It would come to no surprise anyone that there is quite a bit of prostitution Amsterdam, the capital and largest city in the Netherlands. On the other hand some might actually be surprised to find out that the commercial sex industry in Amsterdam is large but probably not as expansive as the scenes in other large cities like Tokyo.
The red light districts of Amsterdam have at this point become tourist destinations. That in itself has probably played some role in the actual decrease in Amsterdam window women in recent years. The red light districts are now smaller than they were just a few years ago. In the most tourist frequented places like De Wallen prices have increased too though it could be argued whether or not tourism has caused the increase in rates.
Locals who partake in the local industry are more likely to frequent lesser known red light districts, sex cinemas or sex clubs. These places offer more privacy and usually have lower rates than the places visited by foreigners. So even though Amsterdam can probably not rival a city like Tokyo it does have more than meets the eye.
Red light districts
Without a doubt the most famous adult entertainment areas of Amsterdam are the red light districts. Most attention goes to De Wallen which I have described previously on this site. Other red light districts are more popular with locals and punters in the know looking for higher levels of service rather than high levels of notoriety.
Singelgebied is one of the Amsterdam red light districts more popular with regulars to the scene. It has about 60 windows though at least some of the shops are staffed by ladyboys.
Finally there is the small Pjip red light district which is frequented almost entirely by locals. Even though it is small it offers a taste of what things were like prior to the many transformations of the Amsterdam red light districts that started to take place in the 1990’s.
Street walkers
Surprisingly street walkers are rather rare in Amsterdam. Or maybe it is not so surprising since there are so many more mainstream and arguably safer avenues for sex workers to take in the city.
Still street walkers can sometimes be found late at night in the streets in and around De Wallen. As is the case half way around the world in Bangkok a lot of the street walkers hail from Africa. Others come from as far away as Latin America and there occasionally some Europeans around too.
Street walkers tend to charge less than the ladies working the windows but they have developed a bad reputation after many reports of things like theft.
Escorts
There a lot of escorts operating in Amsterdam. Most obvious are probably the escort agencies. Some are legal and licensed and there are also more unofficial underground operations around. As with most things these days the escort agencies of all kinds tend to advertise online.
Prices charged by escorts range wildly as you might expect depending on all sorts of things. If there was a standard price it would be right around 300 Euros ($370 USD) for an hour of service. That is obviously not cheap.
There are the usual outcall only escorts but a lot of places also offer incall locations which is not always the norm around the world
Massage Parlors
Surprisingly there are a lot of erotic massage parlors in Amsterdam. Sure it is no Bangkok but the city has more happy ending body rub joints than one might expect. Not every massage shop in the city offers sensual services but quite a few do.
Prices are usually right around 100 Euro ($124 USD) for an hour. The services depend on the place but the most common special service is a standard handjob finish. Still there are places where blowjobs and even full service is offered. Sometimes it comes down to the situation and interaction between customer and service provider but some places more or less offer the more advanced services as a matter of policy.
Sex Clubs
The Amsterdam sex clubs or “private houses” may not be very well known outside of the city but they are probably the most advanced erotic shops the area has to offer if there is indeed such a thing. They are not FKK sex saunas but they are not all that far off either.
For the most part these sex clubs are patronized by locals. They are located in low key parts of residential neighborhoods. They aren’t bars and the don’t have big flashing signs. They are more laid back places where guys go to get their rocks off in peace.
In some ways the places are run like the Korean massage parlors in the US as everything is organized so that customers won’t run into each other at any time. Customers are led to small rooms where they make a choice on service provider and then they’re off to the races.
Each sex club usually has around six or seven women working though at times there can be more or less. Sessions can be between thirty minutes or an hour with longer sessions costing more. Private rooms are provided but rooms with “extras” like say a shower sometimes cost more.
Prices are usually around 100 Euro for an hour in a standard room. That normally includes covered oral sex and full service.
Some of the better known sex clubs are Golden Key and Privehuis Park 118 at Sarphatipark 118.
Porn Shops and Cinemas
The porn shops and cinemas that would be of interest for someone reading a list like this seem to have mostly gone away at least in Amsterdam. There may still be a few scattered around but even if that is true the pickings are surely slim.
Basically these porn shops are exactly what they sound like. They are places for guys to watch sex movies either in private booths or more public cinemas. The thing that sets them apart from the average roadside adult shop is that they are or at least were often prowled or even staffed by working women who help horny guys out by hand or mouth for a few Euros.
Strip Clubs
The strip clubs in Amsterdam have become somewhat notorious over the years and for good reason. Many are little more than overpriced bars where customers are milked out of their money without ever being actually relieved of their man milk.
These strip clubs sell lady drinks like the hostess bars of Ho Chi Minh City. But whereas a lady drink in Saigon might run a few Euros at most a bottle of champagne ordered by a dancer in Amsterdam might cost 500 or even more.
Private rooms are usually available. Some dancers provide mediocre assembly line sexual services inside at rates that be upwards of hundreds of Euros per hour.
The few strip clubs that had good reputations and had more reasonable rates all seem to have disappeared in recent years so that the only places remaining in business today follow the sort of “business model” that has left a sour taste in more than one mouth.
Amsterdam and the sex scene Europe overall was so much better in the 80s and 90s. Once the EURO came in – prices doubled and attitudes got worse. Now it is all business with these window girls and in my opinion not very fun. Also forget partaking in Amsterdam unless you enjoy masses of tourists gawking. This was not the case way back when. There are better red light districts in other cities such as Alkmarr, Den Haag, and up north in Gronigen. My favorite is Den Haag as the used to have 3 streets – one upscale for 50 Guliders(about $35US in the 90’s) and then 2 others that were much less. I had some great times back then.
Thanks for the detailed comment Joe. Things have definitely changed. And not just in Amsterdam. Cheers.