One of the things I like about being an independent sex worker is the scope of professional creativity. Take my friend Candy. She's a personal trainer, and in her private life she's kinky. So she's created a charming little sideline job for herself in which she does—you guessed it—dominant personal training. There's no actual sex, you understand, but there's plenty of kinky sexiness in Candy's fitness regimen. She gives new meaning to the phrase "whip you into shape."
I think it's fabulous that Candy has combined two things she's good at. And she's not alone in mixing a nonkinky service with something erotic. You find sexy maid services sometimes, and I have known ladies who cut hair naked—in their home salon, of course. I think it's an underutilized twist on service-based businesses. Think about it: Naked tax preparation would certainly take a bit of the sting out of April 15, and doing in-home pet grooming in the buff sort of makes sense, since you're going to get your clothes all covered with hair anyway.
All right, I'm sort of kidding about taxes and dogs, but creating a specialty niche in the sex industry is more common than you think. There are a lot of ladies who have sexual energy to offer but don't want to be a traditional escort or sensual-touch practitioner. Sometimes niches catch on; there was a time when my field, professional domination, was an unusual specialty. Now domination has become pretty mainstream, but from it sprang another specialty niche: total feminization, which means not just putting some lingerie on a man, but dressing him in a wig, makeup, street clothes, etc., and very often putting him in some social setting dressed up like that. There are ladies who do nothing but this type of thing, and they stay busy.
The other way of specializing is to do traditional things, but to target an underserved demographic of clients. There was a period of time, as an escort, when I specialized in physically handicapped clients. I didn't start doing so on purpose—it began when the agency I worked for sent me to see a client who turned out to be in a wheelchair. He had sensation everywhere but he couldn't move very much. He was a really sweet guy, and I viewed the situation as a challenge to my talents. He called the agency back after I left and raved about how wonderful I'd been. After that, I got all the handicapped clients. I took pride in coming up with creative erotic solutions to their individual circumstances, and they proved to be appreciative and loyal clients.
So when it comes to sex work, if you build it, they will—ahem—come. Let me offer a few words of advice to you, the budding sex-work specialist:
You need to make it clear for your clients what exactly you're offering, because if they don't understand it, they won't buy it. You need a website with a detailed explanation of exactly what you do, why you think it's sexy, and why someone else would enjoy doing it with you. Then you need to be able to boil all that verbiage down into a one-line blurb suitable for a print ad. You also need a 30-second explanation to give people who see your ad and call you up to ask, "So what exactly do you do?" (An aside: In your zeal to communicate verbally, don't neglect the obvious things. Boys will be visually stimulated boys, so attractive, accurate photos of you are also a must.)
And whatever it is you do, you need to believe in it. Ladies who create niche services often do so because they have a nonsexual talent they're passionate about, and they're combining it with their sexual energy. That passion is what's going to sell a prospective client on trying something outside the usual spectrum, and it's contagious. One of the least understood aspects of sex work is this: Clients want to be with someone who's also excited about the experience. No matter how wacky or weird your niche is, if you can reach people and show them how what you do turns you on, you will draw a clientele.
THURSDAY 10/26
GRINDThe Wet Spot's kinky dance party: goth/industrial music, sex, and BDSM, with a younger, more style-conscious crowd. Wet Spot, 1602 15th Ave W, 270-9746 or info@wetspot.org, 9 pm—1:30 am, $10, membership required.
'ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW' SCREENING AT THE CUFFBreak out the fishnets and drink a toast to absent friends! Cuff Complex, 1533 13th Ave, www.cuffcomplex.com, 9 pm, $3, 21+.
SATURDAY 10/28
LITTLE RED LOUNGE HALLOWEEN GALALittle Red Lounge presents an erotic Halloween carnival with music, dancing, performances, games, and hot tubbing. Hengst Studio, 1506 Franklin Ave E, 328-4758 or www.littleredstudioseattle.com, 9 pm—1 am, $20 at www.browpapertickets.com, BYOB.
SUNDAY 10/29
WET SPOT HALLOWEEN PARTYThe theme: Dare to Be Outrageous! Dancing, sex, BDSM play, and prizes for the best costumes. Wet Spot, halloween@wetspot.org or 270-9746, 6 pm—midnight, $15, membership required.
A LITTLE BIT OF KINKSex educators Teri Ciacchi, Connie Perez, and Mistress Marry offer a little taste of BDSM techniques: spanking, flogging, and scene negotiation. Wild at Heart, 1111 NW Leary Ave, 782-5538 or www.wildatheartxxx.com, 5:30—7:30 pm, $20.
CHESTNUT CHAKIN SHIBORIThe highly proscribed Japanese tea ceremony is an exercise in sensual pleasure sublimated as ritual and discipline and is, obviously, a kink magnet. One example: Throughout the tea ceremony, guests must remain in seiza (literally translated as "correct sitting") position. To enter seiza, one first kneels on the floor, then rests the buttocks on the heels, with the shins and tops of the feet flat on the floor, the hands folded modestly in the lap. It hurts. Floating Leaves Tea, 2213 NW Market St, Suite 100, 529-4268, 2 pm, $35.
RAIN CITY JACKSRain City Jacks is a private, men-only JO club that's alcohol, smoke, and attitude free. Raincityjacks.org or rc@raincityjacks.org, 1—4 pm (doors close at 2 pm), membership required.
COLUMBIA CITY CABARETLast show! Tamara the Trapeze Lady hosts the final performance of this sexy variety show featuring Cocktet, Miss Gay Latina Chica Boom, and Sheu Sheu Le Heuere. Columbia City Theatre, 4916 Rainier Ave S, 723-0088, 6—8 pm, $15, 21+.
