I recently had an opportunity to visit Cologne, Germany. As prostitution is fully legal in Germany, I decided to take the opportunity to indulge a little and spent five evenings checking out the local scene.
The short version
The good: Prices similar to Toronto or slightly cheaper. Lots of fine ladies, similar to Toronto. Being able to see ladies before you commit to a session with them is nice.
The bad: No BBBJ (by law). Also, there's more of a smoking culture (I'd estimate 70% of the ladies there smoke, as compared to maybe 30% in Toronto).
Preparation
The best resources I found for research beforehand are the Germany-related subforums on ISG. There's not much in the way of reviews of specific ladies, but you can get a good general impression of what the German scene is like, and what particular establishments are like.
There is also a directory of sorts here which lists contact info for the various brothels, clubs, and independent providers, as well as rosters in some cases (although those are sometimes out of date compared to the rosters on the brothel's own website).
Day 1
The adventure begins with a train ride to the town of Wahn, just outside of Cologne. German trains live up to their reputation of being punctual. They're a bit slow (don't expect TTC subway speeds), but the train network is pretty extensive and they're a convenient way to get around. 3 euros for a one-way ticket.
Wahn has a peaceful, quiet small-town feel, despite being very close to Cologne. My destination there is the brothel Cat-Exclusiv, a short walk from the train station.
While prostitution is legal, brothels aren't exactly announcing their presence with street signs and such (with the exception of Pascha, about which more later). Cat-Exclusiv is located in a nondescript lowrise building, with its name displayed only on a small label next to the door ringer.
I ring, and the door is answered by the establishment's "Madam", a friendly middle-aged lady with accented but perfectly intelligible English. (I only know a few words of German, not nearly enough to carry a conversation. Wasn't a problem at all during this trip.) She shows me into a room, and says she'll be with me shortly.
You can tell prostitution is legal in part from the fact that the rooms are purpose-built for it. There's not much besides a bed and a couch, and a small ensuite shower compartment. The walls painted black, bold purple, magenta, or some other such color you're unlikely to find in a typical bedroom. A poster with a huge picture of a condom, there by government regulation, proclaims the law against BBFS and BBBJ. Real mood setter, that.
The Madam comes back and informs me that unfortunately, no one is available for an appointment at this time. However, a couple of ladies are currently on a break and can briefly introduce themselves to me.
Thus follows the "show and tell" that I've come to understand is a standard part of the German brothel experience: ladies come into the room one by one, typically clad only in a towel, introduce themselves and (in some establishments) rattle off their services.
Vivian catches my eye, and when the Madam comes back I ask her if I can make an appointment with her tomorrow. Turns out appointments require a local phone number, which I don't have. I tell her I'll acquire one and call tomorrow.
Not done for the day, I head back to Cologne by train, and visit another brothel, a 10 minute walk from Cologne's main train station: Massage Erotik.
Again the Madam lets me in and shows me to a room. On the way, Jessika walks by us, and I am immediately intrigued.
The room setup is pretty similar: bed, shower compartment, condom poster. Here, there's a massage table as well.
I enquire about Jessika, but alas, she's not available at the moment. Several other ladies are, though, and I get the "show and tell". Agnes and Veronika both tempt me.
I choose Veronika, and tell her I'd like to see her for an hour. She takes the money upfront, which at this place is 150 EUR (~225 CAD at current exchange rates) for the hour. She then excuses herself while I freshen up in the shower compartment.
We start with some LK. I try to escalate to LFK/DFK, but she's not having it. Amusingly, rather than merely keeping her lips closed (which is how a Toronto companion would typically refuse LFK/DFK), she actually calls me out, telling me something to the effect of "I ain't your girlfriend". Guess that's a "no" on GFE, then.
Nonetheless we proceed to have a pretty decent session, with LK, DATY, CBJ, and MPOS FS. We chat a bit at the end. I tell her about the escort scene in Toronto. She calls her friend Katalina in and introduces us, and they encourage me to come back and see them.
It's now past 9pm, and most brothels are closed. Not Pascha, though, which is open 24 hours, and advertises itself as Europe's largest brothel. I decide to make that my final destination of the night.
