’t even know what her body looks like.

So that would be that, very positive for everyone involved. Coloured photos, detailed ads, websites and the possibility of sending selfies etc.

 

[CLOUD 500]

I remember when I started working, I met up with a veteran that was explaining that she had to pay for ads in La Presse to advertise her services back in the days. I couldn’t believe it.

Men often seem disappointed by blurred faces but imagine how vague it was back then, you don’t even know what her body looks like.

So that would be that, very positive for everyone involved. Coloured photos, detailed ads, websites and the possibility of sending selfies etc.

Back in those days street walkers were very common and there was no GFE, No DFK and CBJ only. In this respect it is much better now with GFE with DFK.

 

[LC18]

Back in those days street walkers were very common and there was no GFE, No DFK and CBJ only. In this respect it is much better now with GFE with DFK.

Oh yeah you like making out it seems

 

[CLOUD 500]

Oh yeah you like making out it seems

Yes

 

[urquell]

Back in those days street walkers were very common and there was no GFE, No DFK and CBJ only. In this respect it is much better now with GFE with DFK.

I don't think that's really true. It's important to remember that although in latter days SW was synonymous with crack whore that wasn't always the case, and the street corners had "classes" for different levels of girls. If you hit the right groups of girls then everything was on the table. If you hit the druggies then nothing except BBBJ was available, but I mean honestly you didn't want GFE with them anyway. lol

 

[CLOUD 500]

I don't think that's really true. It's important to remember that although in latter days SW was synonymous with crack whore that wasn't always the case, and the street corners had "classes" for different levels of girls. If you hit the right groups of girls then everything was on the table. If you hit the druggies then nothing except BBBJ was available, but I mean honestly you didn't want GFE with them anyway. lol

I should have been more clear. I meant globally including the girls in the papers, what I remember is GFE was not the norm. I learned about GFE when I came on Merb. But maybe I did not know where to look as you said.

 

[urquell]

I should have been more clear. I meant globally including the girls in the papers, what I remember is GFE was not the norm. I learned about GFE when I came on Merb. But maybe I did not know where to look as you said.

Using acronyms in general wasn't the norm at that point, and ads in general tended to be more discreet and vague given the LE environment. It wasn't really so much a question of knowing where to look but rather taking the time to ask the girl you were interested in. Also, not wearing a plaid sport jacket was important.

Hey! No more plaid sports jackets is a positive change! I knew I could make myself find something somewhere!

 

[2fast2slow]

when i started, choices were limited to the Backpage...of the Montreal Gazette or the Montreal Mirror, La Presse or le Journal de Montréal. The Journal de Montréal had the most adds, and the most titallating ads. But it was 2-3 short lines...very vague and a phone number...

I believe incall agencies were basically a no-go until the late nineties until the arrival of the legendary Secret Lies (RIP Nelly Arcand) and others like ABC Softies and the Econolodge appeared . Outcalls still ruled. I was young and had not fleshed out the industry in those dayes, but that is how I remember it. Only hobbied a few times in my twenties anyways. My second experience ever was with an independant advertizing in the Mirror from an appartement on St-Urbain. In retrospect, I was pretty lucky cause she was cute and nice and delivered. Today, I would never go to an appartment "blind" like that.

I also remember driving the red light disctrics at night and there were really a lot of girls on the streets, and many actually seemed really hot! but I never had the guts to pick a girl up. A definite improvement is that that has been mostly eradicated.

My point is there seemed to be very few options back then. When I read members here complaining "its not as good as it used to be", I always kinda laugh, because they are usually comparing their experience today to what they had last week, or last month, or even last year...but they mostly do not have the perspective of decades lol

Things have improved so much for both sides. For clients, the choices are almost endless, all advertizing is just a click away. I believe for providers things have improved a lot also, but I dont want to opine on their perspective.

One monkey wrench in all this is pornography. It has altered men's expectations and needs (I include myself in that category). Prostitution is the 'oldest profession", but i doubt in 19th century Europe a young man would walk in to a brothel and 'require' cim or cof after anal lol.

 

[EastWind]

2003/2004. When I discovered Robin’s spreadsheet. Eye opening and life changing.

With the hobby going online the chance of having a bad experience reduced to single digits if you do your research. Before this it was risky and a gamble.

 

[2fast2slow]

I remember some of those spreadsheets. The problem was that with the high turnover and "fluidity" of this business, they were impossible to maintain and were always at least 50% out of date

 

[EastWind]

I remember some of those spreadsheets. The problem was that with the high turnover and "fluidity" of this business, they were impossible to maintain and were always at least 50% out of date

Yeah the spreadsheet was somewhat outdated when I discovered it in June 2004 yet for a total newbie that spreadsheet served a great starting point. Learned and discovered about the agencies and then come in here to Merb for the research and reviews. Well that is how I discovered this site thanks to that spreadsheet.

 

[EastWind]

Hmmm. One big change to this hobby.

Many more SPs willing to show their faces.

Now that SPs have more control and empowerment of being their own brand plus the lessening of the stigma of sex work thanks to social media and Lonely Fans.

 

[ForeverEscorts]

From my humble perspective on the agency side, I’d say that healthy competition has led to more professional, well-organized agencies. As a result, women now have access to safer, cleaner, and more respectful working environments when they choose that route. This positive shift also benefits clients, as agency standards continue to rise, offering more consistent and high-quality service compared to the unpredictable days decades back.

 

[Rebaynia]

Hey! No more plaid sports jackets is a positive change! I knew I could make myself find something somewhere!

ohhh....
I want to find a plaid sports jacket now that would be so cute paired with a plain skirt and a belt. (All cleavage, no shirt under, open, and only held closed by the belt under breast.)

A plaid sports jacket wouldn't be all that bad

 

[Rebaynia]

From my humble perspective on the agency side, I’d say that healthy competition has led to more professional, well-organized agencies. As a result, women now have access to safer, cleaner, and more respectful working environments when they choose that route. This positive shift also benefits clients, as agency standards continue to rise, offering more consistent and high-quality service compared to the unpredictable days decades back.

I am pleased to see an agency voice in. Like I said I could not speak on how agencies have improved. Thank you for that. (Admittedly my agency expierience back then left me jaded.)

 

[talkinghead]

As the comments show, it depends on what we mean by "over the years." If our point of reference is the pre-internet days, then things are vastly better. If, however, we're comparing today's Montreal scene to fifteen years ago, then things seem demonstrably worse, at least for clients. Overall, I'd say that Montreal is still light years better than most US cities.

 

[urquell]

As the comments show, it depends on what we mean by "over the years." If our point of reference is the pre-internet days, then things are vastly better. If, however, we're comparing today's Montreal scene to fifteen years ago, then things seem demonstrably worse, at least for clients. Overall, I'd say that Montreal is still light years better than most US cities.

100% agree. You're absolutely right in that we clearly need to identify the eras we're comparing because it makes a huge dfference. Definitely agree on the US cities. I would have said back in the day that Montreal used to outrank other Canadian cities too, but I don't think that's true anymore. If you can spend more then Toronto offers more and depending on your tastes I would argue that Vancouver has overtaken Montreal too (provided you are willing to have a demographic shift to more asian providers and less ebony providers). Having said that no matter how happy we are with Montreal as an NA destination it's still a provincial backwater compared to some of the international spots.