About the prices and ramifications of sex work

One client wanted just to caress me, hug me, and possibly finger me. He wanted 30 minutes. At the door he asked again how much the meeting would cost, and I replied that it was €150, as we had agreed in the messages. “Oh, even if there won’t be sex?” he asked. “Yes, I charge based on time, and I assume my panties come off anyway.” Well, he paid, and we had a nice time. But it made me think about how pricing works in this industry…

I’ve charged the same amount for meetings for almost my entire career, and I haven’t raised my prices even though inflation and the cost of living have gone up. Many people talk about cartel pricing or a “whore mafia” on sites like Seksisaitti or Jodel. Sure! When I started, I definitely looked at what others were charging, and my prices are still probably about the middle range among Finnish service providers. Paying for sex is quite expensive, and it’s not possible for everyone who wants it. But it isn’t exactly a basic need, even if many people do crave intimacy and sex.

The slightly lower prices charged by foreign workers here are maybe because they work longer days and see more clients. I myself might fill my day while touring, but only according to my own energy levels, and I never work nonstop from early morning to late evening. When I’m in Helsinki, there’s a lot more in my life, and I often end up working less than I’d like. At those times my monthly income usually still covers my living expenses, but taxes, pension payments, and VAT always take their share. I’m not complaining about those, but people often forget that this job comes with many expenses — travel, accommodation, condoms, lube and other materials…

One of the biggest factors justifying the higher price for me is the kind of vulnerable position I put myself in (voluntarily!) in this work. I’ve processed this thoroughly, and it’s not a problem for me, even though critics think it should be. I allow men I don’t know (sometimes women) into my space. I let them touch me intimately in places most people reserve for personal or loved ones. I am naked with them. I, in a sense, give my body for someone else’s use for a paid period of time, although the power has always been mine and I’ve never experienced serious boundary violations. I think it’s fair that when I give my presence, my body, and my touch so intimately to another person, primarily for their pleasure, I should receive reasonable compensation. I use my time, my energy, my emotional intelligence, and my body.

Another criticism often thrown around is that I have sex for money with people I wouldn’t be with for free, and that this is harmful. It’s true that I wouldn’t have been intimate with every client without payment, but it’s also true that with many clients I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the amount of pleasure and joy I get from them. But the nature of the work is that I am there for the paid time, I accept them, I am close to them. Because I often see how much intimacy, or a fulfilled fantasy, can affect a person, I almost always get something out of the meeting in addition to the money — if not direct pleasure, then at least satisfaction. I also don’t know a single sex worker who doesn’t screen their clients.

Sex work is done for different reasons, in different ways, and at different price levels. My analytical nature has been processing the ethics, the practicalities, and the financial aspects of sex work the entire time I’ve been doing it. My thoughts have evolved, changed, and my working methods are different than in the early years. More and more, my approach is about how to do this work in a way that lets me enjoy it, endure it, and protect myself. I like this job because of the sex, the money, and the freedom. Sex work has had the greatest impact on my own sexuality, but after that, its positive effects on my self-esteem and sense of self-worth have been remarkable.

The sex industry or sex work isn’t suitable for everyone, and I don’t think anyone should enter it without thinking through its meaning and its possible effects on relationships or on one’s sexuality. Even though self-care is trendy, in this job it’s essential for being able to continue. For me, the money from sex work makes a calmer life possible and gives me more time to take care of myself and my loved ones. That’s why one hour costs €250 — thank you!