I choose to walk there, which takes me 20 minutes, through a park and then some industrial areas. It's the height of summer so it's still light out, but I note to myself that on my way back I'd rather not walk through this area in the dark. Thankfully, the Nippes train station is close to Pascha and will make for a convenient return. (When I first saw that name, I misread it as "Nipples" and thought to myself, "how appropriate!")
As mentioned, Pascha departs from the low-key approach of most German brothels, and stands proudly an 11-story building with bright neon lights and advertisements. I grab a bite at the pizzeria just outside it, which somewhat disappointingly has no seating. As I eat, a fight erupts between a couple of drunken dudes, just steps from the entrance. My opinion of the place improves by the minute. Eventually they shuffle off. I finish my pizza and head in.
A bouncer takes my 5 euro entrance fee, and I begin to roam the building's floors. The setup here is very different from Cat-Exclusiv or Massage Erotik: there is no Madam, and no show-and-tell. Rather, each companion has their own room, and the available ones hang out outside their room (or just inside with the door open). You negotiate with them directly.
Despite the building having 11 floors, only five or so are active and available to the public at this time (with a sixth for trannies). Each floor has 5-10 available companions. Cigarette smoke permeates the dim, red-lit corridors, which I share with a dozen or so other gents, of various ages and grooming standards. I take my tour of the floors, and find the selection unimpressive.
Nonetheless, two or three ladies stick out to me. I approach one and start a conversation. Determined to be clear up-front about what I'm looking for, I mention "girlfriend experience". I am nearly laughed out of the room. "We are here to have sex, not to make love," she tells me, as though I am a child slow to grasp a concept. Hey, thanks for laying it out for me. At least I don't need to wonder if I'm missing out on anything.
After hearing a similar sentiment from another lady, I take my leave. Walk briskly to Nippes station, along streets that are thankfully devoid of brawling drunks. I sit on the train in silence, pondering Germans' hostility to girlfriend experiences. I come close to giving up on the whole week, but then think perhaps I've just been looking in the wrong places. Decide to keep trying. Not at Pascha, though.
To be continued...
The short version
The good: Prices similar to Toronto or slightly cheaper. Lots of fine ladies, similar to Toronto. Being able to see ladies before you commit to a session with them is nice.
The bad: No BBBJ (by law). Also, there's more of a smoking culture (I'd estimate 70% of the ladies there smoke, as compared to maybe 30% in Toronto).
Preparation
The best resources I found for research beforehand are the Germany-related subforums on ISG. There's not much in the way of reviews of specific ladies, but you can get a good general impression of what the German scene is like, and what particular establishments are like.
There is also a directory of sorts here which lists contact info for the various brothels, clubs, and independent providers, as well as rosters in some cases (although those are sometimes out of date compared to the rosters on the brothel's own website).
Day 1
The adventure begins with a train ride to the town of Wahn, just outside of Cologne. German trains live up to their reputation of being punctual. They're a bit slow (don't expect TTC subway speeds), but the train network is pretty extensive and they're a convenient way to get around. 3 euros for a one-way ticket.
Wahn has a peaceful, quiet small-town feel, despite being very close to Cologne. My destination there is the brothel Cat-Exclusiv, a short walk from the train station.
While prostitution is legal, brothels aren't exactly announcing their presence with street signs and such (with the exception of Pascha, about which more later). Cat-Exclusiv is located in a nondescript lowrise building, with its name displayed only on a small label next to the door ringer.
I ring, and the door is answered by the establishment's "Madam", a friendly middle-aged lady with accented but perfectly intelligible English. (I only know a few words of German, not nearly enough to carry a conversation. Wasn't a problem at all during this trip.) She shows me into a room, and says she'll be with me shortly.
You can tell prostitution is legal in part from the fact that the rooms are purpose-built for it. There's not much besides a bed and a couch, and a small ensuite shower compartment. The walls painted black, bold purple, magenta, or some other such color you're unlikely to find in a typical bedroom. A poster with a huge picture of a condom, there by government regulation, proclaims the law against BBFS and BBBJ. Real mood setter, that.
The Madam comes back and informs me that unfortunately, no one is available for an appointment at this time. However, a couple of ladies are currently on a break and can briefly introduce themselves to me.
Thus follows the "show and tell" that I've come to understand is a standard part of the German brothel experience: ladies come into the room one by one, typically clad only in a towel, introduce themselves and (in some establishments) rattle off their services.
Vivian catches my eye, and when the Madam comes back I ask her if I can make an appointment with her tomorrow. Turns out appointments require a local phone number, which I don't have. I tell her I'll acquire one and call tomorrow.
Not done for the day, I head back to Cologne by train, and visit another brothel, a 10 minute walk from Cologne's main train station: Massage Erotik.
Again the Madam lets me in and shows me to a room. On the way, Jessika walks by us, and I am immediately intrigued.
The room setup is pretty similar: bed, shower compartment, condom poster. Here, there's a massage table as well.
I enquire about Jessika, but alas, she's not available at the moment. Several other ladies are, though, and I get the "show and tell". Agnes and Veronika both tempt me.
I choose Veronika, and tell her I'd like to see her for an hour. She takes the money upfront, which at this place is 150 EUR (~225 CAD at current exchange rates) for the hour. She then excuses herself while I freshen up in the shower compartment.
We start with some LK. I try to escalate to LFK/DFK, but she's not having it. Amusingly, rather than merely keeping her lips closed (which is how a Toronto companion would typically refuse LFK/DFK), she actually calls me out, telling me something to the effect of "I ain't your girlfriend". Guess that's a "no" on GFE, then.
Nonetheless we proceed to have a pretty decent session, with LK, DATY, CBJ, and MPOS FS. We chat a bit at the end. I tell her about the escort scene in Toronto. She calls her friend Katalina in and introduces us, and they encourage me to come back and see them.
It's now past 9pm, and most brothels are closed. Not Pascha, though, which is open 24 hours, and advertises itself as Europe's largest brothel. I decide to make that my final destination of the night.
I choose to walk there, which takes me 20 minutes, through a park and then some industrial areas. It's the height of summer so it's still light out, but I note to myself that on my way back I'd rather not walk through this area in the dark. Thankfully, the Nippes train station is close to Pascha and will make for a convenient return. (When I first saw that name, I misread it as "Nipples" and thought to myself, "how appropriate!")
As mentioned, Pascha departs from the low-key approach of most German brothels, and stands proudly an 11-story building with bright neon lights and advertisements. I grab a bite at the pizzeria just outside it, which somewhat disappointingly has no seating. As I eat, a fight erupts between a couple of drunken dudes, just steps from the entrance. My opinion of the place improves by the minute. Eventually they shuffle off. I finish my pizza and head in.
A bouncer takes my 5 euro entrance fee, and I begin to roam the building's floors. The setup here is very different from Cat-Exclusiv or Massage Erotik: there is no Madam, and no show-and-tell. Rather, each companion has their own room, and the available ones hang out outside their room (or just inside with the door open). You negotiate with them directly.
Despite the building having 11 floors, only five or so are active and available to the public at this time (with a sixth for trannies). Each floor has 5-10 available companions. Cigarette smoke permeates the dim, red-lit corridors, which I share with a dozen or so other gents, of various ages and grooming standards. I take my tour of the floors, and find the selection unimpressive.
Nonetheless, two or three ladies stick out to me. I approach one and start a conversation. Determined to be clear up-front about what I'm looking for, I mention "girlfriend experience". I am nearly laughed out of the room. "We are here to have sex, not to make love," she tells me, as though I am a child slow to grasp a concept. Hey, thanks for laying it out for me. At least I don't need to wonder if I'm missing out on anything.
After hearing a similar sentiment from another lady, I take my leave. Walk briskly to Nippes station, along streets that are thankfully devoid of brawling drunks. I sit on the train in silence, pondering Germans' hostility to girlfriend experiences. I come close to giving up on the whole week, but then think perhaps I've just been looking in the wrong places. Decide to keep trying. Not at Pascha, though.
To be continued...
